New York Knicks beat Reggie Miller

With the arrival of Mikal Bridges, it appears a bridge is being built between the New York Knicks and one of their biggest rivals.

New York’s offseason activities have earned the approval of Reggie Miller, who temporarily buried his hatchet against the Knicks to praise the team’s performance since losing to his Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals last spring.

You could say it’s been anything but an offseason for New York, which re-signed both OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson to long-term deals and added another Villanova alumnus to the fold in former Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges. The Brunson deal has proven to be particularly headline-grabbing, as the franchise face dropped nine figures on the table to immediately extend his stay.

According to Miller, all of this and more is enough to get the Knicks “ready” to challenge the Boston Celtics for the Eastern Conference lead.

“The Knicks have won and are still winning in the offseason,” Miller declared emphatically in an episode of the USA Today web series “Sports Seriously.” “People need to understand how much team chemistry plays a role in winning when you have a solid locker room and a solid foundation.”

Miller, who once again assumed his role as public enemy No. 1 among the loyal Madison Square Garden fans during the Pacers’ playoff visits, gave his old adversaries an “A-plus-plus-plus-plus” for what New York accomplished this time around in its bid to survive the conference semifinals.

The Knicks earned that degree by continuing to play to their “Nova Knicks” persona, bringing in Bridges to team with Brunson and former Villanova Wildcats Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart. The quartet worked together on Villanova’s 2016 national championship, with Bridges, Brunson and DiVincenzo making a return trip when Hart was in the NBA two years later.

“I don’t call them the New York Knicks anymore,” Miller told host Mackenzie Salmon. “They’re the Nova Knicks.”

Miller says losing top center Isaiah Hartenstein could be a problem, but that the Knicks could find success in small-ball if Julius Randle returns. The Pacers legend certainly enjoyed the Knicks’ takedown by his former employers last postseason, but hinted that things might have been different had Randle, who has been out since late January with a shoulder injury, participated in the series.

“Think about it: Randle didn’t play at all in the playoffs last year and the Knicks were so successful,” Miller said. “That team chemistry is going to go a long way.”

That team chemistry will continue to brew following Brunson’s offer extension, one of which reportedly kept $113 million in the Knicks’ pockets. Miller believes Brunson will never be short on cash thanks to his metropolitan hero status, but even if he doesn’t make all nine figures back, the prospect of extended championship contention makes the payback irrelevant.

“Do you ever get that $113 million back? Who cares?” Miller, who currently works as a game-day analyst for TNT’s NBA coverage, asked rhetorically. “It plays a role in winning a championship and being surrounded by it.”

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