Josh Hart of the Knicks and Mikal Bridges of the Nets bantering after the game on March 23, 2024. Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler via Getty Images
New York Knicks star Josh Hart welcomed Mikal Bridges and the Brooklyn Nets to Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon. After the Knicks defeated the Nets, Hart jabbed his former Villanova teammate in a light-hearted troll.
“It’s like that SpongeBob meme when Squidward is looking out the window and he sees SpongeBob and Patrick having fun,” Hart said. “[Mikal] is Squidward.”
The meme is referring to a specific scene in the hit television show, where Squidward is staring out of his window looking sad, seeing the other characters having fun. The scene has become a viral internet meme in recent years.
For context, Hart, Bridges, Jalen Brunson, and Donte DiVincenzo were all teammates on the 2015-16 Villanova NCAA Championship team. In the NBA, Hart, Brunson, and DiVincenzo have shone, putting the Knicks in prime position for a playoff spot.
But Bridges has been unable to lead his collapsing Nets to the playoffs. Therefore, Hart is teasing Bridges in a fun, light-hearted manner, saying that he is missing out on all the fun his teammates are currently having. It can be interpreted as a representation of all the rough patches Brooklyn has faced this season.
Burning Bridges
Bridges’ inability to lead the Nets to victory has been no fault of his own. The 27-year-old forward was acquired in the Kevin Durant trade and has been solid for the Nets this season. His stats are down from when he was on the Phoenix Suns, but he is still averaging 20.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game this season. But the rest of the team has failed to keep up.
Saturday afternoon’s matinee matchup in Manhattan summed those rough patches up well. The Knicks and Nets kept up with each other throughout most of the duration of the game, but in the fourth quarter, it was all Knicks.
The Villanova trio of Brunson, Hart, and DiVincenzo combined for 54 points, 23 rebounds and 18 assists total, leading the Knicks to a 105-93 victory. DiVincenzo in particular went off, putting up a game-high 31 points. The Knicks have now taken the last five matchups versus the Nets. Bridges has been on the losing end of all of those contests.
“I know people might want to think about different situations and teams,” Bridges said in response to the troll. “Obviously I’ve got my boys over there in New York, so everybody goes with that.”
Bridges and the Nets will have one more chance to crack the Knicks’ number this season, when they face off on April 12. The Knicks are currently 42-28 and fourth in the East, while the Nets are 26-45 and 11th in the East.
