NBA teams play 82 games in the regular league. Except for the 2019-2020 season and 2020-2021 season, which had an aftermath of the spread of Corona 19, it has always been played in an 82-game system since the 1967-1968 season. There is a possibility that a player who plays 83 games will come out this season. Mikal Bridges, who has emerged as the new ace of the Brooklyn Nets, is the main character.
Bridges’ 2022-2023 season is divided into before and after the trade. Bridges played the role of an assistant behind Devin Booker during the Phoenix Suns, but became an ace after moving to Brooklyn through a big deal that included Kevin Durant. Bridges, who recorded an average of 17.2 points and 1.8 3-pointers (38.7% success rate) in 56 games in Phoenix스포츠토토, played an active role with 26.5 points and 2.9 3-pointers (43.4% success rate) in 22 games after the transfer. The field goal rate (46.3% → 50.5%) also increased.
He is also ahead of the record. Bridges, who played in the previous game, was traded to Brooklyn, who played one less game than Phoenix, and has been on the court ever since. Bridges has played a total of 78 games this season, and Brooklyn has five games left until the end of the regular season. If he plays in all the remaining games, Bridges will set a new record of 83 games in a season.
Participation in more than 83 games has been achieved by only 41 people since the launch of the NBA, and Josh Smith (Detroit → Houston) in the 2014-2015 season was the most recent example. Since the 2000s, only 10 have been recorded, including Mark Jackson, James Posey and Sharif Abdul-Rahim. None of the active duty
KBL had a similar case. Seoul SK coach Jeon Hee-cheol was traded from Jeonju KCC to SK in the middle of the 2003-2004 season during his active career. It was a trade that took place at a time when SK played one game less than KCC, and coach Jeon Hee-cheol set an unprecedented record of 55 games in one season.
Prior to the 2004-2005 season, KBL added a clause stating that ‘a player who has moved to a team due to a trade cannot play in the same order of the previous team’, making it impossible to participate in more than 55 games. Lim Dong-seop, who was traded from Seoul Samsung to Changwon LG in the middle of this season, was also unable to play in two games after joining LG due to this provision.
The NBA does not have rules for playing in the same order. This has increased the possibility of setting a new record, but Bridges is a player who has proven his health since his rookie days. Since his debut in the 2018-2019 season, he has played all matches. ‘ESPN’ said, “This is why Brooklyn wanted Bridges so much when pushing for the Durant trade. Bridges is a proven resource for scoring ability and durability.”
Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks said of Bridges, “I’ve played about 400 games in a row, going back to my days at Villanova University as well as my Phoenix days. He is a player who energizes the team.” His colleague Spencer Dinwiddie also raised his voice, calling him the “Iron Man of the NBA.” According to ‘ESPN’, the last time Bridges missed an official game for his team was at Great Valley High School. The reason at the time was an injury.
Bridges is emerging as the NBA’s new ‘golden Buddha’, but he left a confident statement regarding the absence. Bridges said, “Everyone misses for a reason. Because each person has a different body, the way to prevent injury is also different. For some, a colon might be a reasonable choice. What might be a minor knee injury to me may be an injury to another player who will not be able to play the next game.”