Knicks clinch third straight playoff appearance

The Hawks’ loss last night is our gain!

The New York Knicks had full control of their destiny in front of a home crowd on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers. A win would have clinched them a playoff spot amongst the top six teams in the East, the third straight season of doing so.

Despite KAT’s best efforts, a depleted rotation couldn’t keep up with the Clippers in the second half, and they ultimately fell by the score of 126-113.

Luckily, it only took one more day of waiting around for the news to become official.

Last night, with the Atlanta Hawks losing to the Miami Heat, the deed was done.

Your New York Knickerbockers are going back to the postseason for the third year in a row.

The Knicks have been treading water as of late, going 5-5 in their last ten appearances as they wait for Jalen Brunson to return to action. Thankfully, they did enough earlier in the year to afford this type of play over a sustained period of time.

New York is still the number three seed in the East, although the Knicks are now a far cry behind both the Cavs and Celtics in the top two slots. Meanwhile, the Pacers have been sneaking up on them in the standings, and what was once a large gap is now less insurmountable. Only 2.5 games separate New York from the number four seed, and New York will have to close the regular season out strongly if they want to maintain their hold on a top-3 seed.

Tonight’s matchup against Milwaukee could be a preview of what’s to come in the postseason. The Bucks are currently the six seed in the East, and if the season ended today, this would be New York’s first round matchup.

It’s the first time in twelve years the Knicks have made three playoffs in a row. Ten games remain in the regular season. The final stretch starts tonight in Milwaukee. Let’s see if New York can get healthy, finish strong, and carry some momentum into the postseason.