The New York Knicks are one of just four teams with at least 40 wins this season, and they are currently third in the Eastern Conference. However, the two teams above them – the Cavaliers and Celtics – have owned New York this season, as the Knicks are 0-5 against those two.
Knicks are projected to stay as the third seed for the rest of the season
Therefore, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that New York will surpass either in the standings before the playoffs. Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes believes that where they currently are is where they will finish the regular season.
“Yes, the Pacers are on a heater. So are the Pistons. Milwaukee has Giannis Antetokounmpo, which makes it a threat. But the Knicks have spent the season proving they’re a clear notch above those teams,” Hughes wrote. “While the East standings and the race for No. 3 might be getting a little tighter than Knicks fans would prefer, Jalen Brunson and Co. are more likely to put pressure on the top two than they are to fall below third.”
The Knicks currently are sitting very comfortably in the No. 3 seed. They are 2.5 games behind the Celtics for the second seed and are 5.5 games ahead of the Bucks for the fourth seed, and with only 22 games remaining on the season, it would take a monumental collapse to fall out of the third seed.
The two teams in front of the Knicks are clearly better
Last season, New York had a late-season surge to surpass the Bucks for the second seed in the East and reached the 50-win mark for the first time in over a decade. This year, they will likely finish with a few more wins, barring a major collapse, but it comes at a time when the East has two powerhouse squads in front of them.
If the playoffs were to start today, New York would face the No. 6-seeded Detroit Pistons in the first round. Detroit has given the Knicks fits this year as they are 2-1 against them, though there is a lot of uncertainty about how that team will perform in a playoff atmosphere.
If the Knicks were to move on past that series, then that would potentially lead to a matchup with the Celtics in the second round. Anything can change in the playoffs, but Boston has shown that they are a step above the Knicks right now.
Nevertheless, it would appear that the Knicks are essentially locked into the third seed, and barring any significant development over the final month of the season, that’s the seed they will have for the playoffs.