The Knicks have had their best season in over two decades, sitting at 37-18 through 55 games. Their plan to turn the old core of players into this new, high-powered starting lineup has worked wonders. New York has a legitimate chance to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time in many years, which is all anyone could’ve asked for. They just have one more hurdle to clear before the playoffs: beat the NBA’s best. So far, Tom Thibodeau’s squad is 0-5 against the top three in the league standings, and have looked pretty poor doing so. This weekend, they’ll have two shots to change the narrative.
Knicks With Golden Opportunity to Silence Doubters This Weekend
The three squads who have separated themselves from the pack in 2024-25 are the defending champion Boston Celtics and regular season kings in the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder. With New York’s likely path to a title running through all three of these teams, it would be a serious confidence booster to put some success against them on tape. Fortunately, they’ll have a golden opportunity to do so this weekend.
NY Faces Cleveland and Boston on the Road
On Friday night, the Knicks will travel to Cleveland to take on the East-leading Cavaliers. It’s a quick turnaround after a tough overtime game against the Bulls, but the Cavaliers also played in New York City last night vs. Brooklyn. NY. On Sunday the Knicks will go to Boston for a 1 PM tipoff. Of course, the team is hungry to take down every elite squad they face, but splitting these brutal road tests would be a massive win.
Their only matchup with the Cavs was back on October 28th in the third game of the season. The Knicks held a double-digit third-quarter lead, but a Darius Garland explosion late gave Cleveland their fourth of 15 straight wins to open the campaign. We can’t take anything from the outcome, but it won’t change NY’s desire to get revenge and change its reputation. Overall, this game against the Cavs will be vital for the Knicks.
As for Boston, they’ve destroyed the Knicks in both games, one in each team’s arena. Their only meeting in Boston came on opening night when the Celtics raised their 18th championship banner. That contest can be reasonably dismissed with a brand-new lineup on a momentous night in Boston, but the C’s blew out the Knicks again just two weeks ago. This game is perhaps even more important to New York because it is their hardest matchup. They’ll also likely face off in the second round, meaning the team will be desperate for reassurance that they can hang with the champs. The Knicks also need to go 3-1 to secure the famous 40-20 milestone.
Knicks May Not Be Full Strength
Unfortunately, New York might not have their full complement of players for these challenging games. Mitchell Robinson remains out, while Josh Hart and OG Anunoby will be game-time decisions in Cleveland on Friday night. Without Hart and Anunoby, the Knicks stand little chance to compete in road games such as these, so it may turn out that nothing can be gleaned from this weekend. Still, overreactions are sure to fly around regardless of who’s healthy. The Knicks must at least show that they’ve learned from their mistakes and have a plan to attack these squads come playoff time.
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