The New York Knicks need to capitalize on a much easier part of their upcoming schedule.
The Knicks are currently off to a surprisingly good start. As this is being written they have a record of 20 and 19 which ties them for 5th in the East but with 31 games left, they’re still far from guaranteed to make the playoffs. The Knicks are only 2 games ahead of the 9th seeded Indiana Pacers, which means that a losing streak of 4 games could easily put the Knicks out of the playoff picture in the East.
Fortunately for the Knicks, their schedule gets significantly easier over the next 6 games. Coming off a big win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team’s next game will be against the #2 seed Brookly Nets, but after that game they play the 76ers twice, the Orlando Magic, and the Washington Wizards. The Brooklyn Nets have won 9 out of their last 10 games. They likely won’t have Kevin Durant but even without him, the Knicks will be hard-pressed to defeat a super talented currently on a hot streak.
Outside of the Nets, 5 out of these next 6 games are extremely winnable. The 76ers are the number 1 seed in the East but they will be without Joel Embiid for at least the next 2 weeks due to a bone bruise. Embiid is the NBA’s current MVP leader so losing him is a brutal loss for the Sixers. Furthermore, they’ve proven to be a flawed team despite their impressive 26-12 record.
The Sixers have capitalized on a very light schedule thus far in the season, with only having 7 wins against teams with a record above 500. With the 76ers not having their league-leading MVP candidate Joel Embiid who is sidelined with a bone bruise, the Knicks should be able to capitalize off of that injury and secure two wins against the Sixers. In between the Sixers games, the Knicks play the Orlando Magic. They’re 14th in the East and have lost their last 7 games as this article is being written.
Vucevic is an All-Star but the Magic have been devastated with injuries this year which has led to the brutal record. This is a very winnable game. Lastly, the Knicks have two straight games against the Washington Wizards. The Wizards have two All-Star level players in Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal, but despite having those players they’re still just 14-23 and 13th in the East. They’re a rock bottom defensive team at 27th in defensive efficiency.
These are another two very winnable games. It may be a bit of a tall task but if the Knicks play hard they could easily find themselves going 5-1 over these next 6 games which would give them a record of 25 and 20. Moving to 5 games above 500 could build some momentum that could propel the Knicks into the playoffs. There are no easy wins in the NBA but the Knicks need to capitalize off a schedule that’s going to ease up very soon.