With the NBA playoffs being a month away and the Knicks spending most of this season in the playoff picture, it is time to go over the most likely Knicks playoff opponents and see how difficult each would be.
New York has spent most of this season in the bottom half of the playoff picture, which will be kept in mind when doing these rankings. Chances are, NY will finish in the 5-8 range, meaning no home-court advantage, with one slight exception.
Matchups, stats, head-to-head records, and player performances will all be taken into account to see which team the Knicks want to face, compared to who they want to avoid. The top of the Eastern Conference is made up of teams that all have many differences and different styles of play. The Knicks will react to some better than others.
Where will The Knicks finish?
It is hard to believe that NY will not have to face one of the East’s top three teams with the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, and Boston Celtics starting to heat up in the middle of the East. The Knicks could jump back up to the 4th seed if they continue their recent streak of success, but for the sake of this article, let’s assume that they stick around the 8th-6th seeds where they are right now.