The New York Knicks were the third seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2026 NBA Playoffs. They started out with a matchup against the sixth-seeded Atlanta Hawks. After a rocky first three games, falling down 2-1, the Knicks ripped off four straight victories to take the series. Then, they played the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers. It was the first of their back-to-back sweeps; the Eastern Conference Finals against the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers was the second.
After another offseason that seemingly helped spread out the NBA's talent, the Eastern Conference looks even stronger than it did last year. If the Knicks want to benefit from home-court advantage again, it certainly won't be easy to earn it back.
The team hired Mike Brown in part because they wanted a more collaborative voice in charge of their locker room. It's time for the front office and coaching staff to collaborate on a plan regarding just how much having home-court advantage for their title defense matters to them.
Mitchell Robinson may not be around anymore to need rest in half of every back-to-back on the schedule, but New York certainly has young talent in the coffers. The team can lean on players like Mohamed Diawara, Tyler Kolek, and even James Wiseman to help buy their starters some rest. It could, however, cost them a crucial playoff advantage.
Knicks have to decide how big of a factor home-court was in title run
From a certain point of view, the Knicks breezed through the 2026 Eastern Conference Playoffs because they earned home-court advantage in each of its three rounds. They were able to start series on their home floor, reducing travel and burnout while optimizing the rest they kept earning themselves by sweeping their opponents.
It taking the Knicks just five games to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals was the evidence to their doubters — and confirmation to their believers — that they were legitimate. The extent to which their playoff run had been historic began to click into place for fans across the world.
Now, without Robinson on their side and in a daunting Eastern Conference, the team has to decide for themselves just how badly they'll need home-court advantage again.
It sure would help explain why Mohamed Diawara logged just one total minute throughout the Knicks' first six regular season games if the team feels internally like they can't afford to surrender any regular season ground. Brown has told reporters that while he's wanted to play young players like Diawara and Pacôme Dadiet, his veterans' underperformance has left him without the flexibility needed to experiment with the team's less-proven talent.
Once the grind of the 82-game regular season begins to wear on the team's regular rotation players, especially after their relatively short offseason, it'll be interesting to see how far outside of the box Brown is willing to venture.
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