CHICAGO — There’s one week left in the Knicks’ season, and their playoff chances are more complicated than the Kardashian family tree.
They could still finish anywhere from second to eighth, and that dispersion makes the next four games extremely important and completely unpredictable.
With Monday’s solar eclipse darkening the NBA schedule, it’s a good time to explain what’s at stake in the final four games.
Here’s the breakdown from every angle:
What is the ranking?
Boston 62-16, —
Milwaukee 47-31, 15 GB
Orlando 46-32, 16 GB
New York 46-32, 16 GB
Cleveland 46-33, 16.5 GB
Indiana 45-34, 17.5 GB
Philadelphia 44-35, 18.5 GB
Miami 43-35, 19 GB
Who will win the tiebreak?
The Knicks have tiebreakers against the Cavs, Sixers and Heat.
They lost in tiebreakers to the Bucks, Magic, and Pacers.
What happens if the Knicks tie with multiple teams?
Hmm, that’s complicated. However, the main criteria for breaking a 3-team or 4-team tiebreaker are:
1. Category Winner
2. Improved win rate in all head-to-head matches between tied teams
3. Improved win rate against teams in your own division (only if all tied teams are in the same division)
4. Conference winning percentage
It’s impossible to say exactly where the Knicks will be in any given three-team or four-team tie, as the Central and Southeast divisions have not yet been determined. But generally speaking, they’re at a disadvantage because they don’t have a chance to win the division (thank you, Celtics). As a second criterion, the final score with the relevant team is as follows: 2-3 against the Bucks. 1-3 vs. Magic. vs. Cavs 2-1. 3-1 vs. Sixers, 1-2 vs. Pacers. 2-1 vs. the Heat.
Who will the Knicks play?
Tuesday at Bulls
The Bulls hope to stay ahead of the Hawks in ninth place in the East Division and earn a home game in the play-in tournament. This isn’t a do-or-die contest for Chicago, it’s just pretty important, as they hold the tiebreaker with a one-game lead over Atlanta. The Bulls defeated the Knicks on Friday at the United Center, but there’s reason to believe coach Tom Thibodeau’s team will do even better on Tuesday. why? Friday’s game was the second of a series for the Knicks, who flew from New York to play the Bulls on a three-day break. Also, Josh Hart was ejected in the first quarter of that game. The big question for the Bulls is the status of Alex Caruso, who did not play in Sunday’s game against the Magic due to an ankle injury.Caruso is of This will be key for the Bulls to slow Brunson down.
Thursday’s game against the Celtics
Under normal circumstances, this would be a loss for the Knicks, but the Celtics no longer have room to play. They long ago had the best record in the Eastern Conference, and last week they made it to the NBA Finals on their home court. It’s not yet clear how Boston coach Joe Mazzula will handle the meaningless remainder of the season, but he has no plans to rest his top players, especially after Tuesday’s nationally televised game against the Bucks. This should be considered.
Friday vs. Nets
It’s simple. The Nets were mathematically eliminated and forced to restart their lost season. It’s time for the fan base to pretend that players like Noah Clowney and Cam Thomas are going to be good.
Sunday vs. Bulls
The final matinee of the season could mean everything or nothing for either team. The good news for the Knicks is that the Bulls likely don’t care about this game. The two games before that are against the powerhouse Wizards and Pistons. And thanks to the aforementioned tiebreaker, they are effectively two games behind the Hawks in ninth place.
trend. …
- The Bucks have lost four in a row and six in their last seven games. They also have the toughest schedule remaining: against the Celtics, against the Magic, against the Thunder and against the Magic.
- The Sixers have moved up in the standings with five straight wins and the easiest schedule (against the Pistons, Magic, and Nets) since Joel Embiid’s return.
- The Cavs have lost four of their last five games. But they also have two tricks up their sleeve for their remaining three games, against the Grizzlies and Hornets (despite their recent loss to Charlotte).
- The Heat recently brought back Tyler Herro and are building him into a dangerous team.
- The Magic have two games left against the Bucks to decide their fate. If they win, they will be the second seed. However, Franz Wagner injured his ankle in his last game and is doubtful for Tuesday’s game against the Rockets.
- The Pacers are on a roll with four wins in their last five games. There should also be a breeze in Toronto on Tuesday. And there’s a big game coming up in Cleveland on Friday.
Knicks best-case scenario
They went 4-0 and achieved their first 50-win season in 11 years. If the Bucks go 2-2 (or better) and the Magic go 3-1 (or better), they will earn the No. 2 seed. Of course, the No. 2 seed could mean a first-round showdown with either the Heat or the Sixers. They don’t want to see Erik Spoelstra or Joel Embiid that soon.
Knicks worst-case scenario
With a record of 0 wins and 4 losses, they have fallen to 8th place and will need a win in the play-in tournament to advance to the playoffs.
