Did the Knicks lose because they won?
That question won’t be answered for a few weeks, but in theory Jalen Brunson’s team is in a much more difficult position after defeating the Bulls 120-119 in OT on Sunday to reach second place in the East. became.
Their reward is a first-round showdown with either Erik Spoelstra’s Heat or Joel Embiid’s Sixers, dangerous underdogs in the playoffs.
If the Knicks had lost to the Bulls, they would have dropped to third place and faced the inexperienced Pacers in the season opener.
On Wednesday, the No. 8 Heat and No. 7 Sixers will meet in Philadelphia, with the winner traveling to the Garden for Game 1 of the first round.
The good news is that the Knicks will secure home court advantage in the second round (if they can get that far) and avoid the No. 1 Celtics until the conference finals.
To their credit, the Knicks held out until the end and achieved their first 50 wins since 2013.
They played their best players on Sunday (Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart all played over 40 minutes). Brunson ended his outstanding season with 40 points. DiVincenzo added 25 points in 52 minutes.
Other teams didn’t seem as keen on taking the second seed.
The Cavaliers had a chance, but clearly wanted nothing to do with a potential matchup against Miami or the Sixers. They sat Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland and won the final game, finishing the first round against the No. 5 Magic in fourth place.
The upset Bucks could have clinched the No. 2 seed with a win over the Magic on Sunday. Instead, Doc Rivers’ team was without the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo, losing for the second straight year. They will finish third and play against the Pacers.
The Bulls (39-43) clinched ninth place in the East, earned a play-in tournament showdown with Atlanta, and should have given it their all. Still, coach Billy Donovan used his regular players, including veterans Nikola Vucevic (29 points, 42 minutes) and DeMar DeRozan (30 points, 44 minutes).
The final minutes of regulation Sunday were hectic. The Knicks, who trailed from start to finish, recovered from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter and held the lead with two minutes remaining.
Brunson lost his balance and raced for a jumper that bounced in and out of the hoop and could have won the game at the buzzer.
In OT, the Knicks were buoyed by backup center Precious Achiuwa, who scored all four points in overtime, including a big putback dunk to give the Knicks a four-point lead with one minute left.
