The Knicks are driving their first six-game winning streak since an eight-game play in 2014, which suddenly puts them in a better position to avoid the playoff scenarios for the NBA playoffs.
The boom, which the Knicks will expand with another home game Tuesday night against the Hornets at the Garden, led them to the coveted no. 6th place in the Eastern Conference basement. The Knicks (31-27) were 1 game free of seventh place Heat ahead of Miami’s game Monday night against Houston – and only half a game behind the Hawks and Celtics, who were tied for fourth place.
The top six teams in each conference automatically qualify for the playoffs, with teams finishing seventh to tenth in the East and West needing additional matches to earn the last two berths.
Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks have been a more important focus than qualifying, a franchise that has completely missed the playoffs 14 times in the previous 18 seasons, and every year since their last appearance in 2013.
The last 14 games of the schedule still contain a terrifying collection of opponents for the Knicks. Only their game on May 2 in Houston entails that an opponent will not compete in at least 10th place in some conference.
The playoffs will benefit the teams that finish seventh and eighth, and each must win one additional game after the regular season has ended to play after the season.
Those two teams will battle it out at the home of the club in seventh place, with the winner as the play-off team number 7. The loser will be the winner of the match between the teams in ninth and tenth place for the number Meet 8 selected, with the playoffs of 16 teams starting on May 22nd.
While Mavericks owner Mark Cuban played against the play-in format last week – after insisting on it in the off-season – Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau believes there are a number of benefits to drafting , which is designed to hold more teams. in season.
“I think it depends on what perspective you look at it,” Thibodeau said last week. ‘I thought Mark put it very well. He talked about initially voting for it, all the benefits. And we saw that I think everyone felt the same way.
‘I think we should first have it played out and then judge it again. But I think a lot of teams are involved in important games, I think it’s good for the league. ”
Veterans Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson are the only players in the Knicks series to have appeared in at least 20 playoffs in their careers, in 45 and 66, respectively. Leading scorer Julius Randle has no playoffs in his resume during seven NBA seasons .
‘I choose my places, brother. I’m just coming to the team, being a newcomer and just getting a feel for everyone, ‘Rose said recently. ‘Thibs, he’s going to do all the talking, so he makes sure all the guys are aware of what’s going on, and gives us a lot of good details about what we’re supposed to do and pretends every game. So I made him worry about it. ‘
Still, Thibodeau said the 32-year-old Rose accepted more than a vocal leadership role during his second term in New York. Rose and Gibson have also previously played for Thibodeau in Chicago and Minnesota.
“When I feel I have to express my opinion or vote, I have to choose when I have to do it,” Rose said. ‘I do not want them to look like I’m here at BS or anything like that. I just want to win. … So we need to go out and make sure we do business, play as hard as possible and see if we win as much as possible. “