SPANISH HARLEM – Let me start by saying that for the New York Knickerbockers, making the playoffs means you are a 6th seed. Anything below that and you are in the play-in games. Yes, the Knicks can still get into the #NBA Playoffs by winning their play-in games. I don’t consider them to be part of the playoff picture, however, because stats accumulated during those games don’t count for the playoffs.
As we stand today, the Knicks are the 6th seed in the east. They are two games down from the Brooklyn Nets for the 5th seed and a half-game above the Miami Heat for the 7th seed. That is how close these standings are. Tom Thibodeau will need to keep this group playing consistently to secure their way into the post-season. It won’t be easy. either. They have 22 games remaining and 16 of those games are against teams that will be in the playoffs, and others fighting to get qualify.
This stretch will determine what team they will become. If the last 3 games heading into the All-Star Game was an indication, then things can be pretty interesting. They played some of their best ball of the season in those games and looked like a team that was jelling at the right time. To date, the season has had way more ups than downs but wow, were some of those downs bad.
That is the scary part about this Knicks’ squad. They can look really really good throughout a game, take a big lead into the 4th quarter… and lose. They can also string together bad loses that make you think there is no way they can make the playoffs. Yet… they can also be really fun to watch when they are playing at their best. That gives the optimist in me hope.
Bottom Line Department: This New York Knicks unit is flawed, but with the addition of Josh Hart they are a better team today then they were before the NBA Trading Deadline.
That’s it for now, come back tomorrow for more from Russian correspondent, Hubit Chakockoff.
