With 11 games to play, the Knicks will have to run the table to finish with a .500 record.
The Knicks won’t need to be that perfect to make it to the play-in if the Hawks and Hornets stumble in the finish line.
The Knicks face their two biggest opponents Tuesday-Wednesday in a row against Atlanta and Charlotte. Those are two games that could end any chance of continuing a long-term play-in run, and one loss would secure their eighth losing season in nine years.
Who could have imagined when the Knicks (30-41) and Hawks (35-36) fought in the first round last May with 4-5 seeds respectively, that they would be under .500 as play-in wannabes. in 2021-22?
The Hawks, who made it to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, are in a much better position, in 10th place, five games ahead of the Knicks, as Trae Young visits on Tuesday.
Hornets guard Lamelo Ball USA TODAY Sport
The Knicks are six games behind Charlotte (36-35) and face the Hornets twice, Wednesday at Queen City and March 30 at the Garden.
Knicks president Leon Rose has the added incentive to beat the Hornets to ensure that the protected Charlotte first-round pick he gave to Atlanta in the offseason is not handed over by Cam Reddish in June. It will be the last salt added to the Knicks’ many wounds.
“We’re going to go out and try to win every game,” RJ Barrett said of Atlanta. “This is a team that is ahead of us, so this will be a big opportunity for us.”
Trae Young Getty Images
The Knicks missed a big opportunity against the Utah as they had an early nine-point lead and were within four points with 7:00 left in the fourth quarter before the Jazz crushed the Knicks 15. The Knicks could move on. over four games before Tuesday’s showdown.
“Missed Opportunity?” – Julius Randle said after losing to Utah. “This is an opportunity. We have not completed the task. We didn’t make it. Blown up? I do not think so”.
Randle didn’t think about much in a season rife with temper tantrums and missed three-pointers.
Julius Randle doesn’t see the Knicks’ loss to the Jazz as a missed opportunity. Getty Images
The Knicks have shot 34.5% and 37% in their last two games, although their record in their last eight games is a solid 5-3.
It’s time to get really hot. In addition to Atlanta and two games against Charlotte, the Knicks have games in Miami, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Brooklyn, Washington, and Toronto. Seven of their last 11 games are against teams with records above .500.
This is where the Knicks, owned by James Dolan, will miss the eighth time in nine years.