Nuggets, Pistons, Celtics, Rockets, Cavaliers, Spurs, Raptors, Thunder and Lakers. Those are some of the teams the Knicks have played since February.
New York has gone against the Wizards, Pacers, Bulls, and the Bucks—all of those matchups sandwiched in between the aforementioned ones—but for the most part, the Knicks have had test after test over the last five weeks. And outside of the last two games against the two Los Angeles teams, and the two drubbings at the hands of the Pistons, the Knicks answered some questions and came out looking relatively unscathed.
They may not have made up the kind of ground they wanted to in the stands, largely due to the exceptionally strong play of the Pistons, Celtics, and even the Cavaliers. But their much-improved defense, Karl-Anthony Towns’ hot play, and the sudden emergence of Mo Diawara have ignited some hope and confidence. And the good news is, those things, as well as some other factors, should be a mainstay for the next couple of weeks.
Over the next few weeks, the Knicks’ schedule goes from incredibly tough to a cakewalk. It starts with a road game against the tanking Jazz tonight, then a matchup against a Pacers team that, to their credit, did beat the Knicks a few weeks ago. They then host the Warriors, who enter tonight under .500, and the Pacers, then play the Nets, Wizards, and the Pacers again over five days.
New York does have a tough three-game stretch against the hot Hornets, which could end up being a potential playoff preview, defending champion Thunder, and the Rockets. After that, it’s a mixed bag, as they round out the season with games against the Grizzlies, Bulls, and Hawks, before facing off against the Celtics, Raptors, and Hornets. Now, the last three games look like they could be tough on paper, but as is the case every season, it’s hard to project what games in the last week of the season could look like with teams often sitting guys as they prepare for a long and grueling playoff run.
The rest of the regular season should provide the Knicks with enough tests with games against the Hornets, Thunder, Rockets, and Celtics, but also give the Knicks plenty of games to improve heading into the playoffs.
They can use some of the aforementioned games against the worst teams in the league to either rest guys, especially Jalen Brunson, who has looked a tad bit slow, and hampered. And they can maybe look to get Mikal Bridges going again offensively. While the Knicks won’t want to punt games as the standings are still very much in flux, if they can take care of business early on in the games, it should also allow head coach Mike Brown to continue playing with the rotations, and possibly get guys like Diawara, and maybe even Tyler Kolek for some potential playoff minutes.
The last week(s) of the season will likely prove to be a big deal for the Knicks, regardless of what other teams are doing, though. As stated above, the standings may not be fully locked in until the very last day of the season, and even if they are, the Knicks have the task of trying to re-integrate a key piece in Deuce McBride. Every minute they can get him will be pivotal, as having him return to game shape and in rhythm could end up being a make-or-break factor in just how far this team can go.
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