The Knicks are officially in the postseason — and will avoid the play-in tournament.
New York has clinched no worse than a sixth-place finish in the Eastern Conference thanks to the Heat’s 122-112 win over the Hawks on Thursday night.
It’s the third straight year the Knicks have made the postseason and the fourth time in five years during the Tom Thibodeau era.
As of Thursday night, the Knicks are firmly entrenched in the No. 3 spot in the East with a 45-27 record, good for 2 ¹/₂ games up on the fourth-place Pacers.
With 10 games left in the regular season, it will be nearly impossible for the Knicks to reach higher than third place, with the No. 2 seed Celtics 8 ¹/₂ games clear of New York.
If the playoffs were to start today, the Knicks would face the No. 6 seed Bucks, whom the Knicks have beaten in two matchups this season.
The two play again Friday in Milwaukee.
After a run into the second round of the playoffs last year, the Knicks had high expectations this year, especially after the acquisition of Karl-Anthony Towns in a trade with the Timberwolves.
But they’ve been a team of highs and lows, particularly struggling against the upper-echelon clubs, including an 0-5 record against the Cavaliers and Celtics.
Since Jalen Brunson went down with an ankle injury, the Knicks are 5-5, with all five victories against teams under the .500 mark.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
