The New York Knicks own a 33-22 record. Had it not been for a wave of injuries that swept through the bulk of the featured rotation, the Knicks could have been sitting on even more victories as play gets set to resume following All-Star Weekend.
The hot pace with which the Knicks were winning games after trading for OG Anunoby gives reason to believe that the team can finish this season on another dominant run. But just how many wins can they reach before the playoffs roll around?
Can the Knicks get to 50 wins by the time the season concludes?
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley believes the Knicks can cross the 50-win threshold, saying this about where the achievement could land them in the standings:
“It’s tough to project a path forward for the Knicks without knowing when their injury issues will go away,” Buckley noted. “If they did, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them climb as high as the No. 2 seed given their collective talent.”
The Knicks have 27 games left to go in the regular season. They’ll close out the month of February with a challenging five-game slate, four of which will come against the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, New Orleans Pelicans, and Golden State Warriors, all of which have championship aspirations.
In all, the Knicks will enjoy 14 more home games and tough out their remaining 13 road matchups in their quest for the highest possible seed in the standings.
Knicks’ second-half outlook and current predicament in the East standings
Considering that the Thibodeau-led squad went on a 13-3 tear from Jan. 1 until Feb. 6, it’s reasonable to expect the Knicks to finish out the year strong, especially as Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Isaiah Hartenstein return to the lineup fully healthy and Mitchell Robinson’s hopeful recovery goes as planned.
Currently, New York is 1.5 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the No. 3 seed and holding onto a half-game advantage over the Philadelphia 76ers below them at No. 5. The Knicks will have to keep their foot on the gas to distance themselves from the Sixers, especially while reigning league MVP Joel Embiid is out, and can’t sleep on the Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat and Orlando Magic who are all three games back or better.