The Knicks went into their game at Madison Square Garden last night (Wednesday) against the Washington Wizards 25-20, sixth in the Eastern Conference. They were three games behind the No. 5 seed Cleveland Cavaliers (28-17), but only one game in front of the No. 7 seed Miami Heat (24-21), two ahead of the No. 8 seed Indiana Pacers (23-22) and leading the No. 9 seed Atlanta Hawks by a mere 2.5.
The Knicks were closer to being the ninth seed than the fifth. It reflects the fluid and tenuous state of the conference, in which there is a distinct separation between the best team—the Boston Celtics (33-12)—and those battling for one of remaining five seeds below them. The Nos. 7 through 10 spots are reserved for Play-In Tournament contestants, in which the Knicks prefer not to participate.
It will be an arduous battle for them to maintain their current position or rise higher. Two critically important factors may ultimately determine the final regular season standings: health and trade acquisitions.
It stands to reason the Miami Heat, who lost a dramatic Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals last May to the Boston Celtics by 100-96, will be better in the latter half of this season than they have been thus far. All Star forward Jimmy Butler has missed 15 games due to injuries and All Star candidate guard Tyler Herro, who is averaging 21points per game, has been sidelined for 12 games.
The Hawks are talented but disjointed, with reports of discord between head coach Nate McMillian and their gifted but seemingly temperamental point guard Trae Young. Dating back to last season, forward Jonathan Collins is also frequently referenced in the media’s routine trade conjecture. If the Hawks do shuffle their roster and can achieve a level of positive consistency, they are a threat to challenge the Knicks and Heat for the No. 6 seed.
The young Indiana Pacers have been perhaps the most surprising team among the playoff contenders and also have been the source of trade rumors about second-year guard Chris Duarte and 26-year-old veteran center Myles Turner, who was solidly averaging 17.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game when the Pacers tipped off against the Oklahoma City Thunder last night, garnering interest from multiple teams. The Knicks have been linked to possibly looking to deal for Duarte.
Two Knicks who might be on the move by the February 9 NBA trade deadline are guard Evan Fournier and forward Cam Reddish, neither of whom is in head coach Tom Thibodeau’s nine-man rotation. Fournier was inserted into the rotation with Rj Barret recovering from a lacerated finger suffered against the Dallas Mavericks on December 27. When Barrett returned on January 11, Fournier was moved out again. Reddish has not seen any action since playing 9 minutes versus the Mavericks on December 3 at MSG.
Whether the Knicks execute a move or not, they must start to make homecourt an advantage. They are 14-8 on the road but only 11-12 at the Garden before hosting the Wizards. It is a carry-over from last season when the Knicks were nearly .500 (20-21) away from home but an abysmal 17-24 in their own building.