Knicks Face Potential Playoff ‘Death Sentence’ Amid Late-Season Struggles

The injuries for the New York Knicks are as concerning as anything can be heading into the back part of the season. As evident by their 3-7 record in their last 10 games, the Knicks simply can’t compete against most teams in the NBA with all of these injuries.

Their three wins came against the Detroit Pistons, the Philadelphia 76ers without Joel Embiid, and the Cleveland Cavaliers without Donovan Mitchell. They’re now the No. 5 seed and if they keep falling, could even draw the Boston Celtics in the first round.

Knicks staff writer Fred Katz of The Athletic questioned if the Knicks are running out of time to be the team they were when they were winning games. He writes that with how close the standings are, the Knicks could end up in a bad position soon. Katz adds that playing the Celtics would be less than ideal.

“The standings are so close that only one unlucky bounce, one upset win or loss and one unfortunate injury could change any of these teams’ fortunes. It’s so close that even if the Knicks might not look like this when they play in April, the guys on the court today could be the ones who decide their long-term fate.

“Drawing the Boston Celtics in the first round could be a death sentence. Giving back almost a week of rest and instead having to compete in a win-or-you’re-out tournament that leads into the playoffs would be a nightmare. Losing home-court advantage in the first round, though it’s not nearly as dire as the other scenarios, would not be ideal — and it didn’t seem likely only a month ago.”

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Can the Knicks Beat the Celtics?

The Boston Celtics have been the best team in basketball during the regular season. They’re 48-13 and have an eight-game lead on the rest of the Eastern Conference. They have six fewer losses than the first-place Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference.

Katz’s assessment of the New York Knicks not wanting to play the Celtics is warranted, but every other team in the NBA should want to avoid them, too.

The Knicks have struggled against the Celtics this season. They’re 0-4 against the Celtics and have lost by 10 or more in three of those four games. OG Anunoby hasn’t played in any of those games and the Knicks have been a different team with him on the court.

Anunoby has a plus-minus of +252 for the Knicks in his 14 games played.

Josh Hart believes they can compete if they’re healthy, having the following to say, according to Katz:

“I feel if this team gets healthy, we can make noise.

“Obviously, you don’t want to be in the Play-In. You’d like to have that three or five days of rest going into the first round. It’s a cliché Thibs thing, but we’re just trying to take it one day at a time. We’re going to get guys back soon, but we have to keep pushing. At the end of the day, we are where we are and I like this team.”

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Knicks’ Latest Injury Updates

Anunoby and Julius Randle have been out since January, Mitchell Robinson has been out since December, and now Jalen Brunson is dealing with a knee contusion.

Brunson is considered day-to-day and could be taking it slow as he recovers from what looked to be a scary knee injury.

Randle has returned to the court and started taking light contact recently. Anunoby was cleared for shooting and other on-court activities last week.

A set return date hasn’t been given for anyone just yet, but the signs are promising for the New York Knicks to get healthy.

For their sake, hopefully, that’s enough time.

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