If the NBA playoffs started today, the New York Knicks would be in. That’s right, the New York Knicks. Carmelo Anthony and company have won 12 of their last 15 games, a streak that has allowed them to climb into the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference. And if the Knicks hold on and qualify for the postseason, Tyson Chandler thinks the rest of the league should be scared.
“I always thought we’d really give our ourselves a shot of making the playoffs,’’ Chandler said Monday after a win over the Utah Jazz, via Marc Berman of the NY Post. “I still believe if we get in there, somebody’s going to be in trouble.’’
New York still has six games remaining. The Atlanta Hawks, who are close behind them in the standings, have eight. The Knicks will need to continue playing well down the stretch to somehow continue their season in late April, but they seem as focused as they have all year.
“We can’t have any excuses at this point,” Chandler said. “Obviously it is going to be tough. But we have to leave it all on the basketball court.”
While I’m surprised to even be sitting here writing that the Knicks are in position to make the playoffs, I still don’t think they would advance past the first round. Sneaking into the postseason would mean making a date with either the Miami Heat or Indiana Pacers. The Pacers have some serious dysfunction going on right now, but I still think they’d beat the Knicks in a seven-game series. The fact that we’re even talking about it — given how the New York’s season has gone — is what amazes me.
