Jason Burgos
It seems like many scouts and executives around the NBA are not high on the New York Knicks‘ chances of reaching the NBA Finals this spring.
There is no doubt that the NY Knicks are one of the best teams in the NBA right now. They own the fifth-best record in the league (42-25) and are ranked in the top 10 in scoring (117.2) and points against (110.9). Furthermore, they have wins over elite teams in the West like the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets.
But that’s the regular season. The question many NY Knicks fans wonder is if the inconsistent team can put it all together when it matters most in the playoffs. On Friday, SNY Knicks insider Ian Begley spoke to multiple NBA scouts and executives about how the team stacks up against the other playoff teams in the East, and the responses weren’t glowing.
Scouts and execs don’t like the NY Knicks chances against East elites this spring
First, the Detroit Pistons. “(For the Knicks), how do you slow down (Cade) Cunningham? He had his way against the entire defense, including (OG) Anunoby, when they played at MSG (to start the second half of the season),” one scout said. New York was swept 3-0 in their season series against Detroit this season and were often soundly defeated.
When it comes to the Boston Celtics, scouts and execs are very high on them following the return of superstar Jayson Tatum after rehabbing his torn ACL. They feel, despite being second in the Eastern Conference standings, that Boston is now the team to beat this spring.
“Yes, there will be an adjustment period (from Tatum’s return), but they’ve won together in the past. I don’t see it tripping them up,” an exec told Begley. “If Tatum finds his rhythm, they are hands-down the team to beat in the East. No disrespect to (the Knicks), but they’ve shown over the course of the regular season that they’re the better team. If Tatum is back even at 80 percent, he makes them markedly better.”
Another interesting opinion that came out of the report is that while the NY Knicks have the third-best record in the conference and would be a favorite in a series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, there is real potential for an upset if they meet in the conference semis.
“History says you don’t need to worry about (James) Harden in big playoff games, but he’s been playing at a high level for them. I wouldn’t want to deal with (Harden and Donovan Mitchell) for seven games,” a scout said.
So when it comes to matchups against the three teams that will be the biggest threats in the conference, scouts and execs around the game aren’t feeling confident about the NY Knicks chances in this year’s playoffs.
