As the standings start to take shape, I believe the ideal scenario for the Knicks is to finish third, and for the Raptors to finish sixth. While an argument—a strong one—could be made that the Knicks should chase the second-seed and secure home-court advantage in the second-round, being the third-seed and facing the Raptors would help them avoid the winner of the play-in game between the seventh and eighth-seed, which, right now, would be between the 76ers and the Magic.
I don’t think the Knicks or
their fans should be afraid of either team, but at their very best, they both pose a tougher matchup for the Knicks than the currently fifth-seeded Raptors.
If they could get the second-seed, secure home-court advantage in the second-round, and have the Raptors win the play-in game between the seventh and eighth-seed, that’s obviously the best-case scenario. And look, if the Knicks are looking to win it all, or at the very least, reach the NBA Finals, none of this should theoretically matter. They shouldn’t, and likely don’t, care about who they are playing.
There are still a few weeks left in the season and with the bottom half of the playoffs still looking very close, a lot can happen. But for now, as a fan hoping the Knicks can secure the safest and most ideal route to said Finals, I’d root for whatever scenario most likely matches New York up with Toronto.
Overall, though, this is a very convoluted week of games, and this is just a general guide to who you could root for based on what could happen. With any given day, wins, losses, injury reports, and standing shifts, who to root for can change. And even that will likely differ from person to person based on who you want the Knicks to play, how good or bad you think certain teams are, and if you even care at all.
March 23rd
Kicking off Monday’s slate of games is the Pistons, who’ll be hosting the red-hot Lakers. The Pistons are just 6-4 in their last 10 games, and will once again be without Cade Cunningham, who was diagnosed with a collapsed lung late last week. Root for the Lakers to continue their streak to make it 10 wins in a row, and the Knicks could pull to 4.5 games behind them.
The Magic will also be playing the tanking Pacers, with the Raptors playing the Jazz later on. If the Knicks end up overtaking the Celtics for the second-seed, they’d play either the Magic or 76ers if the standings hold up the way they are right now. As I mentioned earlier, the Knicks shouldn’t be avoiding anyone, but as a fan, I’d rather them play the Raptors. Root for the Magic in this one, as it gets one game closer to passing the Raptors, unless you want to see the Magic take on the Pistons. In that case, root for the Pacers.
March 24th
Aside from the Pelicans vs. Knicks game, the Magic vs. Cavaliers game is the only one that has any real seeding implications in the Eastern Conference. For the reasons listed above, root for the Magic to win. That would not only put them another step closer to overtaking the fifth-seed, but it would also put a bit more breathing room between the Knicks and the Cavaliers. The only caveat is, if you really think that the Knicks can’t take over the second-seed, and will finish the season third in the conference, and would rather face off against the Hawks than the Magic, then you’ll be better off rooting for the Cavaliers in this one so that Orlando doesn’t climb too high in the standings.
March 25th
In what could still end up being a playoff preview, the Pistons host the Hawks. With the Knicks still trying to overtake the Pistons, and with the Hawks being the prime candidate to leapfrog the Raptors, root for Atlanta in this one.
While that game is taking place, the 76ers will host the Bulls. Tyrese Maxey is still out, as is Joel Embiid, but neither has been ruled out for the season just yet. If they can ever get fully healthy, or even remotely close to it, they likely pose the biggest threat to the Pistons and Celtics out of the play-in teams. Root for them to win this one so they can stay a seventh or eighth-seed, giving them an extra life in the play-in stage.
A few minutes after those games, the Heat vs. Cavaliers game will also be tipping off. If you are still worried about the Cavaliers potentially catching up to the Knicks, or want the 76ers to match up with the Pistons, root for the Heat. A Miami win would further the distance between New York and Cleveland, while also allowing Miami to keep pace with Philadelphia. But if you just want the 76ers to have two lives, just hate the Heat, or want to keep the Heat in the lower half of the play-in bracket, root for the Cavaliers in this one.
That game, though, as good as it may be, will likely be on the back burner for many NBA fans, as the Celtics host the Thunder in one of the few premier matchups left in the regular season. This one not only has the potential of being a Finals preview, it also has standings implications. Root for the Thunder to beat the Celtics and clinch the season sweep.
And lastly, we have the Raptors, who’ll be headed out west to take on the Clippers. Root for Los Angeles to take this one in an attempt to get the Raptors down to the sixth or seventh-seed to set up the aforementioned matchup with the Knicks.
March 26th
The Pistons host the lowly Pelicans…. Root for the Pelicans. Good luck. The Pistons did drop a game to the Nets not too long ago, so you never know. Plus, the Pistons holding on to the first seed could be argued to be better for the Knicks? More on that later.
The Magic take on the Kings. By this point, the Magic could be up to the fifth-seed, and the Knicks could be the second-seed. That would line up nicely for the Knicks, as it would mean avoiding them in a possible playoff series. Again, not that Orlando should be feared, but if you are looking for the easiest path to the Finals, it would likely mean avoiding the very physical Magic.
But remember, there’s a possibility that both the Hawks and Magic surpass the Raptors in the standings. If that happens, and the Knicks end the season as the third seed, they would play one of them. We’ll have to see how the standings look by Thursday, but there is a slight chance that fans will want to start rooting against the Magic (or Hawks) every now and then as well, to keep the Raptors matched up with the Knicks.
March 27th
The Cavaliers and Heat face off once again, and rooting guide for this one, while depending on how the standings look by this day, will mostly be the same as how it was on the 25th.
The Celtics also host the Hawks in another potential playoff preview. Most fans will root for the Hawks, as they should. But, as mentioned several times already, if you want to play things on the safe side, and secretly want to root for the Knicks to stay the third-seed, and avoid playing a potentially dangerous 76ers, or Magic team, secretly rooting for the Celtics to win and maintain the second-seed may not actually be the worst idea.
The Raptors will then host the Pelicans, in what should be a relatively easy win for them. But you never know. Root for the Pelicans to continue the Raptors’ downward spiral into the sixth, seventh, or eighth-seed.
March 28th
In an exciting cross-conference game, the Timberwolves host the Pistons. The first-seed is still unlikely to be in the Knicks’ reach, and with the Heat, Hornets, 76ers, and Magic all maybe matching up with the Knicks better than the Raptors, it may be time to start rooting for the Pistons to maintain the first-seed? Is that weird? Yes. But if by this point, the Raptors have fallen into ninth or tenth-seed, maybe rooting for the Timberwolves still actually makes sense.
Not too long after that, the 76ers and Hornets tip off in a matchup where fans will have to decide themselves who to root for based on the standings at the time, and how they want the playoff bracket to look. If you want to see the 76ers maintain two lives to potentially (still only a very small chance) matchup with the Pistons or Celtics, root for them. If you think the Hornets, given their overall good play in the second half of the season and health, would prove to be a tougher challenge for the Pistons or Celtics, root for them.
And in the last meaningful game in the Eastern Conference seedings for the week, the Hawks take on the Kings. In case the Raptors have held on to the fifth-seed this far into the week, root for the Hawks to win what should be a relatively easy game against the very, very bad Kings. If, though, the Magic have made it all the way up to the fifth-seed, and the Raptors have dropped too low, rooting for the Kings to either allow the Raptors to catch back up, or hold the Hawks below the Magic, might not be a bad idea.
