Picked to finish 10th in the Eastern Conference by ESPN in October, the Knicks are fifth in the standings and have the league’s eighth-best record with five games remaining in the regular season.
The Knicks (44-33) are four games ahead of the seventh-place Miami Heat. The top six seeds qualify for the playoffs while seeds 7-10 go to the play-In tournament. In all likelihood, the Knicks will be the five-seed and play the Cavaliers in the first round.
The Knicks have a roster that is capable of pulling off a deep postseason run, with one of the league’s more underrated starting groups in Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson. Barrett, Randle and Brunson average 19 points or more.
Randle, a two-time All-Star and catalyst of New York’s surprising season, is having the best season of his career, averaging 25.1 points and 10 rebounds.
In June, the Knicks received criticism for signing Brunson to a four-year, $104 million deal, but the point guard has been a revelation. Former Knicks star Greg Anthony recently chided the Mavericks for not keeping him.