Knicks' dream, nightmare seeding, matchup scenarios for 2025 NBA Playoffs

03/26/2025 08:41 AM

The New York Knicks are on relatively uneven ground right now. They are still without star point guard Jalen Brunson—although Brunson appears to be heading for a return before the playoffs. And Mitchell Robinson remains on a recovery plan that will hopefully (but not definitely) cease to exist once the playoffs begin.

But, whether the Knicks like it or not, the playoffs are a mere two weeks away. New York’s seeding is still in flux, as are the spots beneath them, which greatly impacts who they’ll play. Let’s explore all things Knicks’ playoffs, from seeding to match up scenarios.

Knicks’ seeding remains undecided but should be set shortly

Entering play on Tuesday night, New York owns a 2.5 game lead on the fourth-seed Indiana Pacers with only 12 games remaining. They could swap spots with Indiana, and they could technically fall as low as sixth—although falling below the fourth seed is unlikely considering they have a 4.5 game lead over the fifth-seed Milwaukee Bucks and a five game lead over the sixth-seed Detroit Pistons.

The Knicks have the sixth-toughest schedule of all NBA teams, according to Tankathon.com. The Pistons have the second-hardest remaining schedule in the league. And Indiana and Milwaukee have the 17th and 22nd hardest remaining schedules, respectively.

With New York and Indiana both playing four games a piece before the end of March and Indiana and Milwaukee playing three each there should be some clarity on the Knicks’ playoff situation soon.

Knicks’ dream seeding 

Prior to last night, New York and its fans would have probably preferred to fall to the fourth seed to engineer a hypothetically preferable matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers (instead of the Boston Celtics). Granted, New York has been winless against both teams this season, but the Cavaliers simply look like a better matchup. Maybe that perceived preference is dictated by the Knicks’ success against Cleveland in the playoffs two seasons ago.

However, Jayson Tatum’s ankle injury has probably motivated a different preference, at least within the fanbase, where this type of discourse is had. The idea that Tatum could be less than 100% makes a second-round matchup with Boston a little more palatable.

A Tatum injury also highlights the unknown. New York can only control so much, and achieving the best seed that they can is probably the way to go. And no matter what fans want, it’s the coach Tom Thibodeau way.

Knicks dream, nightmare matchups

New York’s matchups are equally out of their control, but players, coaches, and fans understandably have their own preferences. Considering how unlikely it is that the Knicks and Pacers find themselves in a four-five matchup, let’s focus on Milwaukee and Detroit.

The Knicks are presently 2-0 against the Bucks and 1-2 against the Pistons. Currently, the Bucks have a half-game lead on the Pistons, and they’ve played nearly identical basketball since the All-Star break, going 11-7 and 11-6, respectively. So, it’s challenging to understand which team is the preferred matchup.

On the one hand, Milwaukee appears to be a better matchup for the Knicks. The Knicks’ length, especially OG Anunoby, can probably slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo. And the Bucks are less defensively disruptive to the Knicks, evidenced by the dominance of Towns and Brunson in both matchups so far.

On the other hand, while Detroit presents tricker defensive matchups, Brunson has had success against the longer Cade Cunningham and co., as well. The Knicks’ All-Star is averaging 32.6 points per game across three games against the Pistons.

Still, Cunningham’s length can be more problematic for Brunson than anything Milwaukee can throw at him. And Detroit’s mix of veterans and youth is potentially more daunting than Milwaukee’s experience. So, Milwaukee is probably the preference. But be careful what you wish for.

Neither potential first-round matchup qualifies as a dream or a nightmare for the Knicks. New York has to hope that Brunson is healthy. If he’s not, then every matchup is a nightmare.

Assuming a healthy Brunson, the Knicks must simply take care of business, and they must do it quickly. New York has advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in each of the last two seasons. Anything less would be a failure. And at the end of the day, entering the second-round with as much rest as possible is the real plan.

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