The Knicks look to rebound from a disappointing eight-point road loss to the Cavs on Friday as they take on the Hawks Sunday afternoon in Atlanta. The Hawks are looking to secure home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs by finishing the season with a better record than the Celtics. Here's the latest from Mike Woodson's squad as the team heads into the final week of the regular season.
- Entering Sunday's matchup against the Hawks, the Knicks are tied record-wise with the Sixers but currently hold the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker against Philadelphia, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. A loss to the Hawks would drop the Knicks to the eighth seed and allow for the Sixers to move up a spot before taking on the Nets in Newark on Monday night. Based on current standings, the eighth seed would face the Bulls in the first round while the seventh seed would head to Miami to play the Heat.
- Marc Berman of the New York Post reports Tyson Chandler may be in need of some much deserved rest but could potentially find himself on the court this week to keep the Knicks starters in sync for the playoffs. Chandler, 29, has missed only two games all season as he's built a strong case for Defensive Player of the Year thanks to his intimidating presence in the paint. Unfortunately for Chandler, Woodson said on Friday that he wants to have all of his starters continue to play so that the team can build momentum heading into the playoffs.
- The Knicks need to find a way for Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire to effectively coexist on the court if they hope to make a run in the playoffs, contends Berman. With $65MM remaining on the oft-injured Stoudemire's contract, the Knicks have little recourse but to make the tandem work with three games remaining in the regular season. However, Woodson would consider removing Stoudemire from the starting lineup if Knicks co-captains Anthony and Stoudemire agree sending the former Suns star to the bench serves for the greater good of the team.