Knicks Clinch Playoff Berth

Atlanta’s loss in Miami on Thursday ensured that the Knicks will earn a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference and thus a guaranteed spot in the playoffs, the NBA announced (Twitter link).

2024/25 is the third straight season in which New York has made the postseason, all without needing to advance through the play-in tournament. The last time the Knicks made the playoffs for three straight years was 2011-13.

That’s part of the goal, obviously to get to the playoffs,” Josh Hart said recently, per Steve Popper of Newsday. “That’d be a check. Check that box. I think it shows the stability that we’re building, the foundation that we’re building. Now it’s time to build off of that. Clinching would be nice. It shows the good stability and foundation that we’re building.”

The Knicks (45-27) have been the No. 3 seed in the East for much of the season and that seems likely to be the case entering the postseason, as New York trails Boston by 8.5 games and has a 2.5-game lead on Indiana with 10 games remaining (the Pacers only have nine games left).

The Hawks, currently the No. 7 seed, lost their 38th game tonight, so they can only win up to 44 games, assuming they’re victorious in each of their next 10 games.

The Knicks join the Cavaliers (59-14) and Celtics (54-19) as Eastern teams that have secured playoff spots.

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