How Knicks’ playoff seeding can change with 1 week left in regular season

Milwaukee is the most surprising team on this list given how high expectations were prior to the season. They also have the toughest remaining schedule of the five teams under consideration. The Bucks have two games left against the Magic, as well as a game against the Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder. That’s a tough way to close the season for a team that’s lost four straight games and won only just of their last 10.

Milwaukee will probably end the season with a 1-3 record, meaning they’ll close the year at 48-35. 

Orlando Magic

The Magic are a surprise entrant here, but for an entirely different reason. No one expected them to be this good this soon.

To end the year, Orlando will play the Bucks twice, which is obviously not as difficult a matchup as it looked just a short while ago. They also have remaining games against the 76ers and Houston Rockets. Given how Philadelphia has gotten back to its winning ways with the return of Joel Embiid, the Magic will probably lose that game, but win the remaining three. In other words, they should end the season with a 49-21 record, which will be good for the second seed.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Like Milwaukee, the Cavaliers are reeling of late, too. They have only three games remaining, with matchups against the Rockets, Pacers and Charlotte Hornets. Considering Cleveland is just 3-7 in their last 10 games, too, it’s fair to assume they lose to Indiana. Still, Houston and Charlotte are winnable games. Expect the Cavs to close the year with a 2-1 record, and a 48-34 record overall.

Indiana Pacers 

Despite playing considerably better than many of the other teams on this list, the Pacers are just a little too far behind the Knicks to make a legitimate run at unseating them. They have three games remaining in total against the Toronto Raptors, Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks. They’ll probably win all three, ending the season at 48-34.

Granted, all of the above records are projections based on how (and who) the respective teams are playing. But it’s fair to assume that everything written above will play out as projected, in which case the Knicks will end the year as the three seed. They will likely face the sixth-seeded Cavaliers, who fall to sixth by virtue of ending the year with the same record as the Pacers and losing the head-to-head series 3-1.

Cleveland represents a favorable matchup for the Knicks. And if playoff seeding plays out in this manner, a second-round matchup with the Magic is about as good as can be expected, assuming Orlando advances past whoever secures the seventh seed.

Ultimately, New York cannot afford to get distracted by other teams. Instead, they must focus on taking care of business and winning their own games. Assuming they can do that, they might surprise some people with a deep playoff run — but only time will tell.