Can Knicks Still Qualify for NBA Cup Quarterfinals?

The New York Knicks sit at 1-1 in NBA Cup group play with two games remaining. Their path to the knockout rounds is narrow but surprisingly straightforward if they can win out.

Win Both Games and the Group Is Yours

The Knicks control their destiny with the simplest scenario available. If they beat Charlotte and Milwaukee, they advance to the quarterfinals as Group A winners.

What makes this path so clean is the head-to-head tiebreaker. NBA Cup rules break ties by looking at head-to-head results first, then point differential if needed. The Knicks already beat Miami 140-132 and defeated Milwaukee earlier in group play.

Whether Miami beats Milwaukee on Wednesday or not, the Knicks would finish 3-1 and own the deciding edge. If Milwaukee also finishes 3-1, that head-to-head result favors New York. If Miami reaches 3-1 instead, same story.

The Knicks hold wins over both potential tie partners. Point differential never enters the equation.

This is the only realistic path forward. Everything else requires basketball miracles.

The Wild Card Math Is Actually Achievable

Splitting the final two games leaves the Knicks at 2-2, which opens a wild card path that's challenging but not impossible. Here's the crucial detail: at 2-2, the Knicks would finish second in Group C thanks to head-to-head wins over both Miami and Milwaukee.

That second-place finish makes them wild card eligible. Only group runners-up compete for those two East wild card spots. Since wild card teams come from different groups, head-to-head results don't apply. Point differential becomes the deciding factor.

The current target is Cleveland's +33 point differential. The Knicks sit at -2, meaning they need a net gain of 36 points across their final two games to reach +34 and claim a wild card berth.

Several combinations work. Win by 40 and lose by 4 gives you the needed +36. Win by 38 and lose by 2 also gets there. Even winning by 50 and losing by 14 would suffice.

These margins aren't routine, but they're within NBA scoring range. The bigger question is whether another East group produces a second-place team with a better differential. If Atlanta, Detroit, or Orlando's runner-up exceeds +34, that wild card spot vanishes.

Shorthanded Roster Makes Big Margins Harder