Knicks Ranked Second in Eastern Conference

The New York Knicks are considered to be one of the favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals next summer.

As the reigning runner-up, the Knicks have a path towards the Finals as the Indiana Pacers are expected to regress following the loss of Myles Turner to the Milwaukee Bucks and Tyrese Haliburton recovering from a torn Achilles.

NBA.com writer John Schuhmann ranked all 15 Eastern Conference teams, but the Knicks came in at No. 2 behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"The Knicks have ranked in the bottom seven in ball movement in each of the last five seasons, with Jalen Brunson leading the league in time of possession in each of the last two seasons. The Kings ranked in the top three in ball movement in each of Brown’s two full seasons in Sacramento, leading the league in efficiency in 2022-23," Schuhmann wrote.

"New York has bigger issues on defense, and Brown will surely try to elicit better pick-and-roll defense from Karl-Anthony Towns. But the offense did see a bigger-than-average drop-off from the regular season to the playoffs, when the Knicks ranked 13th (of 16 teams) in the percentage of their 3-point attempts (63%) that were off the catch and 15th in the percentage (36%) that were wide open. They had some success with more ball movement during Brunson’s 15-game absence late in the regular season and more movement with him on the floor should get him some easier shots."

The Cavs were considered to be the favorites after winning 64 games this past season. They lost to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but have made moves this offseason to make them the top favorite going into the season.

"The East is seemingly the Cavs’ to lose, but they need to be just a little bit better defensively, both so they can increase their chances of reaching the Finals and because they can’t count on the shooting being so good for a second straight season," Schuhmann wrote.

If the Knicks can find a way to beat the Cavs in a postseason series, it could be their biggest obstacle towards making their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.