The season finale at MSG means nothing for the Knicks. They’re locked into the third seed. No wiggle room.
Not surprisingly, they’re sitting four of their five starters Sunday — minus consecutive-games king Mikal Bridges — against the Hornets, who are more motivated to win to secure the ninth seed.
But the out-of-town scoreboard bears close viewing for the Knicks. Their first-round opponent will probably be the Raptors, but it’s not set in stone and ultimately hinges on as many as four results, which all have the same tipoff time as New York (6 p.m.).
Here’s a breakdown of scenarios:
Most likely
The Knicks draw the Raptors in the first round.
This happens if on Sunday …
- Toronto beats Brooklyn; Atlanta beats Miami
Or
- Brooklyn beats Toronto; Miami beats Atlanta; Boston beats Orlando
The tanking Nets are almost certain to lose to the Raptors even though it probably won’t help their lottery odds (Brooklyn can only catch the Pacers at the bottom of the standings, and Indiana would also have to lose to the Pistons). So assuming that result, the Hawks are also favorites over the Heat, who aren’t as motivated to win since their seed probably won’t change.
The Knicks can feel fairly safe scouting the Raptors already.
Possible but don’t count on it
The Knicks draw the Hawks in the first round.
This happens if on Sunday …
- Toronto beats Brooklyn; Miami beats Atlanta; Boston beats Orlando
Tough to see this happening because it requires two results — Miami beating Atlanta; Boston beating Orlando — that go against the odds. The Magic are highly motivated to win Sunday since there’s a chance they can move out of a play-in spot (while the Celtics, who are locked into No. 2, are resting several players). As mentioned above, the Hawks are favored against the Heat.
Why would that happen if there’s a chance three teams are tied for sixth in the East? If the Raptors and Magic win — and the Hawks lose — they’d all have 46 wins, and the three-way tiebreak means Atlanta stays in fifth, Toronto stays in sixth and Orlando goes to seventh.
Unlikely
The Knicks draw the Magic in the first round.
This happens if on Sunday …
- Brooklyn beats Toronto; Atlanta beats Miami; Orlando beats Boston
Anything involving the Nets winning Sunday is highly unlikely.
The unlikeliest
The Knicks draw the Sixers in the first round.
This happens if on Sunday …
- Brooklyn beats Toronto; Boston beats Orlando; Philadelphia beats Milwaukee
Again, the Nets would have to win against a motivated opponent — the Raptors want to avoid the play-in — and it’s hard to see that happening for Brooklyn. Plus, the Celtics are resting their players.
