Knicks Still Have Lingering Problem

The New York Knicks are a week away from the postseason, where they are expected to be the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

They still have to pull out another win or two to secure their spot, but they should be able to hold off on the Indiana Pacers to be No. 3.

A big criticism facing the Knicks throughout the season has been their inability to play well against the true championship contenders in the league, which is a group that includes the Boston Celtics, the likely No. 2 seed in the East.

"As things stand, all roads head to the Knicks potentially matching up with the defending champion Celtics in the second round," The Athletic writes. "And based on what we’ve seen this season, even with Brunson in the lineup, it looks increasingly likely New York could be out in the second round for the third consecutive season."

The Knicks have yet to grab a win against the Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers or Oklahoma City Thunder all season long, which is three of the four teams that currently have better records than them. The only time the Knicks have beaten a team that has a better record than them was against the Houston Rockets in their annual trip to Madison Square Garden back on Feb. 3.

In the playoffs, the Knicks will have to beat at least one of those teams, and maybe even two or three of them in a seven-game series. That alone should make the Knicks a massive underdog in their pursuit of winning their first NBA championship since 1973.

The Knicks will have two more chances to gain some confidence and momentum against the top teams this week as they play the Celtics on Tuesday and the Cavaliers on Friday.