The Knicks’ 2017-18 season comes to a merciful end tonight. The chances are high that the Knicks will lose this one, since the Cavaliers still have something to play for. They are currently the #4 seed and getting to the #3 seed (and a second round match-up with the Kyrie-less Celtics) is clearly a very juicy place to be, so the Cavs will be playing to win and the Cavs are much better than the Knicks, so even if the Knicks try to win (and they will try to win, because they’re morons), the Cavs should pull this out. So that would mean a tie for the #8 seed and possibly even a three-way tie for the #7 seed if the Nets win tonight against the Celtics!
Do note that Kevin Love and Kyle Korver will rest this game and Lebron might be pulled early. The only slight problem would be if the Bucks intentionally lose to the Sixers so that the Bucks would drop to the #7 seed and play the Celtics in the first round. If the Sixers are blowing the Bucks out, the Cavs might pull Lebron, as well, and who knows? They could want to make sure the Nets don’t tie the Knicks for the #8 seed, but I doubt they would do that.
Around the league, two huge games today between the Utah Jazz and Portland Trailblazers playing for the #3 seed (it is insane how amazing Gobert is – he took a shitty team and made them good almost singlehandedly) and the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets playing for the #8 seed (it would be too funny to see Thibs lose out on the playoffs after burning his guys out for Year 312).
This is prooooobably the last game that Jeff Hornacek will coach for the Knicks. Scott Perry has made some poor moves to go with some good moves (signing Trey Burke certainly looks really good), but he hasn’t made any, “Oh no, how could you?” moves, unlike Steve Mills. He hasn’t done a Mega Max Melo or a Bargnani trade or a no match Lin or a signing Joakim Noah or a trading for Derrick Rose or a signing THJ or anything like that, so I will cross my fingers and hope that he somehow avoids hiring Mark Jackson to coach this team. Come on, Perry, I want to believe in you! Give me a reason to believe in you! Don’t hire Mark Jackson!
Let’s go, Nick Young! Swaggy P!