Knicks still alive

The Knicks are down but they're certainly not out.  With Saturdays win over the struggling Philadelphia 76ers the Knicks are still alive in the playoff race.  The fact that the Knicks are even mentioned amongst teams that have a shot at the playoffs is a miracle in itself.  At 24-40, the Knicks are 3.5 games back of Atlanta for the final playoff spot in the eastern conference.  Whoever ends up with the final playoff spot in the east will have a tough time competing in the first round.

The next three games for New York are all winnable.  At this point their is no room for error if the Knicks expect to make the playoffs.  To make the playoffs the Knicks will probably need at least 38 wins.  That means they would have to go 14-4 the rest of the way.  If New York can get the job done over these next three ball games this season may still be salvageable.

Whichever teams wind up with the top picks in this years draft will improve.  Missing out on the playoffs doesn't really seem like a bad idea for those teams right on the cusp of making the playoffs.  In other words the Knicks will not benefit from tanking the remainder of the season.