Who's Next? Knicks' Playoff Possibilities Ranked

With all due respect to Jim Mora, the New York Knicks have every right to talk about playoffs.

New York officially clinched an Eastern Conference postseason bid on Thursday night thanks to the Miami Heat's win over the Atlanta Hawks. While larger issues do linger on the Knicks' horizon (Jalen Brunson and the backcourt's health, or lack thereof, chief among them), New York can start postseason meal-planning, as their first-round opponent will likely be one representative from a linger triumvirate.

When we engaged in this exercise last year, the Knicks defeated their most desirable opponent (Philadelphia 76ers) while falling to the most dangerous matchup (Indiana Pacers). This year's list follows below, as Knicks on SI ranks the best and worst opponents among the key three

(Postseason probabilities courtesy of PlayoffStatus.com)

Technically Still a Chance

The Knicks have a one percent chance of facing the Atlanta Hawks in round one and less-than-one percent chance of seeing the other three presumed Play-In squads (Orlando, Chicago, Miami).

While it'd be nice to get a chance to kill off the Trae Young narrative once and for all, the only drama truly left among the quartet is their seeding. The four are multiple games behind the automatics while the Knicks more than likely won't steal Boston's second seed and the date with the Play-In champ that comes with it.

Knicks Pistons — Jan 13, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) drives to the basket against New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) and center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

3. Detroit Pistons

Matchup Probability: 66 percent
DET won season series 2-1

The Pistons are a rebuilding group that's way ahead of schedule. It's not even like they can fall back on their imports' prior postseason endeavors: this is a group whose building blocks (i.e. Cade Cunningham, Malik Beasley, Jalen Duren) have come together in a big way. Respected but hardly expected to contend for a championship, they're playing with proverbial house money. A mere playoff trip might as well be a championship compared to last year's offering from the basketball underworld.

That, of course, is what makes them so dangerous. As Bob Dylan once declared, when you ain't going nothing, you have nothing to lose and Detroit's current nature — one that assumes that this is simply the first of many playoff trips — will allow them to play with healthy reckless abandon, which is the last thing the Knicks need to see (see their recent playoff conquerors from Miami and Indiana).

It doesn't help that Detroit has had the Knicks' number this season, though it comes with some asterisks: the Knicks' one victory (a 128-98 win in the Motor City in November) in the three-game set came when everyone was expecting Detroit to be bottom-feeders and Karl-Anthony Towns missed a December meeting at MSG (one where Detroit outrebounded the Knicks by 12) with an injury. Even so, the Knicks wouldn't be too upset if they avoided being the antagonists in the feel-good story of the NBA season.

Knicks Pacers — Oct 25, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) looks to pass the ball against New York Knicks guard Cameron Payne (1) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

2. Indiana Pacers

Matchup Probability: 3 percent
NYK won season series 2-1

Is it, as Yogi Berra once said, deja vu all over again? On paper, the Knicks should be able to prevail in a series against the hated Pacers but injuries might end that journey before it truly begins. The Knicks might have to worry about the Pacers catching them for the third seed instead of a head-to-head showing (up 2.5 games and carrying the tiebreaker entering Friday play) but the East's packed, competitive nature keeps the possibility alive.

To their credit, a healthy Knicks group has handled the Pacers b this time around, albeit with sides a bit banged up: both OG Anunoby and Myles Turner, for example, missed the most recent matchup in February, which saw the Knicks take a 128-115 decision in Indianapolis on a brilliant shooting night where they hit just under 54 percent from the floor.

The Pacers look mostly the same from last year's infamous conference semifinal series, with the exception of a healthy Bennedict Mathurin getting a larger role and have kept up the infamous pace (yes, really) that made them so dangerous last year, even if and when the Knicks were fully healthy. Indiana has been on a tear since the calendar flipped to 2025 but the Knicks' newcomers (i.e. Mikal Bridges' defense, Karl-Anthony Towns' shot-making) should be enough to be the difference this time around — if, of course, they live up to their advertised billings.

Knicks Buck — Nov 8, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) controls the ball against New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) and center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

1. Milwaukee Bucks

Matchup Probability: 30 percent
NYK leads season series 2-0

Much has been made about the gauntlet the Knicks face over their last 10 games of the season. In terms of pure playoff seeding and matchups (the statement opportunities against Cleveland and Boston obviously take precedence), Friday's visit to Milwaukee may be one of their most vital.

Milwaukee is eerily similar to last year's 76ers, who topped the prior edition of this list: they're a talented team on paper, and probably should reside higher in the NBA tower but inconsistency exacerbated by frequent injury interruptions stifle their potential.

The Bucks don't know when Damian Lillard (blood clots) is coming back, Giannis Antetokounmpo has dealt with recent ankle woes, and depth stars/former Knicks Bobby Portis and Jericho Sims (thumb) have missed significant time. They at least have an ETA on Portis, who is working through the final stages of a 25-game suspension for violating the league drug policies.

No matter how dreary things get, the Bucks can almost always count on the efforts of Antetokounmpo to keep them at least somewhat competitive, similar to the way Joel Embiid kept Philadelphia afloat last year. Even if the Knicks heavily endorse Mitchell Robinson's defensive prowess, it shouldn't be fully relied upon against a talent like Antetokounmpo.

But the Knicks have thoroughly dominated healthy Milwaukee teams this season: healthy Knick groups dominated two get-togethers with the Bucks, as the margin of victory stands at 56. Yes, the Bucks have made some moves since then but the Knicks have bigger issues if adding Sims, Kyle Kuzma, and Kevin Porter Jr. provides a 56-point swing.

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