Everything We Already Know About the Knicks' Round 2 Playoff Schedule

The New York Knicks’ postseason run is not over yet, as they dismantled the Atlanta Hawks, 140-89, in Game 6 of their first-round series on Thursday night. It was an impressive performance by the Knicks, who jumped out to a 40-15 lead in the first quarter and didn't look back.

The Knicks officially won the series 4-2 to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals and will now await the winner of the Philadelphia 76ers/Boston Celtics series. The Sixers and Celtics will play a decisive Game 7 on Saturday night at TD Garden for the right to advance to the next round.

If the Celtics win, the Knicks will head to TD Garden for Games 1 and 2, which will begin on Monday night, time still to be determined. However, if the Sixers were to pull off the upset, the Knicks would have homecourt advantage, with Games 1 and 2 at Madison Square Garden on Monday.

During the regular season, the Knicks fared well against their Atlantic Division rivals, going 3-1 against the Celtics and 2-2 vs. the Sixers. Last year, the Knicks defeated Boston in the Eastern Conference semis, 4-2, to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Meanwhile, the last time the Knicks played the Sixers in the playoffs, they defeated Philadelphia in six games in the first round in 2023-24 to advance to the semifinals to play the Indiana Pacers.

While we wait to see who the Knicks will play in the semifinals, we do have a projected schedule for the next round, according to NBA.com.

Knicks’ projected schedule for Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Celtics/76ers

Game 1 (May 4): at Boston or vs. Philadelphia, Time (TBD), Channel (TBD)
Game 2 (May 6): at Boston or vs. Philadelphia, Time (TBD), Channel (TBD)
Game 3 (May 8): vs. Boston or at Philadelphia, Time (TBD), Channel (TBD)
Game 4 (May 10): vs. Boston or at Philadelphia, Time (TBD), Channel (TBD)
Game 5 (May 12): at Boston or vs. Philadelphia, Time (TBD), Channel (TBD) – if necessary
Game 6 (May 14): vs. Boston or at Philadelphia, Time (TBD), Channel (TBD) – if necessary
Game 7 (May 17): at Boston or vs. Philadelphia, Time (TBD), Channel (TBD) – if necessary

Projecting who the Knicks will play next: Celtics or 76ers

The Knicks will know by Saturday night who they will be facing in the semifinals between the Celtics and 76ers. Despite losing a 3-1 series lead to the Sixers, the Celtics are still favored to advance by the oddsmakers.

New York, the No. 3 seed in the East, could be hitting the road if the No. 2 seed Celtics win in Game 7 on Saturday. As we previously mentioned, the Knicks won three out of four games against Boston, including a 112-106 win at Madison Square Garden on April 9.

That was the Knicks' first time playing a Celtics squad that featured a healthy Jayson Tatum. Tatum missed the first three meetings, as he continued to rehab from a ruptured Achilles he sustained in the playoffs last year.

The Knicks not having homecourt advantage would not be ideal for New York, which is 30-10 at home this season (fourth-best in the NBA). However, they were 23-19 on the road during the regular season, which was the 10th-best mark in the league. The Sixers have shown the Knicks that if you can close out space on their shooters and make them take contested threes, you give yourself a good shot to win the ballgame.

As for the Sixers, the Knicks lost the first two regular season meetings, which were both at Madison Square Garden. But then New York got its revenge over the Sixers in Philly, winning both games, including a dominant 138-89 victory on Feb. 11. Joel Embiid didn't play in that matchup.

The Knicks match up well with the Sixers across the board, especially in the frontcourt as they have bigs who can defend and go toe-to-toe with Embiid. Karl-Anthony Towns can match Embiid on offense, and Mitchell Robinson can play defense and clean up the glass. Rebounding has been an issue for the Sixers in their first-round matchup against the Celtics.

That being said, the Sixers are playing good basketball at the right time on both ends, which is the last thing you want to see if you're a Knicks fan. A team that has the talent to be a top-five seed is playing with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

However, the Celtics are a team that has won an NBA title with its core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, and they can flip the switch at any moment. Regardless of who New York plays, they should expect a battle on their hands for a trip to Eastern Conference Finals.

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