Knicks Have New Eastern Conference Threat They Cannot Ignore

The New York Knicks have a third threat quietly closing in on them.

Jan 21, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts after a no-call in the second quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The East is getting crowded around the Knicks, and not in a good way. The Detroit Pistons are already bullying the New York Knicks from the top. The Boston Celtics keep winning without Jayson Tatum. And now a third team has quietly made a move up the standings, with the Knicks right in its sights.

The Cleveland Cavaliers added James Harden at the trade deadline on Feb. 4. They were already playing well before the move, going 16-5 since Jan. 1. Harden's arrival took them to another level, and they have not lost a single game since.

Cleveland is now 35-21, tied with the Knicks in the standings, on a six-game winning streak. New York just came out of the All-Star break with a home loss to Detroit. Same record, completely opposite momentum. The Knicks' midseason has been trending up and down for a while now, and a surging Cleveland team catching up is the last thing they needed.

Feb 9, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) during the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Knicks are actually 2-0 against Cleveland this season, and that matters. But that was a different Cavaliers team.

Harden added a layer of playmaking and half-court control that Cleveland simply did not have in those two matchups. Donovan Mitchell is now getting cleaner looks with less defensive attention. That version of Cleveland is a problem entirely different from the one we're dealing with.

New York has also struggled against the East's best teams all year, going 0-3 against Detroit, with each loss coming by double digits. Cleveland has been playing like one of the best teams in the conference over the last month.

The pressure on Jalen Brunson to carry New York's offense only grows when another contender is rising fast and heading straight toward them in the standings.

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A home game for Cleveland against the Knicks is coming up in this stretch. That 2-0 cushion means nothing if New York is not locked in. A loss there, and Cleveland moves ahead, simple as that. This is not the time for the Knicks to take anyone lightly.

The East above New York has three real threats now. Mike Brown needs this group to find its identity fast because the window to sort things out is shrinking.

New York holds the edge over Cleveland right now, but that can change fast. The Cavaliers are locked in, Harden has changed their ceiling, and that next matchup will tell a lot about where both teams actually stand.

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