Knicks Have Work To Do To Be Considered Eastern Conference Favorites

The New York Knicks have done a great job of getting their season back on track after a tumultuous stretch in which they lost nine out of 11 games.

They have responded by winning 10 out of 12 games following that brutal stretch, once again looking like a contender. The driving force behind the team’s most recent turnaround has been improved performance on defense, which some people will question after suffering an embarrassing 137-134 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Alas, even with that hiccup, the Knicks are viewed in a positive light by people around the NBA. Tim Bontempts and Vincent Goodwill of ESPN recently ranked their top four teams in the Eastern Conference.

Both of them have New York at No. 2. Bontempts has the Boston Celtics ahead of them, while Goodwill has the Detroit Pistons in the No. 1 spot. They each have the same teams in the top three, just with slightly different orders.

How can Knicks become Eastern Conference favorites?

New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown reacts to call. — Feb 6, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown reacts in the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

However, Bontemps has a caveat to his selection of the Celtics; only if Jayson Tatum returns. If he doesn’t return, it is fair to assume he would have the Knicks as the favorites because he wants to see the Pistons prove their mettle in the postseason before anointing them as favorites.

Boston’s core has found success in the playoffs, so it makes sense why Bontemps is high on them if Tatum can return. NBA history suggests that teams suffer some setbacks in the postseason before emerging as contenders.

New York certainly fits that bill, but what would it take for them to be viewed as the unquestioned favorites in the Eastern Conference?

First and foremost, they need to get healthy. Miles McBride is going to be sidelined six to eight weeks after undergoing core muscle surgery. Players are going to have to step up in his absence, with Jose Alvarado and Jordan Clarkson both seemingly being ahead of Tyler Kolek on the depth chart to have that opportunity.

The Knicks are also currently without OG Anunoby, who is dealing with a toenail avulsion. He heads into the All-Star break missing four games in a row after being ruled out for their final game ahead of the break against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Can Knicks get healthy for stretch run of season?

New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby throwing pass — Jan 30, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) passes the ball against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

To change the perception around the team, New York has to come out with some fire and desire in their first game out of the break against none other than Detroit.

The Pistons have dominated the Knicks in their two matchups thus far this season, winning by a combined margin of 69 points. New York was without Josh Hart in the first matchup and didn’t have Anunoby or Karl-Anthony Towns in the second, which certainly hurt.

The game on Feb. 19 will be very important. It will be an opportunity for the Knicks to build some confidence against a team they could very well have to match up with in the playoffs while creating positive momentum for the final stretch of the campaign.

What New York does have over both Eastern Conference contending peers, however, is recent playoff success. The Knicks eliminated both Detroit and Boston from the playoffs in 2025 before being defeated by the Indiana Pacers for the second time in as many years.

That past success has to mean something, especially with New York’s core and rotation being essentially the same. Mike Brown will spend the final weeks of the regular season tinkering and figuring out which lineup combinations work the best to give his group the best chance of making another deep postseason run.

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