With the East Wide Open, Knicks Must Seize the Moment

The New York Knicks faced a crucial Game 5 the other night with history not on their side. Since 2021, New York was 0-3 in Game 5's at home in the first round. They had lost each of their last five at Madison Square Garden and hadn't won a pivotal game five at home since the 2000 Semifinals against Miami.

The Knicks won convincingly 126-97. They’ve outscored Atlanta by 45 points during the last two games after coughing away Games 2 and 3, marking the first time in franchise history that they’ve won consecutive playoff games by more than 15 points. Teams that have won the fifth game in a series tied 2-2 have gone on to win the series 82.8% of the time.

Meanwhile, history has also not been on the side of teams needing at least six games in the opening round. No team in the last 12 seasons has gone onto to win the championship if their first round series lasted more than five games. The last team to do it was the 2014 Spurs, who defeated Dallas in seven contests.

Knicks' series dragging out less of a concern as entire East struggles

Fortunately for the Knicks, their longer-than-it-should-be first-round series with Atlanta, is part of a foursome of opening round Eastern Conference matchups that will see at least a sixth game. For context, from 2019-2025, just six out of 28 first-round series in the East saw a game six.

This makes sense because the talent discrepancy in the first round should be large enough that things aren't actually a competition. The playoffs are so demanding physically these days that making it past the first and maybe even second round quickly is crucial in having enough gas left for the last two rounds.

The conference, though, is showing how wide open things are this year, as the top-seeded Pistons are trailing Orland three games to two. The Celtics are staring at a game six in Philadelphia later tonight. Meanwhile, Cleveland is making it not look easy against Toronto.

The Knicks are finally playing how they were supposed to look throughout this series and cementing why they are legit title contenders. While seeing the other top teams not quite stand out, one can argue that coach Mike Brown’s group might just be the most talented roster, top to bottom, in the field.

The time is now for these Knicks

With Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks have multiple All-NBA level players insulated by a cast of versatile supporting pieces: OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges. There are multiple options off the bench with Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride, Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado. They can play a variety of ways and styles.

A wide-open race in the playoffs is rare -- especially when it's so up for grabs because every team is good, just not quite elite. The path to the Finals is clear and it should be considered a missed opportunity if the Knicks don’t seize this moment.

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