Twenty.
This is the number of regular season games Knicks have left.
That’s how many chances a depleted New York team will have to maintain its playoff spot.
The free fall is in full effect at Madison Square Garden, where a Knicks team without its entire starting frontcourt has lost nine of its last 12 games, including Tuesday’s 16-point loss to the No. 10 Atlanta Hawks in a match both Jalen Brunson (bruised knee) and Trae Young (hand surgery) missed due to injury.
Without Brunson — who fortunately avoided serious injury and is working to return to play soon — a Knicks team already short Julius Randle (dislocated right shoulder), OG Anunoby (right elbow surgery) and Mitchell Robinson ( operation on the left ankle) could not be exposed. a porous Atlanta Hawks defense.
This was one of the ugliest losses of the season for the Knicks.
This is the status quo – ugly – at the Garden of Dreams, where a shortlist is beginning to reach its limits.
And while it’s unfair to place higher expectations on a team lacking such key players, the Knicks — shorthanded or not — still need every win they can get, with Tuesday’s inexplicable loss to Atlanta being a costly mistake in the rankings.
The Orlando Magic, who hold the season series against the Knicks, 3-0, moved ahead of New York as the new fourth seed in the East on Tuesday.
The Knicks have fallen to fifth place and are only a half-game ahead of the No. 6 Miami Heat.
No. 7 Philadelphia and No. 8 Indiana are also within striking distance, and 76ers MVP Joel Embiid is expected to return soon from a meniscus injury.
Just 1.5 games separate No. 4 Orlando from No. 8 Indiana, meaning the fifth-ranked Knicks are closer to falling to eighth in the East than climbing to the top seed #3.
Make no mistake: The No. 3 seed is on the line, with sophomore Randle, Anunoby and Brunson slotting back into the starting lineup — and bonus points if Robinson is able to return as a dominant force in the paint this season.
A healthy Knicks team won 13 of the 16 games immediately following the game. Anunoby trade.
The front office then traded Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono and a pair of second-round picks at the deadline to the Detroit Pistons for Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.
When healthy, the Knicks project as a deep team, strong on both ends of the court with an emphasis on threes and rebounding.
And they’re run by players coaches voted for the 2024 All-Star Game in Brunson and Randle, who was unable to attend due to his shoulder injury.
The Knicks know their fortunes will turn around as soon as they put their horses back on the court.
“At the end of the day, I think if this team gets healthy, we can make some noise,” veteran forward Josh Hart said after Tuesday’s loss to the Hawks. “Obviously you don’t want to participate in the Play-In. You would like to have three or five days of rest before the first round.
“It’s a Thibs cliché, but we’re just trying to take it one day at a time. Obviously we’ll get the guys back soon, but we’ve got to keep pushing. At the end of the day, we are where we are and I love this team.
Which brings us back to the magic number: 20. Twenty games remain to decide the Knicks’ standings.
Of those 20 games, 11 are against teams with a winning record.
And of those 11 games, seven will take place in March, including three in a row Friday against the Magic, then games Sunday and Tuesday at home against the Sixers.
Three more will cap a four-game road trip, starting in Portland then reaching Sacramento, Golden State and Denver, home of the defending NBA champions.
The injury timetable for Randle and Anunoby is not yet clear, although it would appear that Anunoby is further along in the rehab process than Randle.
The Knicks hope to have at least one back before the end of the month. If both were to return by March 30, the Knicks would have nine mostly healthy games to regain chemistry heading into the playoffs.
Now for a little housekeeping.
It would behoove the Knicks not to end up with a top seed destined to meet the top-ranked Boston Celtics in the second round.
Seeds six and seven avoid the Celtics until the conference finals, as do seeds two and three, although the Knicks are likely out of the running given their injury situation.
The shorthanded Knicks, of course, can’t be picky. With Randle, Anunoby and Robinson out due to injury, New York will be lucky not to fall into Play-In Tournament territory before their stars return to the court.
And when they do, the process starts again.
Randle, for example, is a bruiser who throws his right shoulder into his opponent’s chest. How will he adjust his game now with a shoulder that may need offseason surgery?
Anunoby hit a good scoring rhythm shortly before leaving the rotation. It will also take time for him to get his rhythm back.
And after being thrust into roles requiring more performance, players like Hart, Deuce McBride, Precious Achiuwa and Bogdanovic will have to readjust to playing alongside the stars.
There are only 20 games left, maybe less than half after the Knicks added some familiar faces back to the roster.
It’s a narrow window, but if any team has proven its ability to adapt on the fly, it’s these Knicks, who are waiting for their stars to return to save the day.
