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The playoffs are just around the corner as the NBA Play-In Tournament is underway.
In both conferences, the No. 1 through No. 7 seeds are decided, though three teams remain in both the East and West to secure both No. 8 seeds.
The Play-In Tournament will prove to be chaos as the three teams in their respective conferences fight for one final spot in the playoffs.
For the New York Knicks, they finished the regular season as the No. 3 seed, leaving no doubt about their playoff berth.
Their opponent, the No. 6-seeded Detroit Pistons, had a bit closer of a call, missing the tournament by one seeding.
Detroit capped off a remarkable turnaround, being the league’s worst team just a season ago, while the Knicks were expected to be in a similar position to the one they are in now.
Evidently, the Knicks could still struggle to some extent against the Pistons, who have given them some fits in the regular season.
Prior to the first round series tipping off, the NBA made an announcement.
With the Play-In Tournament being nearly halfway completed, the NBA announced the official times for the Knicks’ first-round series against the Pistons.
The series will tip off on April 19, as the Knicks host the first two games. As the two sides travel to Detroit, they will get extended rest, with an extra day off before Game 3 and Game 4.
Should the series go seven games, the series will wrap up on May 3.
Game 4, in Detroit, will tip off at 1:00 p.m. ET as the afternoon tipoff will be aired on ABC.
Of all the matchups across the first round in the NBA, the Knicks and Pistons could be one of the closest ones played.
Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns Sends Message Ahead of Playoffs
The New York Knicks ended the regular season near the top of the Eastern Conference standings and they will now look to make a deep playoff run.
New York finished the regular season with a 51-31 record which led them to clinch the third seed in the East standings.
They will now face off against the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, which could cause problems with Detroit defeating New York three out of their four matchups during the season.
Of course, the Knicks have built a great core led by Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, which has them looking like a title contender.
Ahead of the playoffs, Towns made a clear statement regarding the Knicks and having home-court advantage in the first round.
“Being able to watch it on TV growing up, seeing the crowd…in a regular season game, they’re special,” Towns said about the Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden. “It’s on another level in the playoffs.”
Towns was spot on as fans usually have Madison Square Garden rocking during the regular season but the atmosphere intensifies in the playoffs.
New York hopes that the home crowd can help them make a deep playoff run this season but their track record against the top teams in the league during the regular season may not bode too well for their title chances.
Of course, the Knicks finished winless against the top three teams in the NBA which includes the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.
They also lost the season series to the Pistons, who they will meet in the first round of the playoffs in a highly anticipated series.
Despite this, the Knicks have enough star power to make a deep playoff run this season and it all begins on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.