Did you hear the one about the team that won for the first time in more than two weeks, for only the third time in more than a month, and had a chance at the playoffs?
You did if you follow the Knicks.
No, this is not “New Yorkers Gone Wild” or a new show for the Syfy Channel. The Knicks’ victory in Minnesota Wednesday, which raised their record to a heady 22-40 — that’s sarcasm, please don’t e-mail — actually fueled playoff discussion. One win can do that. Why? Three words — actually, six.
“The Knicks schedule” and “the Eastern Conference.”
Of course, there is one drawback in the premise.
“The Knicks are not good,” one veteran scout said flatly.
Technicalities. With 20 games remaining, the Knicks’ tragic number for postseason elimination by the Hawks (26-33) is 16. The Knicks and Hawks split their season series, 2-2, but the Hawks currently own the tiebreaker. The odds are stacked against the Knicks, but as coach Mike Woodson repeatedly has claimed, the Knicks are alive “until someone tells us we’re not going to make the playoffs.”
And the schedule means the opportunity to make a legitimate run for the postseason exists. Over their next 10 games, starting with the Jazz at the Garden on Friday, the Knicks play the absolute dregs of NBA society, along with one elite team mixed in: the Pacers.
Except for the Magic (19-44), every team that looks up at the Knicks in the NBA standings — and there are not a whole lot in this fraternity — lies among the next 10 opponents. Nine of those teams are well below .500, and many are, shall we say, not utterly preoccupied with wins and losses.
Even with the mighty Pacers (+31), the combined records for the next 10 opponents comes in at 171 games under .500. They get Utah (-19), Cleveland (-14) twice, Philadelphia (-31) twice, Boston (-21), Milwaukee (-36), Indy, the Lakers (-19) and Sacramento (-17).
Of course, the Knicks need lots of help to pursue this fantasy. Enter the injury-riddled Hawks.
The Hawks currently hold the eighth and final playoff spot with the Knicks 5 ½ games behind. Two teams reside in between — the Pistons, who whipped the Knicks Monday, and the Cavaliers — but focus on Atlanta.
The Hawks’ next 13 games, eased by the presence of Milwaukee and Utah, still produces a combined record of four games over .500. Eight of the teams are .500 or better. The Hawks see the Warriors (+14), Clippers (+22), Raptors (+7) twice, Suns (+10), Blazers (+22) and Wizards (+3).
Detroit, facing a trip West — as do the Knicks — have six .500-plus teams among their next 11. The Cavs face a stunningly brutal upcoming stretch: In their next 13 games, the Cavs play nine teams above .500, including most of the elite. They get the Warriors, Clippers, Heat, Thunder and Rockets IN A ROW and later the Raptors, red-hot Nets and Pacers. Plus, Cleveland has two with the Knicks in that 13-game stretch.
If ever a chance existed for the Knicks to make themselves relevant, this is it. The Knicks don’t have a first-round pick, so even if it means sneaking into the playoffs as the eighth seed for a first-round pummeling by the Pacers or Heat — thereby missing the lottery — it’s better than going home and licking the wounds of a horrid season.