Maybe this is how it’s going to work out for the Knicks. Maybe this is the way they’ll secure the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference and qualify for the postseason.
The schedule that sees them playing their final seven games against teams with winning records was supposed to work against them. But maybe, just maybe, it will work for them, as it did Wednesday night against the Nets at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks (33-43) are a desperate team, believing they must win every game in order to make the playoffs. The Nets (40-34) are already assured of a spot, having earned their ticket to the postseason with a victory over the Rockets Tuesday night at Barclays Center.
On Wednesday night, it was clear which team had something to play for and which team didn’t as the Knicks rolled to a 110-81 triumph that was never close.
The Knicks played with energy, passion and aggression, shooting 60 percent from the field, forcing 15 steals and dominating in rebounds 41-23. The Nets, meanwhile, looked like a team hung over after a playoff-clinching celebration.
The team that set a franchise record with its 14th straight home win one day earlier played uninspired against the Knicks.
“We’re playing for something,” Knicks point guard Raymond Felton said. “They’re already in the playoffs. We’re trying to get into the playoffs and capitalize on these wins and see what happens.”
Next come the Wizards on Friday, followed by games against the Heat, Raptors, Bulls, the Nets again and the Raptors. All those teams have clinched playoff berths.
Having to face those opponents would seem to work against the Knicks. But winning on a given night in the NBA has a lot to with motivation. And no team should be more motivated down the stretch than the Knicks.
Jobs and even careers are hanging in the balance. Newly named Knicks president Phil Jackson was at the Garden, trying to figure out who might stay next season and who needs to leave.
Coach Mike Woodson’s chances of remaining go from slim to none if the Knicks don’t make the playoffs, and the idea of remaining with the franchise might not be as attractive to Carmelo Anthony when he becomes a free agent in the offseason.
“We want to get there,” said Anthony, who scored 23 points. “That’s the goal. Despite this up and down season, it will be a big deal to get in the playoffs. That is our goal and we are fighting right now.”
The Nets seemed ornery enough. Jason Kidd got a technical for arguing with the officials in the second quarter and Joe Johnson, who had 16 points, earned a technical after jawing with an official as he left the court at halftime. Paul Pierce was given a Flagrant 1 foul in the third quarter for hard contact on Iman Shumpert.
But Brooklyn’s heart was not in it. The Nets lacked their usual aggression on defense as the Knicks shot nearly 70 percent from the field en route to a 63-38 lead at halftime.
Any kind of brief run in the second half was thwarted by the Knicks, who began clearing their bench with about seven minutes left in the game and leading 97-70.
“It’s the schedule,” Kidd said. “We played [Tuesday] night and came out sluggish. You have to give New York credit. They won the game.”
Though percentage points ahead of the Hawks for the eighth spot, the Knicks will need to keep winning to secure their position.
The Hawks have what is viewed as a more favorable schedule with games against the Bobcats, Bucks, Pistons and Cavaliers. But those teams have nothing to lose, while the teams the Knicks play have less incentive to win.
Maybe this is how it’s going to work out for the Knicks.