New York Knicks fans can officially talk about playoffs.
Thanks to the Miami Heat’s 122-112 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night, the Knicks have officially clinched a spot in the 2025 NBA playoffs. Thanks to part to seven South Floridians reaching double figures (paced by 36 from Tyler Herro), the Knicks (45-27) are the third team to reserve a spot on the Eastern Conference bracket, joining the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.
The Knicks have thus clinched their third consecutive playoff berth, their longest streak since 2011-13. Of note, New York is one of three teams to win at least one playoff series in each of the last two tournaments alongside champions Denver and Boston.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau also joins elite company as the fifth Knicks boss to take the team to the playoffs at least four times. That club also includes Red Holzman, Joe Lapchick, Jeff Van Gundy, and Pat Riley.
With their spot secure, the question now becomes who the Knicks, currently seeded third, will play in the opening round. It stands to reason that the answer lies in the triumvirate behind them: entering Thursday, they were set to play the sixth-ranked Milwaukee Bucks with the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons also lingering as possibilities.
Ironically enough, the Knicks will be in Milwaukee for their next game on Friday night (8 p.m. ET, MSG).
The next step in the Knicks’ postseason journey would be the clinching of homecourt advantage in the opening round. The magic number to do so stands at six entering the weekend.
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