After an up and down regular season for the Knicks, that saw a blockbuster trade bring in Carmelo Anthony to New York, the Knicks will now prepare for the playoffs. This marks the first time in seven years that the Knicks made the playoffs and they begin Sunday, in Boston, against the Celtics.
Going into last night’s game against the Celtics, the Knicks had nothing to play for so coach Mike D’Antoni decided to rest Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. Amare Stoudemire, however, got some playing time after missing the last three games due to an ankle injury.
Sunday will be a prime time start for the Knicks on TNT at 7 p.m. They will look for better results against the Celtics, and their Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, who swept the season series 4-0.
Game two will be Tuesday a 7 p.m., also on TNT, and their first home playoff game since 2004 will be Friday at 7 p.m. Game four will be on Sunday.
If necessary, game five would be April 26. The Knicks would host the Celtics for game six on April 28, and game seven is set for May 1.
The Eastern Conference’s top seeded Chicago Bulls will get the post season started with an afternoon game against the Indiana Pacers. The big three in Miami host Philadelphia following that game. Atlanta and Orlando get the 7 p.m. start on Saturday. This will be followed by the Western Conference’s first game, between Dallas and Portland.
Here’s how the rest of the NBA Playoff schedule shapes up.
