Knicks shrug off 0-8 record vs Cavaliers and Celtics, but know they don't appear playoff-ready

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks aren't worried about what their 0-8 record against Cleveland and Boston might mean in the playoffs.

After all, they know the way they are playing now might not even be good enough to beat Detroit.

The Knicks dropped their third straight game Friday night, blowing a 23-point lead against the Cavaliers and losing 108-102. New York (50-31) clinched the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference despite the loss, but isn't looking playoff-ready.

“We’ve got to be honest with ourselves, look at what we did wrong,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We’ve got to get it fixed and we’ve got to get it fixed fast.”

All teams say what happened in the regular season doesn't matter in the playoffs. The Knicks will have to hope that's true as they start their quest to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

They fell to 0-4 against the No. 2-seeded Celtics with a 119-117 overtime loss Tuesday. That came after the defending champions blew them out by 23, 27 and 13 in the three previous meetings.

Then the Knicks ended up with the same futile mark against the Cavaliers, who improved to 64-17 despite resting All-Star Donovan Mitchell and key reserves De'Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome.

“Obviously, we would’ve liked to get at least one if not both, but like I said, it’s playoff basketball. You have to flip the page,” forward Josh Hart said.

The Knicks rested All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns on Friday, after playing without starting forwards Hart and OG Anunoby when they lost in Detroit on Thursday. That dropped the Knicks to 1-3 against the Pistons, the No. 6 seeds they will face beginning next weekend.

That makes it 1-11 against the three teams they would likely have to beat to play for their first championship since 1973. But the Knicks are only focusing on what happens after they finish the regular season in Brooklyn on Sunday.

“Everything is new,” All-Star guard Jalen Brunson said.

That's the message Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said he would have for his team if he was in the Knicks' situation. He said even the Cavs, completing one of the best seasons in their franchise history, can't use what happened in the regular season as an indication of playoff success.

“It’s a clean slate. Playoffs start, like, all bets are off,” Atkinson said. “And yeah, we’ve kind of struggled with some elite teams, so I just, I don’t kind of buy into that. The Knicks are an experienced team, well-coached, talented as heck. I wouldn’t look too much into that.”

The Knicks say they won't, but Hart conceded that they are “not playing close to our best basketball.”

“We have to focus on Brooklyn and ending this season off right and then Detroit,” he said. "If we’re fortunate enough to get to those teams in the playoffs, then we’ll focus on them at that point. But Detroit’s going to be a hell of a test mentally and physically, like I said, and we’ve got to make sure we’re prepared for everything else.

“Not winning against those teams in the regular season at that point means nothing.”

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