Knicks' seeding still alive

New York kept its chase alive on Thursday, April 9, by beating Boston 112-106, which left the Knicks two games behind the Celtics with two games left and gave New York the head-to-head tiebreaker. (nba.com) (cbssports.com) That means the math is simple but brutal: the Knicks need to win out against Toronto on Friday, April 10, and Charlotte on Sunday, April 12, while Boston loses to New Orleans and Orlando. (nba.com) (cbssports.com) If the season ended after Thursday’s games, New York would be the East’s No. 3 seed and would open against the No. 6 Atlanta Hawks, while Cleveland would face Toronto in the 4-versus-5 series. (nba.com) (cbssports.com) That bracket is still soft clay, not dry cement, because Cleveland, Toronto, and Atlanta are all packed close enough that Friday’s games can reshuffle two first-round series in one night. (cbssports.com) (espn.com) The Friday slate is built like a scoreboard watcher's dream: Knicks versus Raptors and Cavaliers versus Hawks tip within the same window, so New York fans can learn a lot about the bracket before midnight. (nba.com) There is another wrinkle below them, because Orlando, Philadelphia, and Charlotte were still mathematically alive for a top-six seed entering Friday, which means the team sitting sixth is not fully settled either. (cbssports.com) Home court is the clean dividing line here. The No. 2 and No. 3 seeds start the first round at home and avoid the 4-versus-5 side of the bracket, while the No. 4 seed gets a tougher path and the No. 5 or No. 6 seed starts on the road. (nba.com) The Knicks have already clinched a playoff spot, but their finish still changes the map: two more wins could push them to No. 2 if Boston stumbles twice, and one bad night could lock them into a different matchup than the Hawks series shown today. (nba.com) (cbssports.com) Sunday is the hard stop. All 30 teams play on April 12, the Play-In Tournament starts on April 14, and the full playoff bracket opens on April 18. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)