BITTERSWEET 16 FOR KNICKS
Win in Orlando is far from magical
ORLANDO — To fully understand how far the Knicks have fallen and how far they need to go, consider this: Saturday’s 80-79 win over the Orlando Magic gave Phil Jackson’s team 16 wins for the season. That is a significant number because to win an NBA title, a team needs 16 playoff wins.
The Knicks finally got to 16 wins and it took them 80 games.
Derek Fisher said last week that the Knicks could make the jump from 15 to 63 wins next season after originally saying that he wouldn’t put a number on how many wins the Knicks can produce in 2015-16. He should have stuck with his instincts because the Knicks will need plenty of help just to win between 35 and 43 games next year.
The Cleveland Cavaliers added LeBron James and Kevin Love to a roster that included Kyrie Irving and later traded for Timofey Mozgov, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert. That’s a formidable roster, and yet Cleveland just recently surpassed 50 wins.
The Cavs have already clinched a playoff berth, and Milwaukee will likely qualify as well. If Boston clinches a playoff spot, that will mean three lottery teams from last season will make the playoffs this year. A more realistic goal for the Knicks is following the model set by the Bucks and Celtics; two clubs that made a few smart moves are well-coached and grew as teams.
On Saturday, the Knicks improved to 16-64 against a dreadful Orlando Magic team. The game featured the two teams combining for an NBA record low 15 second-quarter points — eight for the Knicks, seven for Orlando. Overall, the teams combined to miss 105 shots.
The Knicks led by as many as 13 before Orlando rallied to take a fourth-quarter lead. Tim Hardaway’s three-pointer with 12.6 seconds left gave the Knicks the lead for good. Cole Aldrich led the Knicks with 19 points. At least half the players on the Knicks’ current roster won’t be back next season. In many ways, Fisher will be starting over again with a new set a players.
Plus, making the jump from worst to seventh or eighth in the Eastern Conference will be challenging when you consider the nonplayoff teams that are ahead of the Knicks. Charlotte has already been eliminated from playoff contention while Miami and Indiana are hanging on by a thread. Those three teams should all be better next season, especially the Heat once Chris Bosh returns and the Pacers once Paul George gets a full training camp.
The Knicks’ star player, Carmelo Anthony, will also be returning from a knee injury, and his health will go a long way toward determining whether the Knicks can make a significant jump. The worst season in franchise history will mercifully come to an end this week, and the Knicks can begin building toward a better tomorrow. A lottery pick plus cap space to sign free agents give the Knicks a good jumping off spot.
Assuming Anthony and point guard Jose Calderon come back healthy and the Knicks draft a quality player and use their cap space wisely, their talent will be upgraded dramatically. Maybe it will even be good enough to get the Knicks into the playoffs where they can start working on the more important 16 victories.
“In the Eastern Conference you can get right back in it,” Calderon said early Saturday. “No one knows how this summer will play out.”