If the New York Knicks are serious about second place in the Eastern Conference, then they will be scheduled to face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Will these two dynamic division rivals face off in the 2013 postseason? Let's look at their final games and see if both teams will finish in their current spots.
We begin with the Knicks' opponents in 2013. They have one of the toughest schedules to close out the season. They have 12 games remaining and eight of these games are against playoff teams, two of which are favorite to win their respective conferences.
Knicks Upcoming Schedule:
Charlotte Bobcats
Celtics (Mar. 31)
Miami Heat
Atlanta Hawks
Milwaukee Bucks
Oklahoma City Thunder
Washington Wizards
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Indiana Pacers
Bobcats
Hawks
They might be finishing their season out with two meetings against the Bobcats, but that's the least of their worries. They could easily finish this stretch of games 4-8 or maybe worse, 3-9. With the Indiana Pacers trailing the Knicks in just percentage points, things are not looking too positive for the Knicks' hopes of holding on to the second seed.
However, the Knicks chose the right time to get hot as they have a six-game winning streak, the longest win-streak in the NBA having defeated the Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors twice, Celtics and the Memphis Grizzlies. As the Knicks face the Celtics at the end of the weekend, it's interesting to point out that they own the season series 2-1 and with a win Sunday, they could take the series 3-1.
As for the Celtics, in order to remain in the seventh seed, they would have to win just enough games to keep the trailing Bucks in the distance. Here's their schedule as they have 11 games remaining before the playoffs.
Celtics Upcoming Schedule:
Hawks
Knicks
Minnesota Timberwolves
Deptroit Pistons
Cavaliers
Wizards
Brooklyn Nets
Heat
Magic
Pacers
Raptors
They could finish this trip 6-5, which really wouldn't improve their record unless the Hawks struggle in their games. However, if the Hawks do struggle, the Celtics could also catch up and take over sole possession of sixth place, which would ultimately bump them away from the Knicks, if New York holds on to second place.
The Knicks don't look like they'll be able to withold possession of the second best record in the East, but this doesn't mean they won't meet in the first round of the playoffs.
Prediction: The Knicks and Celtics will meet in the first round, but as 3rd and 6th seeds in the East, with the Knicks as the top seed between the two teams.
Continue following the playoff race with us here at Sports World Report as we will bring you heavy coverage as the NBA season comes to a close.
The last time these two historical franchises met in the playoffs was in 2010-2011 when the Celtics eliminated the Knicks in four straight games.