The Phil Jackson era is officially underway with the New York Knicks. After winning 11 NBA championships as a head coach, Jackson steps in as the team's president of basketball operations as fans hope he can bring a few of those championships to New York. As of now, Jackson does not have much to work with, but the Knicks are on a slight win streak, leaving their newest front office head impressed.
The Knicks are searching for the seventh straight win as they face the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden. Currently New York trails the Atlanta Hawks for the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They sit in 10th place and a win against the conference-leading Pacers will certainly help their postseason dreams.
Right now New York might be playing their best basketball of the season despite facing all teams with losing recording. They have won six straight by double digits, most recently beating the Milwaukee Bucks 115-94. Carmelo Anthony put up 23 points while Tim Hardaway Jr had 20 while coming off the bench. The team is climbing uphill to reach the playoffs, but they are picking things up at the right moment which could help.
The Pacers have struggled recently as their lead for the top seed shrinks. The team is on a four-game win streak, but their opponents have not been that impressive. The Pacers first beat the Boston Celtics with ease but then only managed to beat the Philadelphia 76ers by seven points. They overcame a 25-point deficit to defeat the struggling Detroit Pistons.
Indiana does have success against the Knicks this season. The team won the first two meeting. Paul George put up 35 points in their recent overtime win after Anthony had 30 points and 18 rebounds on his own. Lance Stephenson added a season-high 28 points. Stephenson continues to play his way to a pay raise while averaging 14.1 points this season. However, his turnovers are an issue as he has put up 18 in his last five games.
If the Knicks managed to make it into the playoffs with a late-season push, their reward could be meeting up with either the Indiana Pacers or Miami Heat. The Pacers have won four out of five regular season games while easily having the edge in the postseason. Anthony insists that all of the news regarding the Jackson hire has not distracted the team, but merely motivated them to play better in these final games.
