The Knicks know their playoff opponent and know they have to play much better to beat them.
Tom Thibodeau’s squad backed into clinching the third seed while collapsing against the Cavaliers on Friday night, 108-102, securing a first-round showdown with the Pistons because of results elsewhere in the NBA.
With OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart returning after one-game absences, the Knicks squandered a 23-point early lead to Cleveland, going cold with their shots while getting exposed by Darius Garland on defense.
The finish left Thibodeau peeved.
“We got to be honest with ourselves, look at what we did wrong,” the coach said. “We got to get it fixed. And we got to get it fixed fast.”
What needs to change?
“Everything,” Thibs responded. “We got to play for 48 minutes. Both sides of the ball.”
OG Anunoby goes up for a layup during the Knicks-Cavaliers game on April 11, 2025. Jason Szenes / New York Post
The Knicks finished 0-10 against the best three NBA teams — Cleveland, Boston, Oklahoma City — a record that will become at least the subhead of their regular season.
At best, the Knicks will win 51 games — one more than last season — as they take a three-game losing streak into Sunday’s finale against the Nets.
“That’s the challenge that we have [to fix the issues in a short period of time],” Thibodeau said. “We’re heading down the stretch. We knew the challenge of Jalen [Brunson] going out [with an ankle sprain] and then coming back and then losing a couple other guys. But we got to have rhythm going into the playoffs. So this has to be changed quickly.”
For seeding purposes, Friday’s result held no consequences.
The Pacers were the only threat to jump the Knicks in the standings, and they were eliminated from consideration after sitting all their starters and getting pummeled Friday against Orlando.
Jalen Brunson reacts on the court during the Knicks’ loss on Friday to the Cavs. Jason Szenes / New York Post
The Pistons then locked up the sixth seed by falling to the Bucks, just about 30 minutes before the final buzzer of Knicks-Cavs.
“We know who the opponent is in the playoffs now, we know they’re good, and we have to be prepared for that,” Thibodeau said.
Josh Hart of the New York Knicks tries to save the ball from going out of bounds. Jason Szenes / New York Post
After beating the Knicks on Thursday night and winning the regular-season series, Detroit travels to MSG for Game 1 on either April 19 or 20.
It’s the first playoff series between the franchises since 1992 — which was won by the Knicks and headlined by Isiah Thomas versus Patrick Ewing.
This season, the Pistons won three of four against the Knicks with Cade Cunningham going off for averages of 30.8 points and 8.3 assists.
Still, many of the Pistons have no playoff experience.
The Knicks are the more experienced side and favored to advance, regardless of their disappointing finishes the last two nights — Friday especially.
“I’m always confident in this group,” Hart said. “At the end of the day, playoff basketball is totally different from the regular season. Everyone starts at 0-0. Everything else is outside noise, we’ve gotta focus on the guys we have in this locker room, doing what it takes to succeed as a team — not just as individuals — and execute it. And I think we have the character of guys to do that. Our character will be tested next week.”
Mitchell Robinson fights for the ball during the Knicks-Cavaliers game on April 11, 2025. Jason Szenes / New York Post
Brunson, playing both games of a back-to-back after Thursday’s defeat, was productive with 27 points. But the other Knicks — Anunoby, Hart, Mikal Bridges — were either ineffective or unremarkable.
The only notable inactive was Karl-Anthony Towns, who sat with a sore knee and was replaced in the starting lineup by Mitchell Robinson (33 minutes, eight points, seven rebounds).
The Cavaliers had clinched their playoff position and held back their lineup Friday.
Donovan Mitchell sat with an ankle sprain, an injury that Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson acknowledged wouldn’t have kept him out of a more meaningful contest.
DeAndre Hunter was also resting.
OG Anunoby and the Knicks took the loss on Friday. Jason Szenes / New York Post
Mitchell Robinson reacts on the court during the Knicks’ loss. Jason Szenes / New York Post
The Knicks’ winless record against the NBA’s top three has served as an indictment on New York’s qualifications as a legitimate contender.
But Atkinson, a front-runner for Coach of the Year, said that’s irrelevant after the weekend.
“To me, I wouldn’t make it a thing. You know once the playoffs start, all this means nothing. Clean slate. Playoffs start. All bets are off,” Atkinson said. “We’ve kind of struggled with some elite teams. I don’t kind of buy into that.
Jalen Brunson shoots during the Knicks-Cavaliers game on April 11, 2025. Jason Szenes / New York Post
“The Knicks are an experienced team, well coached, talented as heck. I wouldn’t look too much into that. From a coach’s standpoint, I know Thibs is over there saying, ‘Don’t worry about that. Let’s get ready for the first round.’”
That will be the message going forward. Try to get this “fixed,” as Thibodeau said, and get ready for the Pistons.
