The New York Knicks officially claimed a playoff berth, meaning a top-six finish in the Eastern Conference, which guarantees they won’t have to play-in to the postseason. With the Boston Celtics falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday evening, they gifted the Knicks a guaranteed spot. Quite the early Christmas gift from Boston, an unlikely team to help the Knicks get into the playoffs.
However, this feat for New York has been earned through blood, sweat, and tears, playing intense basketball, and aggressive defense. The mentality that head coach Tom Thibodeau has rolled out this season has been welcomed by the players and contagious to the veterans, especially for guys like Derrick Rose.