Chris McCosky: Around the NBA
Don't count out Knicks in race for the playoffs


You look at the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket, you see four teams battling for the final two spots, and you tell yourself there is no way Isiah Thomas can get his New York Knicks into the playoffs.
Then you watch Eddy Curry outplay Shaquille O'Neal on Monday. You see Stephon Marbury starting to look like a poised, team-first veteran point guard. You see all the solid, blue-collar role players they have (David Lee, Malik Rose, Renaldo Balkman). Then you start breaking down the numbers a little bit and, man, the Knicks darn sure could sneak in there.
Entering play Tuesday, the Magic (28-30) and Heat (27-29) are tied for the seventh spot. New Jersey (27-30) is a half-game back in ninth and the Knicks (26-32) are two games back in 10th.
You ask, who's going to fall out? I say look up. Indiana is in sixth place with a 29-26 record. They have been treading water most of the season, fighting injuries and a host of off-court issues. Their starting point guard, Jamaal Tinsley, is facing possible jail time. They play 15 of their final 26 games on the road, including a West Coast trip and a two-gamer in Houston and San Antonio.
I could see the Pacers slipping out of the picture.
New Jersey, even if Richard Jefferson comes back, isn't likely to make any kind of push. Jason Kidd has a broken rib. Mikki Moore is still the starting center. The Nets could be out of it two weeks into March after their long six-game trip. They play 15 of their last 24 games on the road.
For the Knicks to slide in, they are going to have to bump one of the Florida teams out -- Orlando or Miami.
All three of those teams have favorable, home-loaded schedules down the stretch. But of the Knicks' 25 remaining games, 13 are against sub-.500 teams and 12 are at home. They also own the tie-breakers against the Heat and Magic.
So it's within their grasp, especially if Dwyane Wade elects to have season-ending surgery. And if the Knicks do steal one of the final spots -- and maybe even if they don't -- you have to consider Curry for most improved player of the year.
Heat coach Pat Riley is on board with that. He lists Curry right behind Shaq among the top big men in the East.
"He's No. 1 in points-in-the-paint in the NBA," Riley told reporters after the game Monday. "He's a load down there. When he gets more than one dribble or he gets playing under the basket, he's very difficult to deal withI think he definitely has turned the corner and become a real force."
Curry put 28 points and 11 rebounds on Shaq, who was in foul trouble and finished with 20 points and three boards.
"I want (Curry) to be respected by the Godfather, and the Godfather is Shaq," Thomas said. "Hopefully this goes a long way in Shaq's mind and Alonzo's (Mourning's) mind that he is on the same playing field Dwight Howard is on. It would be good if the Godfather anoints him."
Shaq didn't go quite that far.
"Not yet. Not yet," he said. "You've gotta win first."
Unless the knucklehead factor rears up and bites the Knicks again -- which is always a possibility with moody players like Marbury, Curry, Quentin Richardson and Jamal Crawford -- the Pistons could be seeing them in the first round of the playoffs.

if they manage to get in, hopefully it'll be as a 7th seed since they own those tiebreakers vs. the Magic & Heat... facing the Pistons in the 1st round is not the matchup you want... not that facing CLE would be that much better, but i think the Knicks would at least have a chance to take them deep into that series & make a decent showing.

that article was written before the injury.