Who do the New York Knicks play in second round of playoffs?
The New York Knicks won three straight games in their first-round series against the Cavaliers to pick up the 4-1 win after winning Game 1 and dropping Game 2. New York didn’t have homecourt advantage as the No. 5 seed, but that didn’t matter. Entering Game 5 in Cleveland with a 3-1 lead, the Knicks took care of business.
There was no need for a Game 6 back at MSG. The electric environment was too much for the Cavaliers in Games 3 and 4, so that’s probably for the best. Now, thanks to the Knicks having homecourt advantage in the second round, the Garden will host the first two games of the second round.
There were a lot of people that picked Cleveland to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but New York hadn’t been counted out completely. However, not many (if any) predicted that the Knicks would cruise past the Cavaliers in round one. With that being said, the biggest first-round surprise goes to Jimmy Butler and the Heat.
Like New York, Miami entered Wednesday’s game on the road with a 3-1 series lead. Butler continued his playoff heroics by forcing overtime and leading the Heat to the 128-126 win, eliminating the No. 1 Bucks in the process.
Next up, Knicks-Heat in round two.
Knicks have homecourt advantage in Eastern Conference Semifinals against Heat
Who would’ve ever guessed that New York would have homecourt advantage in the second round after not having it in the first? Nobody saw Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks getting eliminated in round one, but it worked in the Knicks’ favor.
Although the Heat suffered two tough injuries in round one after Tyler Herro broke his hand and Victor Oladipo tore his patellar tendon in his left knee that will require surgery, everyone who watched the Miami-Milwaukee series should be smart enough to not count Miami out. Playoff Jimmy Butler is different, but this Knicks team is different, too.
The first game of the series will take place on Sunday at MSG. Although it’s an afternoon game, Knicks fans will be even more rowdy than they were in last Sunday’s Game 4 against Cleveland. It has been 10 years since fans got to watch New York play in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, after all.
Bring on the chaos!
