At 14-60, the New York Knicks are well out of playoff contention, with each loss plunging them further into the lottery in the hopes of securing a top pick. Their cross-town rival Brooklyn Nets, on the other hand, are suddenly in the thick of a playoff race, hoping to secure a tiebreaker tonight over the Indiana Pacers and possibly move up as far as “sixth,” according to Thaddeus Young at shootaround Tuesday morning.
The two teams play Wednesday night, and according to tweets from reporters Ian Begley and Fred Kerber, the Knicks know they can spoil the Nets’ chances at the playoffs — and welcome the opportunity:
Cleanthony Early on #Knicks spoiling Nets' playoff chances: "Things are already messed up, let’s mess some other things up."
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) March 31, 2015
#Knicks Jason Smith says yes Knix are motivated to beat #Nets and hurt their playoff chase "especially against…our hometown rival"
— Fred Kerber (@FredKerber) March 31, 2015
#Knicks F Jason Smith on facing the Nets: "We know we can kind of be that spoiler. I think that gives us a lot of energy, motivation."
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) March 31, 2015
The Nets & Knicks kick off their last of four meetings Wednesday night (April 1st) at 7:30 P.M. EDT. The Nets won each of the first three, and a victory would be their first season sweep over the Knicks since the 2006-2007 season.
