Knicks continue on criminally daunting schedule with let up in sight in January

For the Knicks, it’s Groundhog Day every day. Only this groundhog pokes its head from beneath the surface as an opponent against a tough, playoff bound opponent, the likes of which the Knicks’ schedule has been littered with to start the season. The Knicks had played teams with a winning record in 18 of the 29 games as of the the Christmas Day matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.

They then walked into a stretch with five of their next six games against legitimate playoff contenders, with the fifth coming as a wild card against a talented but underperforming Chicago Bulls team. After a double date with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, the Knicks will embarked on a three game road trip: at Oklahoma City against the Thunder on Wednesday, followed by an away, weekend back to back at Orlando then at Indiana.

They now return to Madison Square Garden to host the Minnesota Timberwolves and Bulls before traveling down to Philadelphia for a matchup against the Sixers. To take inventory, that’s: And again, that’s after seeing Giannis Antetokounmpo two games in a row on Dec. 23 and 25. In fact, even before the Antetokounmpo encore, the Knicks played the star laden Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers on a West Coast swing and came out victorious in two of those three games.

The schedule hasn’t been kind to the Knicks, down to the In Season Tournament debacle that left them with more road games than home games on the season plus an additional road matchup against both the Bucks and Celtics this season. Only after the Knicks endure Embiid’s brute strength will they see a schedule that looks in their favor.

They will play the Washington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies immediately after the Sixers games. Barring a setback, the Knicks project as heavy favorites against both the Wizards and Trail Blazers and could be favored against the Mavericks with Kyrie Irving out indefinitely with a heel injury.

They could also be favored against the Grizzlies, though Ja Morant has returned from his 25 game suspension and powered Memphis to a victory with 34 points in his first game back on the floor. The Knicks then play Orlando, Houston, Washington, Toronto, Brooklyn, Denver, Miami, Charlotte and Utah. Only four of those teams are projected to make the playoffs.

The Knicks enter this stretch 9 1 against teams with losing records this season. The Knicks have refused to use the idea of a difficult schedule as an excuse for their below average record against quality opponents this season. They could create some breathing room in the standings by handling business against opponents with losing records, but to get to those teams, the Knicks will have to run through a brick wall of playoff opponents first..