NBA Playoff Schedule: New York Knicks Destined for Conference Finals

If the New York Knicks can pull of an upset victory over the Miami Heat, they would have the inside track to the Eastern Conference Finals. 

If the Knicks can get by LeBron James and company, they would move on to play either the Orlando Magic or the Indiana Pacers.

But to move on, they’ll have to do a few things in Round 1.

It would work best for the Knicks to let James get his points and focus more on keeping Dwyane Wade from hurting them. And of course, keeping the ball in Bron Bron’s hands during crunch time would work best, because well, you know, he’s a choker.

Most of all, they need to keep Wade from getting that open elbow bank shot that he always seems to hit against the Knicks.

Another guy the Knicks need to pay close attention to is Chris Bosh. The Boshtrich averaged just less than 15 points and 10 rebounds in three games against the Knicks. More importantly, he worked the Knicks on hustle plays down low in “Bosh’s Pit.”

This Round 1 series is going to be a tough one, and the Knicks are going to need the best out of everybody—especially Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire. 

The Knicks need to keep their spacing on offense, executing the pick-and-roll perfectly in order to open up perimeter shots for guys like Steve Novak, J.R. Smith, Landry Fields and Iman Shumpert.

If the Knicks can do these things, they’ll at least get a shot at a Game 6 at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks won 2-of-3 against the Magic during the regular season, dominating the two that they won. The Dwight Howard injury obviously helps their chances, but not as much as it helps other Magic opponents, as Tyson Chandler was able to effectively neutralize the All-Star center in all three contests.

In the one game they lost, Ryan Anderson went off for 30 points on 11-for-19 shooting, hitting seven threes. That won’t be happening in a possible Round 2 matchup though, as the Knicks can focus on perimeter defense much more with Howard out.

The Magic are in disarray now, losing 6-of-9 to round out the season. Odds are, they won’t even get past the upstart Pacers team in Round 1. 

The Knicks also won 2-of-3 against the Pacers, winning laughers in their first two, before blowing a big lead in the third game.

Danny Granger and Paul George were absolutely shut down in the two Knicks’ victories, scoring a combined 43 points in the two games. Granger went off in the third, sparking a comeback behind his 27 points.

Chandler has the ability to render Roy Hibbert useless, as he scored more than 10 points just one time in the three games.

The 2012 NBA Playoff schedule is in the Knicks’ favor, and should they get past the Heat, they’re destined for a Conference Finals matchup against a potentially Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls.

Here's a link to the entire 2012 NBA Playoff schedule.