New York Knicks: How NY has transformed into the hottest team in the NBA

New York Knicks RJ Barrett and Julius Randle (Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)
New York Knicks RJ Barrett and Julius Randle (Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports) /
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New York Knicks
New York Knicks Julius Randle (Adam Hunger/POOL PHOTOS-USA TODAY Sports) /

Exploring how the New York Knicks have managed to turn their fortunes around. 

The New York Knicks. While not necessarily the worst franchise of the past seven or so seasons (haven’t finished above 11th in the East since 2014), they have gotten a majority of the spotlight due to the stature of the city and their history in the NBA. It has been rough. Failed moves followed by botched draft picks curated by the wrong choices for general manager and so on. James Dolan has eliminated more fans than the team has playoff wins in possibly his entire tenure as owner.

But none of that matters anymore. The Knickerbockers have won eight straight and all of them have been against teams hoping to make the playoffs. Their last loss was to the playoff-bound Boston Celtics by two points.

As of April 23, New York is 33-27 and fourth in the Eastern Conference. Picking the Knicks to make the playoffs before the season would have been met with skepticism, even with the new play-in format. The fact that they are now vying for homecourt advantage in the first round is incredible. And it is no fluke.

Let’s take a look at the factors that have led to this miraculous turnaround.