NBA Power Rankings: Will any team dethrone the Celtics or Nuggets in NBA Playoffs?

7. New York Knicks

Right now, the New York Knicks may be one of the few teams in the Eastern Conference not named the Boston Celtics that are trending in the right direction. They've gotten healthier - probably as healthy as they're going to be - and even though Julius Randle isn't going to return this season, the Knicks have managed to play some dangerous basketball of late. They're likely going to finish as the No. 2 or 3 seed in the East and are going to have a great chance to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 1998-99 season.

Without Randle, the Knicks are unlikely to have enough offensive firepower to go toe-to-toe with the Celtics, but they may have enough difference-makers on the defensive end of the floor where they could give them some real fits in a seven-game series. The Knicks are playing great heading into the playoffs - and there's no more you can ask from them right night.

If they're able to remain healthy in the playoffs, this is a team that could make a deep run. They may be a piece or two short from making a true championship run, but the vibes are high in New York. As they should be.