NY 500 XXVII

NY 500 #27
As the waning days of March drag on, the Madness of March ending, the smell of baseball and the Masters fresh in our minds, it is an exciting time to be a New York sports fan. The hockey and basketball playoff races are a week older, and have more compelling story lines. The Knicks and Nets are way out of the NBA playoff race, but the Nets have suddenly become an interesting NBA team.

With the worst record in the league at 16-57 over the past month the Nets have caught an inkling of fire and made their record more presentable. What they have also done is make a culture in Brooklyn, something that can last for years to come. The Nets are also making the Boston Celtics chances at the number one overall pick this July by winning. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter what happens this season because they won’t have the pick to represent how badly this season truly was. The Nets will get a pick in the mid-late 20’s pick, just so they can be a win or two better than they were this season. It is fun to see Brook Lopez, K.J. McDaniels and the Nets win a couple of games in exciting fashion—however you can’t gloss over the fact that the Nets might have the worst record in the NBA and have a mid-20’s draft pick.

The Knicks have quietly watched their playoff chances slip away. The team is just in a rut and can’t seem to get out of it or out of their own way. The Knicks have reduced Melo’s minutes and just produced a lack luster product on the floor. This is something that a lot of teams come across, and the solution is to clean house. The entire house. If the Knicks commit to ripping it down, they might have a chance to compete for a title in the late stages of Porzingis’ prime. They have to commit first.

On ice, the Rangers and Islanders are making hockey fans hold their breath. The Islanders have still not locked up a playoff spot, allowing Boston to leap frog into the 8th spot, while Toronto has moved up to 7th. The Islanders are still two points behind the 8th seed (82 points) with only 6 games left. This should be an interesting race as the days chip off the clock toward the playoffs.

The Rangers have hit a bump, that can hopefully be fixed with the return of Lundqvist. Raanta was the goalie for the last 8 games, and getting their leader back can hopefully put the Rangers in the right position heading into the playoffs. The Rangers have dropped 6 out of their last 9 so, one can only hold their breath! Thing are heating in New York, stay tuned.
Sources:(espn.com, nba.com)

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