Ranking Knicks' Most Important Games of 2022-23 NBA Regular Season
The New York Knicks' road to redemption starts now.
Hopefully.
Look, only the next six months know whether the 'Bockers will recover from a rough 2021-22 campaign and make the most of the 2022-23 NBA season.
Still, this potential rebound is why New York aggressively attacked the offseason, luring in both Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein while also shelling out major coin for RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson.
While each step on the 82-game marathon carries its own significance, the following three contests loom largest above the rest.
3. Oct. 28: at Milwaukee Bucks
The Association's schedule-makers apparently wanted an early glimpse at just how good these Knicks really are.
While three of New York's first four games come against the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets, the fifth tilt is where things get interesting—and stay interesting for a while.
Up first, it's the Bucks and perennial MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo. While New York figures to at least avoid All-Star swingman Khris Middleton, remember they took the Boston Celtics to seven games without him last season. Milwaukee is a juggernaut, and New York needs to see how it stacks up against the league's best.
It's not just this contest, though. After the Bucks game, the Knicks play six more playoff hopefuls (or championship hopefuls) in a row: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets.
In a worst-case scenario, it's the kind of stretch that could sink the Knicks' season if they aren't careful. Opening it with a win over an elite team like Milwaukee would be a major morale boost.
2. Dec. 14: at Chicago Bulls
The Eastern Conference looks loaded at the top, which could make life tough for a middle-class club like the Knicks.
It slims their margin for error and ramps up the importance of defeating their direct competition. The Bulls might be their biggest rivals this season, as they were the two Eastern Conference clubs that ESPN's Zach Lowe slotted into his "Grasping at Play-In Home-Court Disadvantage tier," meaning they're likely fighting for the Nos. 9 and 10 seeds.
If New York winds up in a head-to-head race with the Bulls, it could see its tiebreaker decided in December. All three of their regular-season meetings come within a nine-day stretch, which this contest opens.
The Knicks play back-to-back road games against the Bulls, make a quick trip to the Indiana Pacers, welcome the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors to Madison Square Garden, then lock horns with Chicago one last time.
If New York swipes at least two of three from Chicago, those results could loom large come playoff seeding time.
1. Feb. 24: at Washington Wizards
The Wizards are most kindly described as mercurial, because they're either mysterious or just not very good.
So, a seemingly random matchup against a middling-at-best opponent probably doesn't jump off of the schedule as the season's most critical contest. It should, though.
This will be New York's first game after the All-Star break, meaning this is where the stretch run really gets going.
Even in a best-case scenario, the 'Bockers won't feel any kind of comfort entering the final trek, so they'll need to play their best basketball at this time. More importantly, they'll need to take care of business against teams like the Wizards, a play-in-hopeful that could tread water if everything breaks right.
Finally, New York needs to get this game because things get hairy in a hurry beyond it. After this road bout and a home date with the New Orleans Pelicans on consecutive nights, the Knicks face—clears throat—the Celtics, Nets, Heat and Celtics again in a seven-day stretch.
Getting even one of those games might be considered a big win, so New York needs to collect victories against clubs like the Wizards to buy itself any kind of breathing room.