Knicks play most of their starters against Cavaliers: Maybe some games do count more than others
New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson dunks against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden on Friday, April 11, 2025. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
It’s hard to imagine a more exciting finish to the regular season than the one the Knicks had a year ago.
They won their final five games, clinching the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with an overtime win over the Bulls in the season finale. There was no consideration given to resting multiple starters down the stretch, even though a solid argument could have been made that the Knicks would have been better off with a lower seed so they could avoid the 76ers in the first round.
“Everything counts,” then-Knicks swingman Donte DiVincenzo said when asked why the team was trying to win every game. “You know who we play for. Everything counts.”
DiVincenzo no longer is with the team and this year’s finish is nowhere near as exciting, but the Knicks still play for coach Tom Thibodeau, and it appears that he still subscribes to the theory “everything counts.”
In a game some thought the Knicks might be better off losing in terms of playoff positioning, Thibodeau played four of his five starters against the Cavaliers on Friday night, resting only Karl-Anthony Towns to give his knees a break in the second game of a back-to-back. Cleveland, which has been in first place in the Eastern Conference all season, rested Donovan Mitchell, De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome.
The Knicks entered the night battling it out with the Pacers for the third seed in the East. The Knicks’ magic number was one, meaning a win over Cleveland or a Pacers loss to Orlando in a game that started a half-hour earlier would lock up the No. 3 seed. And when the Pacers lost to the Magic, 129-115, the Knicks clinched third while they were still playing the Cavs. They will face the sixth-seeded Pistons in the first round of the playoffs.
The only problem with finishing No. 3 is that it put them on a collision course with the defending champion Boston Celtics in the second round. While the Cavaliers are the top seed in the East, many think No. 2 seed Boston will be the toughest out.
It’s clear that finishing third was an honor the Pacers weren’t all that into having, as coach Rick Carlisle rested all five of his starters for his game against Orlando. By halftime, the Pacers were trailing 72-49.
The Knicks did not play Mitchell Robinson, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart in a loss to Detroit on Thursday night, so there was some conjecture that he would hold out multiple players against Cleveland. Hart, Brunson, Anunoby and Towns were listed as questionable on the injury report until a half-hour before the game.
“It’s rest versus rhythm. I think everyone has to make a decision about what’s best for their team,” Thibodeau said before the game. “. . . If a guy needs rest now, he gets it. But until you lock up your seed, you got to keep going. And I think it’s important to understand that and keep fighting through the finish line.”
As the Knicks near the finish line — their final game is Sunday in Brooklyn — there may be another reason they didn’t want to rest their starters.
The Knicks headed into the game with an 0-9 record against the top three teams in the league, having gone 0-2 against Oklahoma City, 0-4 against Boston and 0-3 against Cleveland. After every loss, the Knicks have had to hear how they just don’t have what it takes to beat an elite team.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson believes a failure to beat a team in the regular season doesn’t bleed into the playoffs, that a good team can overcome that.
“To me, I wouldn’t make it a thing. You know once the playoffs start, all this means nothing,” Atkinson said. “Clean slate. Playoffs start. All bets are off. We’ve kind of struggled with some elite teams. I don’t kind of buy into that.
“The Knicks are an experienced team, well-coached, talented as heck. I wouldn’t look too much into that. From a coach’s standpoint, I know Thibs is over there saying, ‘Don’t worry about [the record]. Let’s get ready for the first round.’ ”
In other words, everything counts until it doesn’t.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
