It doesn’t matter who survives.
Whether the Pistons or Cavaliers prevail in their second-round series — now led by the Cavaliers, 3-2, following Wednesday night’s 117-113 overtime victory in Game 5 in Detroit — the Knicks will enter the conference finals as the favorite to win the East.
While the Pistons and Cavs have had fairly underwhelming postseasons — both were pushed to seven games in the first round against inferior opponents — the Knicks are riding a historic seven-game winning streak, having defeated the Hawks and 76ers by an average of more than 26 points per game to produce the best plus-minus (194) of any NBA team in history through its first 10 postseason games.
As Cleveland and Detroit continue trading punches, the Knicks have been resting and scouting. And when the winner of their series begins preparing for the Knicks, they’ll find an opponent that already owns a recent postseason victory over them.
