Should Knicks tank their way out of the No. 3 seed to avoid Celtics?

NEW YORK — As a rash of shameless tanking is rotting within the NBA, the New York Knicks could’ve done the same. They could’ve rolled over Thursday, April 9 to let the Boston Celtics clinch the No. 2 seed.

They could’ve rested their stars compromised their competitive spirit to gear up instead for the playoffs, which begin April 18. Let me explain. In the days leading up to this game, a faction of social media basketball strategists pondered whether New York, the current three-seed in the East, would be better served to target the No.

4 slot. The thinking was that it would avoid an eventual matchup against the surging Celtics, who have won 25 of their last 33 games, in the conference semifinals. Instead, Knicks forward Josh Hart drained all five of his 3s in the second half — including a pair inside the final 43 seconds that put the game away — to help New York narrowly outlast Boston, 112-106, in a game that had 13 ties and 16 lead changes.

Despite the victory, the Knicks, however, could still feasibly throw their final two games to tank into the four-seed to avoid Boston. Should they? I’ll concede that it does make some practical sense for teams at the bottom of the standings to tank.