Eastern Conference Rival Looking to Pass Knicks

The New York Knicks struggled to compete with the tall, defensive-minded Orlando Magic last season.

Orlando won three of four meetings during the regular season, but New York got the last laugh when it finished second in the Eastern Conference standings. The Knicks made it to the second round while the Magic lost in seven games to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

However, Magic star Paolo Banchero believes Orlando can be right there at the top of the East with New York among others.

“We feel like we’re right there,” Banchero said on ESPN’s First Take h/t Bleacher Report writer Timothy Rapp. “We’re right there with all those (elite teams in the East). I remember last year, we started the year off as a top-two, top-three seed and everybody thought it was a fluke. Everybody thought we were going to be a play-in team and drop out the top of the East. We finished strong and got the fifth seed and had a chance to really grab the two seed at the end of the season. We were right there last year. We got better this year. I got better; all of us got better. We got some new pieces that are going to help a lot. We’re trying to make some noise. We should easily be a top-four, top-three team, and have a chance to win the East.”

The Magic represent a threat for the Knicks in the East, especially with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as the team’s premier new addition. The Knicks, like the Magic, also got better in the offseason by adding Mikal Bridges to the core of the team.

The Knicks and Magic should compete with the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and the aforementioned Cavs as the top teams in the East, and none of those opponents represent an easy beat for New York.

So while the Knicks took a step in the right direction, they will still have to stave off a number of teams to have a shot at making a deep run in the playoffs for the upcoming season.

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