NEW YORK -- The Knicks' playoff picture came into full focus Friday, with the club securing the East's No. 3 seed and a first-round matchup with the sixth-seeded Detroit Pistons.
But for as good as it felt to have clarity concerning the playoff path, it was still a frustrating night for New York, which blew a massive 23-point lead at Madison Square Garden to lose to the first-place Cavaliers 108-102. The defeat marked a third straight loss for the Knicks, tying their longest skid of the season at the worst possible time.
"We've got to get it fixed, and we've got to get it fixed fast," coach Tom Thibodeau said sternly after the game. "[We need to fix] everything. We've got to play for 48 minutes on both sides of the ball."
Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns missed Friday's tilt, but that was hardly an excuse given that Cleveland was without star Donovan Mitchell, Sixth Man of the Year candidate Ty Jerome and reserve wing De'Andre Hunter. New York led 48-25 three minutes into the second period before the Cavs gradually chipped away and pulled ahead with just under six minutes left in the game.
All-Star Darius Garland, who shot 6-for-6 for 13 points in the fourth alone, helped Cleveland outscore New York 30-16 in that final quarter to earn the victory.
The Cavs' comeback dropped the Knicks to a troubling 0-10 mark on the season against the league's three 60-win clubs: Cleveland, Oklahoma City and Boston.
This week was particularly rough, with losses to the Pistons, Celtics and Cavs -- potentially the very three teams they would need to beat in the quarterfinals, semifinals and conference finals to reach the league's championship round.
Unlike thrashings New York (50-31) took from Cleveland (64-17) and Boston earlier in the season, the defeats this week were all competitive. But in some ways, they might have been even more frustrating.
The Knicks enjoyed double-digit margins against the Celtics, Pistons and Cavs, leading those clubs for 25, 27 and 38 minutes, respectively. But they still lost.
"Even not being at full strength, we were capable of winning each of those games," wing Josh Hart said. He acknowledged the obvious, saying the Knicks aren't "playing [anywhere] close to our best basketball" as the regular season draws to a close. But he also said he's confident New York can get things straightened out during the week off the club will get prior to the playoffs.
In the locker room following the Friday loss, the Knicks fielded questions about the Pistons -- who beat New York three times this season -- offering praise for their first-round opponent's massive turnaround campaign. But they also opted against going into detail this soon, saying they were far more concerned right now about straightening out their own issues and simply beating Brooklyn in the regular-season finale.
"We can talk about [Detroit] once we get through all 82 games," said captain Jalen Brunson, who had 27 points Friday and added that he continues to feel increasingly comfortable since returning from his monthlong ankle-injury absence.
Thibodeau wouldn't tip his hand about whether he will play all his starters against the Nets on Sunday in a game that will have no meaning in the standings. But he made clear that he sees value in getting back on track in that contest.
"We need to get into a rhythm for the playoffs, and we need to have that urgency," he said.