Knicks lock up playoff spot, Celtics bound for play-in after loss

The New York Knicks are a playoff team again.

The Knicks clinched their first postseason berth since 2013 on Wednesday with the Boston Celtics' loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Though Wednesday's result ensures New York will finish as a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks can still climb higher before the end of the regular season. Tom Thibodeau's side is only half a game behind the Atlanta Hawks for fourth in the East with three games left to play. The Knicks are also tied with the Miami Heat at 38-31, but the Heat sit fifth because they own the head-to-head tiebreaker over New York.

Boston's defeat also means the Celtics can finish no higher than seventh in the East and must progress through the play-in tournament to reach the first round of the playoffs. The Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers will also be in the tournament, with the Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls still battling for the fourth and final spot.

The Knicks last made the playoffs after posting a 54-28 regular-season record under head coach Mike Woodson with an offense carried by Carmelo Anthony, JR Smith, and Amar'e Stoudemire. New York eventually fell in six games in the conference semifinals to an Indiana Pacers squad led by Paul George, David West, George Hill, and Roy Hibbert.