In the East, it is the Celtics and everyone else.
And for the first time in more than two months, the Knicks look better positioned than anyone else in the conference to battle Boston for a berth in the NBA Finals.
That became apparent Tuesday night as OG Anunoby scored 24 points and played all-world defense in a victory in Chicago — moving the Knicks to 17-3 with him in the lineup — and Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a calf injury during the Bucks’ win over the Celtics.
The Bucks were in trouble long before losing the two-time MVP — he will miss the rest of the regular season at minimum, and his return date is uncertain — with what’s now a 17-17 record under Doc Rivers while receiving diminished play from Damian Lillard and no replacement for Jrue Holiday’s defense. If Antetokounmpo can’t return for the first round, Milwaukee may not escape, like last year, when a far more-cohesive Bucks team was upset by 8-seed Miami after he injured his back and missed half the series.
