Knicks best beware of the surging Pacers

Remember that ugly loss to Atlanta in December when Trae Young stuck it to the Knicks by pretending to roll dice across the center court logo at MSG?

That game marked the last time the Knicks were not among the top three teams in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks rebounded from that low point with a win in Orlando on Dec. 15 that vaulted them into third place in the East, a spot they have remained in for nearly three-and-a-half months.

The question now is whether the Knicks will be there at the end of the regular season, and whether Knicks fans should want them to be?

Despite a dominant 128-113 win over the Mavericks Tuesday, the Knicks appear to be limping toward the finish line. The team that took the floor Tuesday was missing starting point guard Jalen Brunson, backup point guard Deuce McBride and backup center Mitchell Robinson.

Since Brunson sprained his ankle in the overtime loss to the Lakers on March 6, the Knicks’ hold on third place in the East has gone from a four-game lead over fourth-place Milwaukee to a three-game lead over the surging Indiana Pacers.

If the season ended Wednesday, the Knicks would open the playoffs at home against the sixth-place Pistons. Yet, the fourth, fifth and sixth spots are so tightly bunched right now that much could change in the final three weeks of the season.

About the only sure deal is the Knicks will end up playing somewhere in the Midwest in the first round as fourth-place Indiana is nipping at the Knicks’ heels and Milwaukee and the Pistons are in a virtual tie for fifth.

Here’s a look at the pros and cons of playing each team:

Milwaukee Bucks

It’s hard not to be worried about a club that has one of the most dominant players in the league in Giannis Antetokounmpo and recently added Kyle Kuzma. Yet, the Bucks got some very tough news about Damian Lillard on Tuesday.

Lillard, who was averaging nearly 25 points and 7.1 assists, is out indefinitely with a blood clot in his right leg, the team announced. Couple that with the fact that the Knicks beat the Bucks by 22 points in early November and 34 points in January, and this should be the team they want to play most.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are young, athletic and fun to watch. This has made them one of the best stories in the NBA, as they have gone from a 14-win team last season to a 41-win team with three weeks left in the season.

Add to this the fact that the Pistons are 2-1 against the Knicks, with their final meeting coming in Detroit on April 10, and many are labeling this up-and-coming team as the one the Knicks don’t want to meet.

I’m having a hard time buying that. Detroit may have some big-time talent in first-time All-Star Cade Cunningham, who has averaged 29 points and 8.3 assists against the Knicks this season, but they also have problems with turnovers and rely on a number of players, including Cunningham, with zero playoff experience.

If Brunson is back and healthy for the postseason — and all of this will be moot if he’s not — his floor leadership, talent and belief in himself and his teammates will be enough to push the Knicks past Detroit and into the next round.

Indiana Pacers

Yes, the Knicks want revenge for the Game 7 loss to the Pacers in the second round of the playoffs last year. Yes, it would be nice to see what a healthy Knicks team can do against Rick Carlisle’s squad. And yes, the Knicks have beaten the Pacers in two of their three games this season.

That being said, the Pacers have caught fire when it matters most. Indiana enters Wednesday’s game against the Lakers having won five straight and seven of its last 10.

This Pacers team, like the Pistons, can really get up and down the floor, which is going to be a big problem for a Knicks team that arguably has the most talented starting five in the East but lacks depth. The Knicks have demanded so many minutes from their starters this season that the wear and tear is clearly taking a toll. I can’t imagine that getting better in the postseason.

The Pacers have playoff experience, the knowledge that they can beat the Knicks in the toughest of environments and an ability to take care of the ball that Detroit doesn’t seem to have.

All in all, this is the matchup to avoid.