NBA Schedule: Make some time to watch the Knicks

Bing-bong, bang-bang, pick whatever onomatopoeia you desire to properly emphasize the 2022-23 New York Knicks, as long as you acknowledge that this team is for real. They have won nine games in a row and are 4.5 games ahead of a play-in tournament appearance.

The Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics in double overtime on Sunday night. It was their second victory against the Eastern Conference No. 2 seed in less than seven days.

Flex scheduling will have the Knicks playing in some intriguing nationally televised NBA matchups that sports fans certainly should watch, amongst others. In the final week before Men’s and Women’s College Basketball take the main stage, sports fans should appreciate this glimpse of what the NBA has ready for when its playoff curtain drops.

*Disclaimer: There is just over a month remaining in the NBA regular season, and stars are going to miss some games. Tough luck.

When: March 6, 7:30 p.m. EST

Where to Watch: NBA TV, Bally Sports Southeast, Bally Sports Sun

The Miami Heat are far from the most entertaining NBA team to watch on television. However, they are in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. A team in which every single player knows his role, and executes it to the best of his ability.

Part of why the Heat are always competitive is that Pat Riley, Andy Ellsburg, and Erik Spoelstra can stay with the franchise as long as they choose. Several hours north of South Florida, the Atlanta Hawks are in constant turnover and currently employ their fifth head coach in six seasons. Lots of talent on both rosters are fighting for playoff positioning, but this game will be a battle of stability vs. dart throwing.

When: March 6, 10:00 p.m. EST

Where to Watch: NBA TV, Bally Sports New Orleans, NBC Sports California

The Western Conference postseason race. If a person claims to have definitive knowledge of how this side of the NBA postseason bracket will play out, that person is lying. Still, with all of the scratching and clawing in the Western Conference, both the Pelicans and Kings have been solid teams all season.

Zion Williamson is still not healthy, and the Pelicans are far from the top seed that they were when he was on the floor. Still, it’s likely that they would have to play long stretches of incompetent basketball the rest of the season to miss the postseason entirely.

This feisty squad is going up against De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and the third-best team in the Western Conference. Two young squads on a Monday night. It’s unfortunate that Williamson won’t play but this will still be a late-night treat.

When: March 7, 7:30 p.m. EST

Where to Watch: TNT, NBC Sports Philadelphia

The 76ers and Timberwolves both have much to prove in the postseason. Since Kawhi Leonard hit that shot for the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 playoffs, the 76ers have not been able to improve upon how close they were at that moment. The Timberwolves made the postseason in 2022 for the second time since 2004.

These are two teams looking to take a big step forward this spring. This particular game is more important for the Timberwolves who are trying to hold onto the No. 6 seed and avoid the Western-Conference play-in tournament, unlike the 76ers, who will likely enter the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the east.

When: March 7, 8:00 p.m. EST

Where to Watch: League Pass, NBC Sports Bay Area, Bally Sports Oklahoma

Stephen Curry is back on the floor and so is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder are still fighting for a postseason berth, while the Warriors are clinging to that No. 5 seed with their teeth.

With recent injuries to their best players, both teams have been able to avoid a disastrous tumble in the standings. For the Warriors that is a bare minimum ask, while the Thunder have been competitive against strong competition with a roster that was predicted in the preseason to be one of the league’s worst.

When: March 8, 7:30 p.m. EST

Where to Watch: ESPN, Bally Sports NO, Bally Sports Southwest

These two Southwest division franchises have been a disappointment this season. The Mavericks played in the Western Conference Finals in 2022 and beat a Suns team that the Pelicans — sans Zion — pushed hard in the first round. Those Suns had the best record in the Western Conference.

It’s now early 2023 and the Mavericks are an even worse defensive team that is now fighting with Kyrie Irving to stay out of the play-in. And the Pelicans, it’s not only Williamson’s injury that resulted in them falling from No. 1 in the west, to hanging onto the play-in for dear life. This deep roster has fought tooth and nail through many injuries for the opportunity to improve upon last season’s 10 games below .500 regular-season finish.

When: March 9, 10:00 p.m. EST

Where to Watch: TNT

Flex scheduling is to sports what a fun book is to an elementary school student — beneficial for all parties involved.

Few teams have been more fun to watch this season than the Knicks and the Kings. Both teams have played in arguably the best games of the 2022-23 NBA regular season — double-overtime contests after which viewers might need a smoke — and both have taken place in the last two weeks. Hopefully, the Knicks can shake off the jet lag and produce another doozy.

Thank you, NBA, for deciding to make this content available to the entire cable television-subscribing public.

When: March 9, 7:30 p.m. EST

Where to Watch: TNT

Possibly Ja Morant’s first game back after the IG Live incident. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins has expressed support for his best player. Still, technically there is no timetable for Morant’s return even though the franchise announced that Morant was suspended for only two games.

Following that strip-club glizzy incident, there would be no better night for Morant to return to the floor than against the Warriors. For Morant, the return would be at home, but he would certainly have to deal with a team looking to break him mentally.

When: March 11, 8:30 p.m. EST

Where to Watch: ABC

This was my preseason NBA Finals prediction. Much has happened since October, but a Bucks-Warriors NBA Finals matchup is still a reasonable prediction as long as both rosters avoid injury woes.

On this NBA Saturday Night, these two powerhouses will go after each other in a game with no head-to-head consequences, but can still play a major role in postseason seeding.

When: March 11, 9:00 p.m. EST

Where to Watch: League Pass, NBC Sports California, Bally Sports Arizona

It’s a light week for the Suns with only two games on the schedule. On Wednesday they take on the Thunder, and on Saturday, they go up against the Kings.

The Kings are always entertaining to watch, but this time they’re playing the new-look Suns. A team that made the trade to acquire Kevin Durant with thoughts of winning the franchise’s first NBA Championship.

For League Pass customers and certain western United States residents, this is a chance to watch a surprisingly entertaining team take on a pre-season championship contender that significantly improved but still has holes in its lineup.

When: March 12, 9:00 p.m. EST

Where to Watch: ESPN, Spectrum SportsNet LA

I promise you that you need more Knicks in your life.

Tom Thibodeau’s group is arguably the most exciting team in the NBA. These Knicks are fast, physical, and focused. Following a disappointing 2021-22 season, the Knicks already have only two fewer wins than their total from the previous season. Also, they are currently on a nine-game winning streak.

What better evening than Selection Sunday for the Knicks to take on a Lakers team fighting for its postseason life? Your brackets won’t have to be turned in to your tourney pool manager that night, so after CBS reveals the matchups take some time to enjoy the two most popular NBA teams in one of the rare instances in which a regular season game has meaning for both. Not a single NCAA tournament game will be played as well as this matchup of New York vs. Los Angeles.