With everything the Knicks have gone through in the past few months, from missing out on the superstar free agents in the summer, to David Fizdale's dismissal, to Scott Perry's ousting as team president, somehow the playoffs aren't completely out of the picture just yet.
Thanks in part to the Knicks' recent four-game winning streak - one that came to a heartbreaking end on Sunday in Atlanta - New York is just six games back of the Orlando Magic for the eighth seed in the East.
The bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture may not be anything to write home about, and the Knicks are still 20 games under .500, but they've already equaled last season's win total, and interim head coach Mike Miller believes they're heading in the right direction.
"The focus is just 'How can we get better?' It's not trying to 'What if this?' and the different scenarios," said Miller. "What we can control is if we come in today and get better. We come out tomorrow and we continue to move forward as we have. We've played pretty good basketball the last couple weeks. We put ourselves in a good position. We've got to keep growing."
With the trade of Marcus Morris to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Knicks lost one of their leaders in the locker room. But with Morris now out west, veterans like Julius Randle must continue to set the example for the young players on the roster.
"It's always significant to make the playoffs and get that experience. I still haven't had it," said Randle on Tuesday. "So yeah, it would be significant but we've just got to take it a game at a time."
One of those younger players on the roster is Kevin Knox, whose scoring has dipped dramatically in his second NBA season. Down to 6.8 points per game from the 12.8 he averaged as a rookie, Knox has scored in double figures in just 15 of his 53 games this season.
But the former lottery pick is focused on the team, and he knows the Knicks can continue to compete with the teams in front of them in the standings.
"We really wanted that one in Atlanta, but we talk about every single day in the locker room just having that confidence to really keep playing and keep hooping, cause we're not that far back.," said Knox. "We've beaten a few teams that are ahead of us, so we know we can do it, we just have to stay confident, stay up … can't have no more losing streaks."