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The New York Knicks thumped the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, 115-94, to earn their sixth consecutive win. At 27-40, they trail the Atlanta Hawks by just 3.5 games for the East's final playoff seed, which has serious implications for the Orlando Magic rebuilding plans.
As a result of the Dwight Howard trade, the Magic will receive a 2014 first-round Draft pick from either the Knicks or Denver Nuggets, whichever team owns the lower selection. We at Orlando Pinstriped Post have called this pick the WoNK, and as recently as February 28th, it looked like a sure bet to land in the lottery.
Denver, 10 games back of the postseason with 16 to play and with two other teams between it and eighth out West, will almost certainly not qualify for the playoffs. That means New York stands as the only team that can throw a wrench into Orlando's 2014 Draft plans by preventing it from landing another lottery selection.
Fortunately for the Magic, the Hawks have done their part to hold off New York of late, winning three straight games.
We'll continue to keep an eye on New York's situation and how it affects the Magic as the season winds down