As we open 2022, the NBA is in a pretty weird place. The recent COVID outbreaks have caused some bizarre and interesting lineup experiments around the league, and a few postponements as well, which makes looking at the standings and recent results pretty strange.
The New York Knicks are currently two wins ahead of the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference standings, and currently hold the 10th spot — also known as the last play-in spot. They’ve also played four more games than Toronto. While the Raptors currently have their full roster back from their outbreak, the Knicks — one of the first teams to kickstart the current league-wide outbreak — still have five players in the health and safety protocols, including All-Star Julius Randle.