Knicks Season Hub

How a Knicks season is put together, from opening night in October to a playoff run in the spring.

Looking for game dates and tip-off times? We don't reproduce the schedule here because dates and TV slots change during the season. Check the official team schedule at nba.com/knicks/schedule or the official NBA app.

The regular season

Each NBA team plays 82 regular-season games, 41 at home and 41 on the road. For the Knicks, home means Madison Square Garden. The season usually starts in mid-to-late October and ends in mid-April.

The Knicks play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference, alongside the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors. Division opponents are played most often, then the rest of the East, then teams from the West, who usually visit the Garden once a season.

The NBA Cup (In-Season Tournament)

Since 2023 the NBA has run an in-season tournament in November and December. Group-stage games count toward the regular-season standings; the knockout rounds lead to a championship game. It is a separate trophy from the NBA championship.

After the regular season

The play-in tournament

In each conference, the teams that finish 7th through 10th meet in a play-in tournament. The 7th and 8th seeds play, with the winner taking the 7 seed. The 9th and 10th seeds play, and the loser is eliminated. The loser of the 7-vs-8 game then hosts the winner of the 9-vs-10 game for the 8 seed. Seeds 1 through 6 go straight to the playoffs.

The playoffs

Sixteen teams, eight per conference, play four best-of-seven rounds: the first round, the conference semifinals, the conference finals and the NBA Finals. The higher seed hosts Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, using a 2-2-1-1-1 format. A "Knicks in five" series means winning four of the first five games.

Reading the standings

• W-L and PCT: wins, losses and winning percentage.
• GB (games back): how far a team trails the leader. Calculated as ((leader wins - team wins) + (team losses - leader losses)) / 2.
• Tiebreakers: head-to-head record comes first, then division and conference records, among other criteria set by the league.

Watching and attending

Local broadcasts, national TV windows and streaming options change from season to season, so check the official team site for the current season's TV listings. If you are going to a home game, read our Madison Square Garden guide.