The Knicks hadn't won a playoff game in over a decade, so a seven seed in the Eastern Conference and a 3-1 series loss to the Miami Heat should probably be regarded as progress.
Slight progress.
I think the Knicks will be back more or less intact next season... but they'll fare much better in the Atlantic Division standings and the postseason.
The 2011-12 NBA season is set to begin on Christmas Day - almost two months later than usual - with each team playing a 66-game schedule. The playoffs will begin on April 28 and end by June 26.
The basic format of the season will be as follows:
? Play 6 teams 4 times (2 home, 2 away)
? Play 4 teams 3 times (2 home, 1 away)
? Play 4 teams 3 times (1 home, 2 away)
? Play 3 teams 2 times (1 home, 1 away)
? Play 6 teams 1 time at home
? Play 6 teams 1 time away
Squeezing all those games in means teams will lose some down time. Expect to see teams playing more back-to-back sets than usual, and even the occasional "back-to-back-to-back" - three games in three nights. The league has warned that every team will play at least one back-to-back-to-back, with some teams playing as many as three.
NBA fans continue to curse the lockout that has shuttered the pro game for 55 days and counting. But college hoops fans in Chapel Hill, Columbus and Waco think the Association's hiatus is just spiffy.
The NBA's labor battle is one reason why college superstars like UNC's Harrison Barnes, Ohio State's Jared Sullinger and Baylor's Perry Jones opted to return to school this year. And their presence on campus and in uniform is the biggest reason I'm giving North Carolina, Ohio State and Baylor prominent positions in my preseason top 25. Carolina gets the top spot, followed by Kentucky - thanks to John Calipari's latest steller recruiting class - and the Buckeyes. Duke and Syracuse round out the top five, with the reigning national champion Connecticut Huskies at six.
Baylor starts the season at number 14, but could shoot up the rankings if JUCO transfer Pierre Jackson emerges as a top point guard.
