Derek Fisher confident Knicks can make run at postseason

New York Knicks coach Derek Fisher thinks the team can make a run at the playoffs this season, according to a report from Ian Begley of ESPN.com.

New York Knicks coach Derek Fisher thinks the team can make a run at the playoffs this season, according to a report from Ian Begley of ESPN.com.

The Knicks will enter Saturday's game against the Phoenix Suns with the second-worst record (5-23) in the Eastern Conference.

The team has lost 13 of its last 14 games and has notched only one win over a team that currently has a winning record. In addition, the Knicks rank 22nd in the league in offensive efficiency and 27th in defensive efficiency.

Fisher said that his confidence in the Knicks competing for a spot in the postseason stems from the way the team has lost some of its games. New York is seven games behind the Brooklyn Nets for the No. 8 seed.

Begley notes that the Knicks have the league's worst record (3-15) in games in which they've led or trailed their opponent by five points with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

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“I think if we can get healthy and we can continue to build confidence in one another (and) in what we can do, we’ll still have a shot at the right time,” Fisher said on Thursday. [...]

“How we’ve lost a lot of games that we have lost. That, I think, is also in my opinion confirmation that we’re not as far away as it seems,” Fisher said. “Although that sounds crazy with (23) losses. To think about being (seven) games from still being kind of in the race is somewhat mind boggling, but it’s a very long season.” 

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