Six-game West Coast trip will be challenging to Knicks' playoff position

The Knicks flew west Friday afternoon for a road trip that has been a glaring red light on a schedule that has turned out far better than anyone outside of the Knicks’ locker room could have expected.

They’re on a six-game trip through the Western Conference — five of them against teams currently in the top eight spots in the conference.

But what once seemed like a reality check now seems like one more test for a team that has fared well in nearly every test so far. As the Knicks begin the trip in Houston on Sunday, they sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, and with nine games left on the schedule, they need to pass this test to hold on to what they have accomplished.

A six-game West Coast trip can threaten any team’s season, but for the Knicks, it is just a harbinger of what the final weeks of the season can bring. They have the seventh-most-difficult schedule in the league remaining — their opponents had a .546 winning percentage before Saturday — and a playoff race that is so tightly packed that they could wind up anywhere from third place to 10th place.

The Knicks (35-28) are closer to the best record in the East than they are to 11th place, which would have been hard to imagine even a few weeks ago. But after winning 10 of their last 11 games, they hold a one -game lead over the fifth-place Hawks and a 1 1⁄2-game lead over the Celtics and Heat, who are tied for sixth. While the goals may have shifted during the season, staying in the top six spots and avoiding the play-in tournament is the most important task.

"I think for us, we talked about it after the game [Wednesday], nothing changes," Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. "When you begin the season, you think about all the things you have to prepare yourself for. And so you don’t want to look ahead, you don’t want to look behind. The only thing we’re thinking about is Houston.

"So you take it step by step, play by play, and when the ball goes up, we got to find a way to win. And it’s really that simple. So don’t get lost in: It’s the end of the season, how many games are left. For us, it’s just OK, let’s get in, get our work in and get ready for Houston when the ball goes up."

The Knicks will finish off the season by hosting the Celtics at Madison Square Garden, and before that, the Celtics and Miami will play each other twice. Those games could have a huge impact on where these teams fall.

"I think we can get better," Julius Randle said. "We can continue to get a lot better. There are just the details of certain things that we miss at times, but we’re getting better at it and we’ll continue to get better. Coach will continue to coach us and to help us get better at those things. So I’m excited for what this team can be and our growth, how much we can improve, and we’ve just got to lock in and keep going."

Notes & quotes: Thibodeau said Mitchell Robinson (broken foot) is progressing but has not done any work on the court yet. "I don’t want to put any timetable on it," he said. "To be honest, I don’t know. That would be up to the doctors, the trainers, all the medical people. We don’t want to take any chances with it. So we’re going to be very patient and make sure he’s completely healed before we get him going again."

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.