Apr 26, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; New York Knicks guard Pablo Prigioni (9) is guarded by Boston Celtics guard Jason Terry (4) during the second quarter of game three of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

With the Knicks-Celtics matchup returning to Boston, the Celtics looked to capitalize on their home-court.  The night started with a warm and touching ceremony that paid tribute to the lives that were lost and honored the heroes in the Boston Marathon Bombing – the Firefighters, the Police Force and the First Responders.

Apr 26, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston fans James Ryan, left, and Jay Megaro during the fourth quarter of game three of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. New York Knicks won 90-76. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

It gave chills to both Knicks and Celtics fans and really united everyone that was watching.

But once the game started, the Celtics did everyhting besides keep that high energy and high spirits from the ceremony up.  Right after winning the opening tip, they missed two wide open layups and ended up scoring only 31 points in the first half.  The Knicks had a 47-31 lead at the half and they did not look back, as the Celtics are down 3-0 in the best of 7 series.

As ESPN analyst Bill Simmons said in the post game the Celtics are

going to score as many points in 3 games as the Warriors are going to score in 2 games.

The Celtics have yet to reach 80 point mark this playoffs, due to the ferocious defense and the Celtics just not hitting their shots.  With the team down Rajon Rondo,Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett have to step it up and they are clearly not doing it.

Apr 26, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward/center Kevin Garnett (5) and small forward Paul Pierce (34) sit on the bench during the fourth quarter of game three of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. New York Knicks won 90-76. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The Knicks on the other hand are just playing stellar basketball on both ends of the floor.   Here are the Player Report cards from tonights 90-76 win:

Carmelo Anthony – 37 minutes, 26 points, 12-25 FG, 2-6 3FG, 1 rebounds, 0 assist, 1 steal, 2 TOs,

Melo got off to a rough start shooting 2-8 from the field but then finished the half knocking down his last 4 shots and shooting well in the second half as well.  I’d say 75% of his shots were shots that Melo can hit and should be taking whenever he gets the ball.  But the other 25%, he definitely could have have passed out.

The Knicks have so many shooters on this team and all you need is a little ball movement to get one of those shooters open especially when Melo gets doubled team.  But overall, he had some crazy shots and moves in his seemingly never-ending repertoire and played a solid game.

Final Grade: B+

Iman Shumpert 20 minutes, 4 points, 1-5 FG, 1-3 3pt, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 0 TO

Shumpert played ferocious defense on Paul Pierce tonight, limiting him to 15 points on 6-15 shooting and making him commit 5 turnovers.  He was getting up his jock, stripping the ball from his hands, and made him force some tough shots.   This is what we the Knicks were missing against the Heat last year when he went down with an injury and his defensive intensity was clearly seen tonight.

Final Grade: B+

Apr 26, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; New York Knicks guard Raymond Felton (2) drives against Boston Celtics forward/center Kevin Garnett (5) during the second quarter of game three of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Raymond Felton 35 minutes, 15 points, 7-14 Fg, 1-3 3PT, 10 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block,  3 turnovers

What a stat line for Felton.  I could not have been happier with his performance tonight.  He completely controlled the pace of this game whether it was by driving hard to the basket and finishing strong or passing it out for a wide-open shot.  When the ball facilitates through him instead of Melo, the offense just flows so much better.  He also is confident in scoring the ball on the outside, which spaces the floor out even more.

Final Grade: A

Pablo Prigioni 30 minutes, 9 points 3-6 FG, 3-6 3pt, 2 rebounds, 1 assists, 5 steals, 1 turnover

No one could tell Prigioni was 35 years old based on his performance tonight – he was all over the place diving for loose balls, getting in the passing lane, and hitting the knock down threes.  Having him start at the point guard position really seems to be working for this Knicks team.

Final Grade: B+

Tyson Chandler – 30 minutes, 6 points, 3-4 FG, 8 rebounds, 1 TO

Chandler was quiet tonight, but still got the job done clogging up the middle, pulling in some rebounds, and tapping out the ball for second chance opportunities. It really seems like his neck injury is interfering with his performance, and hopefuly he can continue to push through it.

Final Grade: B-

J.R. Smith – 24 minutes, 15 points, 6-12 FG, 2-5 3pt, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 TO

Smith had a solid game up until midway through the fourth quarter where he acted childish and was called for a flagrant 2 (ejection) when he elbowed Terry close to the face intentionally.  Smith has been on such good behavior and because of this has played his best basketball of his career.  He needs to stay under control to play effectively for the Knicks.

Apr 26, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; New York Knicks guard Jason Kidd (5) brings the ball up court during the fourth quarter of game three of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs against the New York Knicks at TD Garden. New York Knicks won 90-76. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Final Grade: B

Jason Kidd – 26 minutes, 0 points, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3PT, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 0 TO

Kidd played like he always does, doing a little of everything.  He passed, rebounded, blocked, and provided his veteran leadership on the court.  The Knicks really can use his experience when they go further into the playoffs and just need him to stay healthy.

Final Grade: B

Kenyon Martin – 17 minutes, 5 points 2-4 FG 4 Rebounds, 1 block, 0 TO

Martin had another solid game, playing great defense on Garnett and finishing some nice layups.  He continues to play a crucial role on this Knicks team as the backup for Tyson Chandler, who still looks like he’s having some troubles with his Neck injury.

Final Grade: B

Steve Novak – 16 minutes, 8 points, 3-4 FG, 2-3 3pt, 2 rebounds, 1 steal 

Novak did all he could in his limit minutes, which was to knock down shots.  He used his only move (the pump fake) for a nice pull up inside the three point line, and then hit 2 threes with his quick release.    I think this was the perfect amount of minutes for Novak since it gives him a chance to do some damage as opposed to the 5-10 minutes he got in the first two games.

Final Grade: B+

James White – 2 minutes, 2 points, 1-1 FG White came in the last 2 minutes of the game to relieve Melo of his duties and hit a nice jumper.  Great Job White!!!

Final Grade: No grade

Chris Copeland – 2 minutes, 0-0 FG

I don’t think their can be a greater downgrade from being a starter in Game 1 to playing in the last 2 minutes of the game.  Copeland had his chance but was not confident and that sent him right to the end of the bench.

Final Grade: No grade

Quentin Richardson – 2 minutes, 0-0 FG

He came in the game in the 2 minutes in garbage time.

Final Grade: No grade

Apr 14, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Chris Copeland (14) and point guard Raymond Felton (2) during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 90-80. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

As the New York Knicks approach playoff time and face the Boston Celtics in the first round on Saturday, I feel its important to discuss what they must do to avoid a playoff disappointment. I think everyone would agree with me that the past two playoffs have been an utter disappointment with a 4-0 sweep by the Boston Celtics in the first round in 2011 and a 4-1 defeat by the Miami Heat in 2012.

And so this year I consider anything short of the conference finals a disappointment.  Knicks fans have been invested in the STAT/Melo era for three years now – we expect greatness and so far we have received low results come playoff time.  With a deep bench and overall the best team is years, this is the year that the core of Melo, Tyson, Chandler and Raymond Felton can win it all.

Now what factors will contribute to a playoff disappointment:

1. Injuries

First thing that comes to mind is the prevalence of injuries.  The Knicks in the past two playoffs have had a high tendency to get hurt.  Against the Celtics, Chauncey Billups missed a couple games with a strained left knee, and Amar’e Stoudemire missed many games with a pulled muscle in his back.  These were crucial pieces of a Knicks team that was so thin on the bench.  When Jared Jeffries is the replacement for Amar’e you know that the Knicks are in trouble.

And then last year’s playoffs against the Heat, Iman Shumpert a key perimeter defender went down in Game 2 with a torn ACL., and Baron Davis, who was the only point guard with Jeremy Lin out, also went down with a devastating injury.  So back to the upcoming series against the Celtics.  We need Melo,  Chandler, Jason Kidd, and Kenyon Martin, all who have been dealing with injuries this season to stay healthy if we want to win.

2.  Not sustaining their leads

The Heat with their fast style of play and LeBron James running the fast break can go on a run very quickly.  They can wipe away a deficit in a couple possessions.  So when the Knicks are up eight or 10 points, they have to slow the game down to prevent a Heat comeback.

Apr 7, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) dunks the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

3.  Technical fouls 

The Knicks are third in the league in most technical fouls per game – Melo (14), J.R. Smith (13), Chandler (10).  They need to stay under control in crucial situations especially during the playoffs.  When they play rattled and argue with refs, they play their worst basketball.  When Melo and Smith play with a chip on their shoulder they start to isolate, not help out on defense, and they don’t hustle.  Woodson has to try his best to keep Smith and Melo under control.  At least Rasheed Wallace, the career leader in technical fouls, just retired so Woodson won’t have to worry about him.

4.  Bad three-point shooting 

The Knicks led the year this league in three-pointers made (891) and three-poinnters attempted  (2371), and are fourth in the league at 38 percent.  This just proves the Knicks reliance on the three pointers. Their offense facilitates through ball movement around the three-point line, its how the Knicks space the floor and give Melo the opportunity to go to work.  If the Knicks can’t hit their three’s like last playoffs against the Heat where they shot 27 percent, they will be in big trouble.

Apr 14, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) shoots a free throw during the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

5.  Melo doesn’t play like Melo 

Teams are going to throw him all sorts of double teams because when it comes to the playoffs, they are not going to let Melo drop 50 like he did multiple times in the regular season.  He’s got to play the smartest basketball of his life now, know when he needs to dish and know when he needs to go to work.  The first-time NBA scoring champion needs to play basketball at his highest level possible and if he doesn’t, the Knicks wont make it out of the second round.

Apr 5, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) drives to the basket during the second half against Milwaukee Bucks power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (12) at Madison Square Garden. New York Knicks defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 101-83. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

What a night for the New York Knicks. Not only did they pull in their 11th win over the Bucks, but they also celebrated the 40th anniversary of the 1972-1973-championship team.

Apr 5, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knickerbockers honor the 40th anniversary of the 1972-73 World Championship team at halftime of the Knicks and Bucks game at Madison Square Garden. those honored were Dick Barnett, Henry Bibby, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Walt Frazier, John Gianelli, Phil Jackson, Jerry Lucas, Dean Meminger, Earl Monroe, Willis Reed, Harthorne Wingo and head coach and general manager Red Holzman New York Knicks defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 101-83. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Phil Jackson, Earl the Pearl, Willis Reed, and the whole rest of the team (besides Dave Debusschere) were there.  It was a special moment to witness.

As for the Knicks Performance against the Bucks, they started off very slow trailing by 9 by the end of the half.  They were playing stagnant basketball and were very lazy on defense.  But the Knicks turned it around in the third quarter scoring 42 points (more than the whole first half), knocking down their threes, and Carmelo (41 points) and Smith (30 points) completely took over the game. They finished the quarter on a whopping 25-2 run. The Bucks cut the game to 6 points with 4:39 remaining in the game, but the Knicks closed out the game on a 14-2 run.

Here are the Player Report Cards from tonight’s game:

Carmelo Anthony – 37 minutes, 41 points, 17-28 FG, 3-7 3FG, 14 rebounds

Melo, Melo, Melo.  Why are you so damn good?  Melo tied the franchise record with 3 consecutive games of 40 points or more.  He was the reason the Knicks stayed close in the first half with his knockdowns and ferocious drives to the basket.  His ability to create space when a defender is right up in his jock in is just unbelievable.  Even though he was isolating himself a little too much in the first half, I really didn’t care – when your scoring at will, he can do whatever he want to do.

Final Grade: A+

J.R. Smith – 34 minutes, 30 points, 11-22 FG, 5-11 3FG, 10 rebounds, 3 assist, 2 steal

Smith did not have a great first half but that didn’t stop him from exploding in the second half as he hit three after three to create breathing room for the Knicks.  He is playing by far his best basketball of his career due to his matureness in his shot selection and becoming such a more efficient scorer.  The Knicks needed him as much as they needed Melo to pull out the win.

Final Grade: A

Raymond Felton – 36 minutes, 9 points, 4-9 FG, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

At the beginning of the game Felton tried to do way too much – he over dribbled, played nonchalant and contributed to the Knicks hole in the first half.  In the second half he played calmer and with more poise and had an overall solid game.

Apr 5, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) drives to the basket during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. New York Knicks defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 101-83. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Final Grade: B

Iman Shumpert – 19 minutes, 0 points, 0-7 FG, 3 rebounds

Shumpert did not have a great night offensively missing layups and wide open shots but he did do a solid job defensively of Monta Ellis (11 points) and Brandon Jennings (25 points).

Final Grade: C-

Tyson Chandler – 37 minutes, 6 points, 3-7 FG, 10 rebounds, 3 assist 

Chandler’s probably could’ve had 5 or 6 more baskets if he made his layups and didn’t have butter on his hands all night.  But overall he locked up the pain forcing Jennings and Ellis to take outside shots and rebounded well.  I don’t agree with him playing 37 minutes after just suffering a neck injury.  I think he should stay in the 20-30 minute range so he can be fully healthy come playoff time.

Final Grade: B-

Pablo Prigioni – 17 minutes, 2 points, 1-4 FG, 3 rebound, 4 assista,

Prigioni added some nice defense on Ellis and make some nice decisions.  He’s done a solid job at the starting 2 position so far, as it gives Kidd less minutes so that he can be fully rested and healthy for the playoffs.

Apr 5, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) gets off and makes a three quarter court shot at the end of the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. New York Knicks defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 101-83. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Final Grade: C+

Jason Kidd – 24 minutes, 5 points, 2-4 FG, 0 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assist, 1 steal

Kidd had one of the classic Kidd games where he did a little of everything.  But his highlight came at the end of the third quarter where he hit a three-quarter court shot off the backboard. It gave the Knicks a double-digit lead entering the fourth quarter.

Final Grade: B

Steve Novak – 15 minutes, 2 points, 1-4 FG, 0-3 3FG

I got to the game early today and saw Dave Hopla (world-renounced shooting instructor) working with Novak on his shot, and there were times he couldn’t miss.  But Novak for the most part was taking spot up threes, none off the dribble, none with a defender coming at him.  He’s got to learn to become a better shooter with a defender in his face because he is not getting the open shots he used too.   Teams know he is too good of a shooter to leave open.  So tonight when he received the ball with a defender coming at him, Novak just released it 10 times quicker and it didn’t look very pretty. Players don’t speed up the release to get a shot off, they make a move or do something so that they can get a quality shot in.

Final Grade: D

Chris Copeland – 21 minutes, 6 points, 2-4 FG, 2-4 3FG, 0 rebounds, 0 assists

I do like Woodson’s decision to have Copeland in the rotation since it gives Melo and Kidd more time to rest and he has the ability to hit the knockdown three.  But Copeland has to step it up in all other areas of play – rebounding, defense, passing – pretty much everything else but scoring.

Final Grade: C+

James White – 1 min

White did a great job relieving Melo with a minute left to play in the game.

Kenyon Martin - DNP – Sore Left Knee

Mar. 27, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7), shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) and small forward Iman Shumpert (21) smile on the court against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 108-101. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Ten days ago, the New York Knicks were losing steam.  They just lost four straight games on a tough west coast trip, Carmelo Anthony was in the process of draining his knee, and Tyson Chandler suffered a freaky looking knee injury and then strained his neck. The Knicks lead in the Atlantic Division over the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics dwindled to just one game and fans were getting worried.

But the Knicks turned it around and are currently rocking a seven-game winning streak much attributed to great performances by J.R. Smith (24.6 PPG in last six games), Carmelo Anthony (29.0 PPG in last four games) and to the NBA’s surprise, Kenyon Martin (11.7 PPG and 6.3 REB in last six games), one of smartest pickups this year.  But the biggest reason for the turnaround has been the Knicks killer defense. Below are the stats to prove that the Knicks have totally kicked their defense into second gear in the last six games.

2012-2013 Opponents Average Points Per Game: 95.7 PPG (8th)    Last 6 Games: 90.2 PPG (3rd)

2012-2013 Opponents Average Turnovers: 15.2 TO (11th) Last 6 Games: 16.3 TO (2nd)

2012-2013 Opponent Average FG%:  45.7% (18th)  Last 6 Games: 44.7 % (12th)

2012-2013 Opponent 3Pt Shooting: 36%  (17th) Last 6 Games: 30.7% (1st)

2012-2013 Steals Per Game: 8.4 STPG (8th) Last 6 Games: 10.0 STPG (1st)

2012-2013 Opponent Average FG attempted: 78.1 FGA (3rd) Last 6 Games: 74.8 FGA (1st)

2012-2013 Opponent Fast Break Points: 12.1 PPG (5th) Last 6 Games: 9.8 PPG (1st)

2012-2013 Opponent Assists Per Game: 19.2 APG (3rd) Last 6 Games: 16.3 APG (1st)

So what is the reason the Knicks have stepped up their defense? They’ve been without Defensive Player of the Year Chandler so it’s a bit odd.  Martin, who’s replacing Chandler at the starting center position, is undersized at 6’8″, but is a lot more versatile and he’s been doing a great job rebounding.  Iman Shumpert seems to be playing defense like he did last year (FINALLY!) and is doing a great job at pressuring the perimeter shooters.

So when Chandler comes back from his neck injury, will the defensive numbers be like the last six games?  I certainly hope so.  With 12 games left, the Knicks have a 2.5 game lead over Brooklyn and a comfortable 7.5 game lead over Boston.

Mar. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amar

What seemed to be a great revitalization by New York Knicks PF Amare Stoudemire, has turned into yet another stint on the Injured Reserve.  Stoudemire will miss around 6 weeks with right knee injury that will require surgery.  The injury specifically is for him to have right knee debridemnent: this is the medical removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue to improve the healing of the remaining healthy tissue in his knee.  This is the same surgery Stoudemire went through before the season started which ended up causing him to miss 30 games of the regular season.

In the 29 games Stoudemire has played in this season, he has averaged 14.2 PTS, 5.0 REB, with 58% FG, in only 23.5 minutes of playing time.  That’s what you call being efficient.

The regular season ends April 17, so if Stoudemire would come back at the 6 week mark, that would mean he would return to action either late first round, or early second round.  Wow this is such a blow to a player that was playing so well.

Mar 4, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amar

The Knicks now will have no Stoudemire or Carmelo against the Jazz tonight, who has missed 2 games with a sore right knee (injured against the Cavaliers on Monday).  This leaves the Knicks very thin offensively and will now have to be even more reliant on JR Smith to put up 30 shots a game.  We will see increased minutes from Kenyon Martin at the 4 position and see more action from Marcus Camby who just came off of a foot injury.

Hopefully Stoudemire can see some playing time during the playoffs and be able to come back and play at a high level and be as efficient as he was before this current injury.  We definitely need his scoring if we want to go far in the playoffs.

Feb. 27, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) celebrates after winning the game 109-105 against the Golden State Warriors at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

ONE PICK AWAY.  One pick away from drafting Stephen Curry in the 2009 draft (we took Jordan Hill), who just scored a whopping 54 points on us!!!  There was no point in even trying to guard him as he nailed 11 three pointers on 13 attempts, went 7-7 from the line, had 6 rebounds, and 7 assists.  You can’t get a much better stat line than that.  ONE PICK AWAY – ahhh.

Feb. 27, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates after scoring a three-pointer against the New York Knicks during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 109-105. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Tied at 105 with 1:34 to go, Curry was finally blocked by Raymond Felton, which led to J.R smith go ahead basket with 1:10 left in the game.  This was the time where a veteran team (oldest team in the league) pulls through against one of the youngest teams in the NBA.  Jarret Jack traveled with 1:05 left, which then led to a Melo turn around jumper with 0:45 left to put them up by 4.  Then Festus Ezeli threw it away on the inbounds pass, leading to Felton free throws.  Then Klay Thompson misses two straight three with 0:11 and 04 to cut the game to one.

I was a little surprised that Curry didn’t take a shot in the last minute and a half - I guess 54 points did not prove that he should be getting the ball, but it helped the Knicks get the win and that’s all that matters.

Notes: The Warriors were without David Lee, who was suspended 1 game, due to an altercation with Indiana Pacers Roy Hibbert last game.

Here are the grades for the Knicks’ players’ performances:

Raymond Felton (10 points, on 3-10 shooting, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 2 turnovers) Felton hit some nice threes late in the second half but besides that his offense wasn’t great.  He forced it a little bit too much and he missed both frees throws twice (one of them coming with 30 seconds left in the game).  He did have a spectacular move to the hole where he did his typical fall into the cameramen.  Defensively, he could not stop Curry whatsoever on the perimeter, but I don’t think anyone could have stopped him anyway.  He did come up with a huge block on Curry at the end of the game when the game was tied at 105. Grade: B-

Jason Kidd (o points, on 0-4 shooting, 2 rebounds, 1 assists, and 1 turnover) Jason Kidd’s shooting slump continues — he’s shot 7-45 (15%) from three in his past 11 games.  Maybe its his back problems that are causing him to not get the elevation on his shot, or fight for rebounds, but Kidd needs to play better as the starting shooting guard like he did as the beginning of the season. Grade: F

Feb. 27, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Iman Shumpert (21) and Golden State Warriors power forward Carl Landry (7) battle for the ball during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Iman Shumpert (2 points, on 1-6 shooting, 2 assists, 6 steal, and 3 turnover) Although Shumpert’s offensive game is still not there, and he’s still getting blown by Stephen Curry to the basket, and I was proud with Shumpert’s effort tonight.  This was the first time i saw him get up in a guy’s jock, get the loose balls (6 steals) and attack the basket.  His rust from his ACL surgery is starting to wear off and hopefully this continues Grade: C 

Carmelo Anthony (35 points, on 10-26 shooting, 1 rebounds, 8 assist, and 2 turnovers) Anthony hit some big shots at the end of the game and moved the ball very well when the double team came.  He worked well with Stoudemire often finding him down low for the slam.

But although he had 8 assists, I still think he should’ve passed the ball more instead of taking shots with 2 guys on him and fading away.  There were some threes he took that were completely off balance and times when he did not pick his head up when the open man was there. But Anthony did hit the shot to go up by 4 with 35 seconds left. So overall, he had a very solid game although it was no match for Curry’s 54 points. Grade: A-

Tyson Chandler (16 points, on 5-9 shooting, 28 rebounds, 1 block, 2 steals, 1 assist, and 0 turnovers) Chandler has a monstrous game with no body boxing him out or fighting for the rebound.  This was largely due to the fact that David Lee was not there to box out, but David Lee or no David Lee, 28 reboudns is ridiculous!!!! and it was a career high for Tyosn Chandler.  This included a season high 10 offensive rebounds. Grade: A

Feb. 27, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) gestures after scoring a three-pointer against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

J.R. Smith (26 points, on 10-19 shooting, 6-11 3Pt, 5 rebound, 1 assist and 1 turnovers) Why can’t J.R Smith play like this every night?  he brought energy into the game right from the start hitting his shots in the first quarter, and the next three quarters too.  When Curry hit one of his many ridiculous three, Smith would often counteract it with another line drive three.  This is what we need to see from his every night.  Grade: A

Amar’e Stoudemire (14 points, on 6-7 shooting, 4 rebounds, 0 assist, and 2 turnovers) Stoudemire once again had a very efficient night (9-10 for 20 points against Philly on Sunday).  I love the type of role he is playing, and i love his attitude on and off the court.

He picked up three quick fouls which kept him out for a big part of the first half, but his second half really contributed the second unit scoring.  One critique on his efficient game though is he has to look to pass the ball when he is doubled team down low. Grade: B+

Steve Novak (0 points, on 0-4 shooting, 1 rebounds, 1 assist, and 0 turnovers) Novak added absolutely nothing to this game and that’s why he only played 9 minutes, 12 minutes less than his average.  If he’s not hitting his shots, there’s no reason for Woodson to leave him in the game Grade: F

Pablo Prigioni (3 points, on 1-2 shooting, 1 rebounds, 1 assist, and 0 turnovers) Prigioni played pretty well in his limited minutes.  He hit a long three in the third quarter when the shot clock was running down.  However he does tend to wait too long to start a play and often has to heave up a shot before the shot clock expires. As a point guard he has to start the play earlier. But when he shoots it in the flow of the offense, he is a pretty consistent three point shooter. Grade: C+

Kenyon Martin: (O points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 turnovers)  K-dog got his first minutes as a Knick early in the second quarter but did not have the opportunity to show his defensive or rebounding skills.  It was his first time playing since last year on the Clippers, so its likely for martin to come back slowly.   Grade: No Grade

James White (o points, on 0-0 shooting, and 0 turnovers) White played less than a minute at the end of the half.  This was the first time I did not see him with a headband.  Grade: No grade

Chris Copeland: DNP Coaches decision

Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby both out with foot injuries.

The Knicks were represented in Saturday Nights All Star Weekend Contests with James ‘high flying’ White in the Dunk contest and Steve ‘discount double check’ Novak in the three point contest.  Novak in a poll by Bleacher Report was only behind Stephen Curry (2:1 odds) with an 11:4 odds of winning the contest. White who has participated in many dunk contests overseas was also a favorite.  However Novak and White both lost in the first round.

2013 3-point Contest 

First Round:

West:

Stephen Curry (Warriors) –  Curry was a complete disappointment .  He finished with 17 points, hitting the last 3 money balls.  It was not enough to get out of the first round.

 

Steve Novak (Knicks  -  Novak hits 4 of 5 on the first two racks looking like hes heading to the finals, but then cools off to finish with 17 points, one point behind Irving who makes it to the finals.

Steve Novak 2013 3 point Contest

Paul George (Pacers)- he missed every shot on the first rack and wasn’t able to get the money ball off on the final rack.  He finishes with 10 points.

 

Final Round:

East:

Kyrie Irving:  Irving hits his first 7 shots and all of them from the straightaway to finish with 23 points

West:

Matt Bonner: After getting off to a slow star, Bonner starts to get hot.  But it wasn’t enough as he finished with 20 points.

Here’s a look at the final round of the 3 point contest

2013: Champion – Kyrie Irving

 

Feb 16, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Eastern Conference guard Kyrie Irving (2) of the Cleveland Cavaliers holds the trophy after winning the 2013 NBA All-Star three-point contest at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

 

 

2013 Slam Dunk Contest Recap:

 

In all the years, I’ve watched the dunk contest, this was by far the least spectacular. There were two players that did not even put the ball through the hoop in the alotted time, and the judges were handing out 50s way too easily.  Also who wants to see a Jeremy evans vs. Terrence Ross Finals. We need Blake Griffin and Lebron James next year!!

First 2 Rounds:

East:

Gerald Green (Indiana): 50 first round, 32 second round

Gerald Green’s first dunk was nice but definitely not deserving of a 50 – he tossed it off the side of the backboard and slammed it for a reverse dunk. His second dunk, he could not finish in the alotted 1 min 30 sec so they gave him the minimum 32.

James White (Knicks): 45 first round, 32 second round

James White first dunk was supposed to be from the free throw line. Instead it was about a foot short, but he still got some nice air time and would get the award for the best use of props,  bringing out gorgeous women in flight attendent suits.  His second dunk, like Gerald Green did not happen in the time given and was given the minimum score.  He waisted way too much time running up and down the court.

Here’s James White’s  first dunk

Terrence Ross (Raptors): 50 first round, 49 second round

Terrence Ross had two creative dunks that involved spins and switching of hands.  Here is his dunk that received a 50.

West:

Kenneth Faried (Nuggets)- first round 39, 50 second round

Faried’s first dunk was a little wimpish – he threw the ball off the backboard and finished with a 360 dunk.  His second dunk on the other had was fantastic – he once again threw it off the backboard but this time catches it in his left hand,goes between his legs and finishes with his right hand.

Eric Bledsoe (Clippers) – 39 first round, 50 in second round

Both his dunks were less than spectacular, but the judges seemed to really liek his secodn dunk as he through it up to himself and cathces it for a windmill.

Jeremy Evans (Jazz) –  47 first round, 43 second round

The reigning dunk champion first dunks over Mark Eaton sitting down in a chair, holding the ball up for Evans to catch and dunk.  His second dunk was also nice where he puts two balls in the hoop at once.

Final Round: After a series of nice dunks by both finalists, Terence Ross wins the fans vote and beats Jeremy Evans in the finals.

 

Terrence Ross 1st Final Round Dunk

Terrence Ross 2nd Final Round Dunk 

Jeremy Evans 1st Final Round Dunk

Jeremy Evans 2nd Final Round Dunk

2013 Slam Dunk Contest Winner: Terrence Ross

Feb 16, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Terrence Ross hoists the slam dunk trophy during the 2013 NBA all star slam dunk contest at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nov 16, 2012; Memphis, TN, USA; New York Knicks forward Ronnie Brewer during warm ups prior to the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum. Memphis defeated New York 105-95. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

When the Knicks signed the 27-year-old, 6’7 Ronnie Brewer to a 1 year 1.4 million contract, they all thought they were getting a steal.  His agent, Henry Thomas characterized him as a

“tremendous wing defender and offensively he simply knows how to play – moving without the ball, slashing to the basket. His outside shooting has improved and will continue to, and he is an excellent passer and underrated ball handler.”

And this is what the Knicks needed — a guy that would be able to replace Landry Fields’ high-flying athleticism and movement without the ball, be able hit the open shot, and be able to guard tough perimeter opponents.

He started off the season in the starting lineup, hitting the open shot, slashing to the basketball and making great decisions, averaging 7.0 points, 46% FG and the 41 3P% in the month of November.  But once his open threes were not falling (15% in January), and he was not playing the scrappy basketball that was expected of him, Brewer’s minutes slowly dwindled – 22 min in November, to 17 min in December, to 8 min in January, to 3 min in February.  He basically went from a starter to a benchwarmer.

November 20, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New York Knicks small forward Ronnie Brewer (11) against the New Orleans Hornets during a game at the New Orleans Arena. The Knicks defeated the Hornets 102-80. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Last year after Rip Hamilton was hurt, Brewer was playing his best basketball on the Bulls averaging around 30 minutes. But then after losing his confidence, he struggled to get even 15 -20 minutes a game and to be part of the rotation.  This type of inconsistency is what prevents Brewer from becoming a solid role player – and what has sent him deep into the Knick bench.

So what should the Knicks do?

I personally think the Knicks should give him another chance – he hasn’t been able to prove that he can get out of this slump because he hasn’t played more than 15 minutes since January 7th.  His drop in minutes is also largely attributed Iman Shumpert coming back from injury and they play similar roles defensively.  But I still think Brewer is needed when Shumpert at 6’5 220 is too small to guard the tougher SF/PF like Lebron James and Kevin Durant.  I much rather have Brewer defend these super stars than Carmelo, who seems to get too caught up in the challenge of defending these guys.

The only problem with Brewer being reinserted into the rotation is there is no room for him.  That would be an 11-man rotation, which is too much for everyone to receive consistent minutes.  We can’t cut down on Shumpert and Jason Kidd’s 20 minutes a game.  We can’t cut down on J.R. Smith’s 30-35 min because his scoring off the bench is vital.  And Steve Novak receiving 15 minutes is exactly right for him to get off 5 to 6 threes a game.

Dec 11, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams (8) shoots over New York Knicks small forward Ronnie Brewer (11) during the third quarter at Barclays Center. Knicks won 100-97. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

The solution is Brewer should come in the game for short spurts.  When the Knicks are lacking defensively, Brewer can come into the game for a few possessions.  When they need a defensive stop at the end of the game, Brewer can go in for D and out for O.  Let’s take the end of last night’s game against the Timberwolves – it was a close game, so they had their usual 3 guards in the lineup (Felton, Smith and Kidd).  Although there was plenty of offensive ability, defensively there were matchup issues. Kidd, the 39-year-old guard with a bad back, was forced to guard the younger, stronger, 6’8 240 pound forward, Derrick Williams.

Every team needs a defensive stopper and we are not even sure if Shumpert will return to last year’s defensive ability.  The Knicks can’t have Brewer who has proven in the past that he can contribute to the Knicks team, become a lost cause and totally lose his confidence.  They may need him down the road even if it’s for 5-10 minutes a game.

January 5, 2013; Orlando FL, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. New York Knicks defeated the Orlando Magic 114-106. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

No one thought the Knicks 39 games into the season would be leading the Atlantic Division at 25-14.  They came into the season with a new cast of players, and had injuries before the season even started in Amare’ Stoudemire, Iman  Shumpert and Marcus Camby – there were a lot of unknowns.

However they got out to a fantastic 18-5 start due to great defense, ball movement, teamwork and flat out excitement.  But the Knicks of late have cooled off with a 7-9 stretch, losing 4 of 6 games to Eastern Conference playoff contenders: Bulls, Celtics, Pacers and Nets.  What seemed to be a comfortable lead has dwindled to almost nothing as the Knicks currently sit at 25-14, half a game in front of the Nets (26-16), who have won 10 of 11, and six games ahead of the Celtics, who are also slowly but surely creeping up.

So what’s the cause of this NY Knicks slide???

1.  Defense – During the Knicks 7-9 stretch, they have been digging themselves into deep holes in the first half. In those 9 games that they lost, the Knicks were down an average of 10.2 points at the half, twice being down by 21 (against the Kings and Chicago).  The Knicks let up a whopping 71 points to the Sacremento Kings (3rd worst record in Western Conference) in the first half!!!  Against good teams, it’s very difficult to come back and win no matter how much energy you bring in the second half.

2.  Injuries - this is the most obvious cause – The Knicks have been without Raymond Felton (broken pinky finger)  for a month which has limited the penetrating and dishing and has left the Knicks in a bad position defensively guarding the quick point guards.  We have also been without Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace due to foot injuries for a good chunk of time, leaving us vulnerable down low in terms of both rebounding and defense.  This has put a lot more pressure on Chandler, especially because he cannot count on Stoudemire, who is not known for his defensive ability. Then there is Amare Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert who still need some more time getting back into the flow of the game.

January 5, 2013; Orlando FL, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. New York Knicks defeated the Orlando Magic 114-106. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

3. Rotation changes – due to all the injuries, we have had many different starting lineups and because of all the changes, its been harder for the Knick players gel.  Scott Davis touches more on this topic in his article

4.  Lack of ball movement - this is mostly attributed to missing our slasher Raymond Felton who is so efficient with the pick and roll and looking for the open man when he penetrates.  Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni have not been able to pick up the slack, because they have not been able to get into the paint consistently like Felton.

Without penetration, other defenders stay on their man, leaving less passing options available.  Without Felton, the Knick three point shooters, Carmelo, Kidd, Smith, Novak, are not getting the ball in the right spot. Ball movement is key and we saw this great crisp ball movement during their 18-5 start.

5. Carmelo Anthony  – it is rather odd that Melo is put in this list.  Yes Melo is putting up MVP numbers: 29.2 PPG (3RD in NBA), 6 RPG, 46% FG, and 42% 3p and has a huge workload on his back without having a go to 2nd scorer like the other MVP candidates have: Lebron James has Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul has Blake Griffin, Durant has Westbrook.  But another part of being an MVP is the ability to finish games in close situations and Carmelo has not shown up like his counterparts have in these situations.

It’s these close games against eastern conference contenders where we need him to step up the most. January 1st vs Portland, Melo misses game tying three.  January 7^th vs Celtics, Melo shot 2-9 in 4th quarter, missing three pointer with 17 seconds left.  January 21, Melo shot 0-5 in 4th quarter, including missed jumper with 11 seconds left down 1 point.  It could be because Melo is playing too much and gets tired in the end of the game, or his shot selection isn’t good but something needs to be change.  He needs to stay under control and keep his head focused on finishing the game when calls don’t go his way late in the game.  Melo’s our leader and we need him to come up in the clutch in these situations.

January 5, 2013; Orlando FL, USA; New York Knicks center Marcus Camby (23) against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. New York Knicks defeated the Orlando Magic 114-106. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

On the optimistic side of things we are still 25-14 – its a great mark to be at this far into the season –we were spoiled with the 18-5 start…  7-9 skid is not that bad and I’m 100% positive the Knicks are only going to get better from here on out.  You have Stoudemire and Shumpert getting into the flow again, Felton and Camby coming back soon and finally we’ll have a healthy Knicks team (with the exception to Rasheed Wallace).  There is no other team that I can think of that is as dynamic and full at every spot as this Knicks team.  They have the penetrators, the passers, the pure scorers, the rebounding, the perimeter and interior defense, the energmy and athleticism – boy am I looking forward to the second half of this season.

December 25, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) shoots a three point basket against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Knicks made a myriad of offseason pickups this summer – especially players that are in the declining parts of their careers (Jason Kidd 39, Rasheed Wallace 38, Marcus Camby 38, Kurt Thomas 40, and Pablo Prigioni 35).  The team and fans knew that while they would offer great veteran leadership and experience, the x-factor on them being contributors to the team would be staying healthy.  Besides Camby’s calf injuries and plantar facilities, Wallace’s foot injury, the old guys have held up pretty well.  For the big guys, this is in large part due to their limited minutes – Camby 9.7 MPG, Wallace 13.3MPG, and Thomas 10.4 MPG.  The guards however are smaller in size so they are less prone to these types of old-age injuries, so they have averaged more minutes – Prigioni 14.1 MPG, and Kidd 29.7 MPG.

With Felton out for 4-6 weeks due to a broken finger, Prigioni and Kidd have seen an increase in minutes to make up for Felton’s point guard play. Prigioni has spiked from 14.1MPG to 19.8MPG and Kidd has jumped from 29.7MPG to 30.2 MPG.  I’m not worried bout Prigioni at all – he’s on a non-dairy diet which he supposedly says makes his body stronger and keeps him in better shape.  However, I am worried about Kidd with Felton’s absence.

There are 2 different topics I want to bring up relating to Kidd’s increase in minutes. The first topic is unrelated to Felton’s absence.

1. In the month of November, Kidd averaged 26.1 MPG, and in the month of December, Kidd averaged 32.9 MPG.  This increase is unacceptable if you want a near-40 year old that has 18 years of hardwood under his old knees, to stay healthy for 82 games and be fresh in the playoffs.  We all witnessed Kidd’s back injury with his Dallas team last year that sidelined him 26 games sporadically through the shortened season.

One reason that there have been increases is after an unbelievable 18-5 start, they have started to cool off and games have gotten a lot closer down the stretch.  This means no more 4^th quarter resting by Kidd.  The other reason is Felton’s performance has dropped off dramatically in the past weeks.  In December Felton was shooting 42% FG and 40% 3P. In January Felton shot 38%Fg and 30% 3P.

The second topic is related to Felton’s absence.

2.    If you look at it by the numbers, you can obviously see that in the 5 games without Felton, Kidd has only played on average .5 MPG more, which doesn’t seem like something to take note of.  While this might true, it’s Kidd’s shift from the shooting guard position to the point guard position that is making the difference.  Offensively he has to deal with being the main distributor, spacing the floor, receiving pressure up the court from quick guards and just overall being the floor general.  Trust me I’ve had to deal with getting the ball up the court with a quick, strong defender riding me the whole time and it is tiring and not fun.

On the defensive end, Kidd in the past 5 games has had to guard Gordan Dragic of the Suns, Isaiah Thomas of the Kings, Damian Lillard of the Trail Blazers, Tony Parker of the Spurs, and Jameer nelson of the Magic.  Those are not easy guys to cover at age 39.  Kidd is still a great defender, but when these guys are 10-15 years younger, the explosiveness is not even comparable.

Jan. 3, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) dribbles the ball against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

With point guards dominating the league, this is the hardest obstacle for Kidd when he has to be the main point guard on the team.  But when Felton comes back and Kidd plays more of the 2 spot, and/or when Shumpert comes back and Kidd will move to the backup point guard role off the bench, hopefully Kidd can return to realistic MPG in the mid-20s. However, in the mean time, maybe Woodson should consider playing Kidd less minutes now, even if it may bring a few more losses. No one thought that Kidd would have such an impact on this Knicks team and be so crucial down the stretch, but we need him to stay healthy for the duration of the season and be fresh in the playoffs.

December 25, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts during the 100-94 loss against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Game Stats

Field Goal Percentage: 42.7 %( 38-of-89)

Opponent’s Field Goal Percentage: 48.1% (37-of-77)

Three Point Percentage: 34.6% (9-of-26)

Opponent’s Three Point Percentage: 23.8% (5-21)

Free Throw Percentage: 56.3% (9-of-16)

Opponent’s Free Throw Percentage: 67.7% (21-31)

Assists: 20-22 (Lakers +1)

Rebounds: 40-42 (Lakers +2)

Points in the paint: 36-32 (Knicks +4)

Individual Grades

Refs:  My basketball coach tells us that the refs make around 7 bad calls a game – so before you get mad at the call, count how many bad calls there have been.  Last night there were way more than 7 bad calls.  In the third quarter, a terrible call occurred where Novak was passing it out to Felton and the ball hit Mike D’antoni shirt (he was in bounds) and Felton caught the ball in bounds.  The refs called it out of bounds.  In the 4th there was a myriad of bad calls – a couple travels, a double dribble by Metta World Peace, a push from behind by Jordan Hill on an Alley-oop attempt to Chandler, and a hold by Bryant on an inbounds pass to Carmelo.  Grade: D-

Raymond Felton (10 points, 5-of-19 shooting, 1 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steal, 0 turnovers)

Felton once again struggled with his shot, missing open layups and his floaters down the stretch.  I think his floater is a great weapon, but for him to be shooting one from the free throw line is not how to utilize a floater.  Instead he should jump stop and taken a short jumper.  On the defensive end, for him to let Nash, a 38 year old who just came back from a broken leg make 16 points, most of them coming in the 4th quarter is unacceptable.  I know Felton is banged up with a sprained Pinkie, but his aggressive defense is such a big part of his game. Grade: D

December 25, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) shoots a three point basket against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Jason Kidd (6 points, 2-of-5 shooting, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals)

Jason Kidd accomplished his job of knocking down a pair of open three pointers and moving the ball around especially to Carmelo.  But there was a play that made me really mad where he passed up a wide open three (only 44% from 3) and almost turned the ball over with a no look pass to Felton/Carmelo. Grade: B

Kurt Thomas (6 point, 3-3 shooting, 3 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block)

Thomas got the start over Brewer today for the added height against the tall Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol.  In his limited minutes, he played solid defense on Pau Gasol and had a team high +11. Grade: B

Carmelo Anthony (34 points, 13-of-23 shooting, 7 rebounds, 3 Assists)

Carmelo Anthony shot pretty well, knocking down 3 threes and had some great drives to the basket.  But he only was limited to 7 points in the 4th due to Artest’s aggressive defense. Down the stretch I really think Anthony should’ve received the ball more but it just shows his trust in his teammates to also provide some scoring. Grade: A-

Tyson Chandler (6 points, 3-of-7 shooting, 9 rebounds, 1 block)

Chandler had a tough matchup defensively against Dwight Howard but overall did a solid job, limiting him to 14 points.  However, his boxing out wasn’t great especially on the free throw line.  He tends to push the guy out instead of boxing out, leaving the ball up for grabs. Offensively, Chandler played like Hasheem Thabeet – he couldn’t catch the ball!!!  Whether it was an alley-oop or a shovel pass, the ball jsut slipped through his hands.  Grade: B

Ronnie Brewer (0 points, 0-of-3 shooting, 1 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal)

Brewer didn’t do much on either side of the ball in his 8 minutes of play. He missed open shots, and tried driving over 3 defenders.  Woodson needs to see more production out of him as a starter or else Shumpert. Grade: D-

December 25, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) shoots a three point basket against the defense of Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

J.R. Smith (25 points, 10-of-23 shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 steals)

Smith was the spark off the bench the Knicks needed and he was efficient, ending the night with 25 points, knocking down a key three with over a minute left in the game. However he also missed the game tying three under a minute left in the game – it was a rushed, off balance shot where we which really closed the door on the Knicks getting the win.  He surprisingly finished with a team high +/- of -18.  Grade: B+

Steve Novak (3 points 1-2 shooting, 2 rebounds)

I thought I heard somewhere that Novak worked on shooting off the dibble.  I have yet to see that this year.  He looks nervous out there when he receives the ball when he’s not open.  When you have guys that can shoot as well as Novak right now (Kidd, Carmelo, Smith) in addition to dribble and defend, what is the point of having Novak out there?  Grade: D

Marcus Camby (4 points, 1-2 shooting, 4 rebounds 1 block)

Camby received some minutes in place of Rasheed Wallace and did a solid job by adding some size.  Witt 2:21 left in the game, Tyson Chandler fouls out and Woodson has to make the decision of bring ing in Thomas or Camby.  He decided to go with Camby who made a nice pass to Carmelo for a foul but then with 1:38 left, he tried to be the savior attempted a wild pass to Carmelo down low and costly turned the ball over.  Grade: C+

Pablo Prigioni (0 points, 0-of-1 shooting, 1 rebound 1 assists)

White played only two minutes and wasn’t out there long enough to give a grade to. Grade: Incomplete

Chris Copeland (DNP Coach’s Decision)

Chris gave some positive handclapping on the bench.

James White (DNP Coach’s decision)

White gave JR Smith a lot of chest bumps.

Rasheed Wallace- DNP, Sore Left Foot

Dec 19, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) passes in front of Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Joe Johnson (7) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

In the pre-game locker room talk, Mike Woodson stressed that in the past 5 games they have given up 30+ points in the first quarter, and tonight he wanted this lack of defensive intensity to end.  The Knicks only gave up 23 in the opening quarter.  They lead the league in fewest turnovers with 10.8 per game (on NBA record pace) – tonight they only had 7.  They allow on average around 96 points per game.  Tonight they gave up 86.  This game just couldn’t have gone any better against a solid team like the Nets.

While the Knicks held only a three-point lead at the half, the Knicks blew the doors wide open with an 18-6 run late in the third and never looked back.  Carmelo who said that he’s still in pain with his sprained ankle showed no signs of it as he scored 31 points, knocking down 4 threes.

I often get frustrated with JR Smith’s game, but I absolutely loved the way he played tonight – he played aggressive defense, went after loose balls, took quality shots and looked to pass the ball.  Smith finished with 19 points on 7-11 shooting with 5 rebounds, and a team high +/-  + 24.

Dec 19, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams (8) drives around New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

When he plays with this type of maturity, he is such a valuable asset to the team.  The problem is his lack of consistency.

The most dominant force on the offensive end however was Tyson Chandler, who has excelled against the weak pick and roll interior of the Nets, especially Brook Lopez.  He finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, mostly off of wide-open alley-oops. I  prefer to watch the game on a national televised station(ESPN or TNT) rather than MSG.  I have nothing against Mike Breen or Walt Frazier, its just that I like listening to a non-bias opinion – and the camera time is pretty much equal for both teams.  Most of the analysts feel the Knicks are a team that have potential to go far in the playoffs. With Melo on the court, the Knicks with their renewed energy, looked good. Just by viewing the amount of hand slaps and positive energy exerted by the Knicks, I could tell who was winning this game. Whether it was going up or down the floor after making a shot or going to the bench when a timeout was called, the Knicks players were high-fiving constantly.  This is the type of drive helps the Knicks win games.  When the Knicks are complaining about calls and making mental errors, they lose their games.

The Knicks once again proved that they are the better team in New York with a double-digit win over their interstate rival Brooklyn Nets.  They now sit at a 19-6 record and maintain the best record in Eastern Conference.  The Knicks are 17-2 when scoring 100+ points.

Nov 28, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) smiles during the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Carmelo Anthony has been a member of the Knicks since midway through the 2010-2011 season.  As a Knick, he’s had thirty-three 30 point games in 104 games, over five game winners, and seems to be getting better and better each season.  This season, he has been truly unstoppable averaging over 27 a game, shooting over 45 percent from behind the arc, and playing by far the most aggressive defense.  Along with LeBron James and Kevin Durant, he is without question a contender for MVP.

To celebrate the rapid approaching new calender year, we bring you our Top 10 list. Below are ‘Melo’s Top 10 performances as a Knick ranked from No. 10 to No. 1.  If anyone has any other opinions, feel free to comment.

#10.  12/25/11  Knicks 106 – Celtics 104

After a two month delay due to the lockout, the NBA resumed with a splash on Christmas Day with the Knicks – Celtics game.  Anthony came back just where he left off the season before scoring 37 points on 10-17 FG and 8 rebounds with a +/- of +15, including a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left win the game.

#9  3/14/12 – 3/21/12 Knicks 5 game winning streak 

After losing six straight, the Knicks fired head coach Mike D’Antoni and Mike Woodson took over.  This was a new start for the Knicks and right off the bat; they went on a five-game wining streak.  This was not attributed to Anthony scoring 30+ a game, but the overall teamwork, ball movement, and aggressive defense.  With Amar’e Stoudemire hurt, Carmelo excelled playing the 4, with high energy on the defensive end.  His scoring numbers were low at just 14.2 PPG but he averaged 5.4 assist and 5.2 REB to along with a +/-  + 69 over that five game stretch.  This was the turning point where Anthony showed he really wanted to become a team player since he saw how well it worked.

# 8 12/13/12 Knicks 113 – Lakers 107

‘Melo scored 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting.  Nothing sounds so spectacular about this stat but if I tell you that he had 22 points (8-of-9) in the first quarter, and only played 23 minutes in total (sprained ankle in halfway through third quarter) – then that sounds a little more impressive.

Dec. 13, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) gestures on the court against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

If Anthony didn’t get hurt, he easily could have scored 50 points.

#7.  3/9/10 Knicks 110 – Memphis 108

Anthony scored 31 points on 12-of-24 shooting and had his first game winning shot with the Knicks.  He also had six assists and five rebouds with a team high +/- 11.  “It was one of them shots, that you know is going to go in,” said Anthony.

#6. 4/17/12 Knicks 117 – Boston 110

In this game, Carmelo had his second career triple double (first as a Knick) with 35 points on 13-of-24 shooting, with 12 rebounds and 10 assists. You don’t see that any assists coming from Anthony on a daily basis – only five career double digit assist games and this was the first as a Knick.

#5 12/11/12 Knicks 100 – Nets 97

‘Melo delivered with a career-high  45 points as a Knick on 63 percent shooting, knocking down five threes against the new interstate rivalry.  Not even Gerald Wallace, one of the elite defender in the NBA could stop him whether it was a hard drive to the basket or an in-your face jumper.

#4.  4/10/11 – Knicks 110 – Pacers 109

Carmelo scored 34 points, hitting the go-ahead jumper with 4.9 seconds left over Danny Granger.  While this game seems common for Melo, what isn’t common is Melo also blocking the potential game winning shot by Granger in the remaining seconds.  The Knicks went on to win their seventh  straight game and moved up to the sixth spot in the standings.

#3. 4/19/12  Game 2 Knicks 93 – Celtics 96

With Chauncey Billups out of the series, and Stoudemire having to leave the game due to back spasms, all the pressure was on Carmelo to get a win against a tough Celtics team.  He ended up scoring 42 points with 17 rebounds and five assists – but it wasn’t enough.  On the last possession by the Knicks down 1 point, Melo was double teamed and forced to pass it up to the last player you would ever want to pass the ball to in this situation – Jared Jeffries, who botched a pass instead of shooting the wide open layup.  ’Melo couldn’t have done any more in this game.

#2. 5/6/12 Game 4 Knicks 89  - Miami 87

With the Knicks down 3-0, Anthony had no intention of getting swept.  In Game 4 Carmelo scored 41 points on 15-of-29 shooting and made a tie-breaking three with just under a minute left to go in the game to win the first playoff game in 10 years for the Knicks.

#1.  4/8/12  Knicks 100  - Chicago 99

I was going nuts watching the finish of this game that I actually sprained my ankle and was out for a week from basketball.  I’ve never seen Knicks fans in the arena so wild.  With the clock running down in the fourth, ‘Melo hits a three over Taj Gibson to tie the game into overtime.  He then does the same thing in overtime as the clock runs down and hits another three over Luol Deng to win the game.  He ended the game with 43 points, seven rebounds and knocked down 4-of- 5 threes.  Anthony referred to it as “a playoff game” – it just shows the intensity of this game. Click here for highlights.

Dec 6, 2012; Miami FL, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (left) talks with New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (right) during the second half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Knicks won 112-92. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Going into Thursday night’s game against the Miami Heat, no one, not even Knick fans, not even Stephan A. Smith thought that the Knicks would win. They were without Melo against the reigning championship team who just came off an embarrassing loss against the Washington Wizards.  There was no way that Lebron James would let the Knicks demolish the Heat like they did on opening day again. The Heat were on a mission to prove to everyone on national TV that the Knicks are just an after thought to title contenders and not at the same level.

The exact opposite happened and once again the Heat was annihilated by the Knicks just like opening day – except this time, there was no Melo. The Knicks penetrated through the Heat’s weak defense scoring three after three (18 to be exact) by a myriad of players (7 players in double figures).  Chandler, Felton, Novak, and Smith all stepped up and made up for the scoring that Melo usually brings to the table.

The Heat simply played like babies – every time you thought that they were going to come back and play championship level basketball, they died out.  Wade had a whopping +/- of -33, Bosh had+/- of 21, and LeBron, well… he was still LeBron and almost had a triple double.

Dec 6, 2012; Miami FL, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) pumps his fist during the second half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Knicks won 112-92. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Then came last night against the Chicago Bulls.  Like Mike Woodson, head coach Tom Thibodeau of the Bulls is very defensive minded, and you knew that he wouldn’t let what happened against the Heat, happen against his team.  Instead of the Knicks shooting 41% from three and 45% FG against the Heat, the Knicks shot 34% from three and 32% FG. Instead of 8 turnovers against the Heat, the Knicks had 15 against the Bulls.  Instead of constant ball movement for wide-open shots for Novak, we had a stagnant pick and roll offense with Felton and Chandler.  There is nothing bad about pick and roll, but Felton wasn’t hitting the mid range shot (9-30) which needs to happen for it to be working.  And JR Smith, once again played his wild basketball shooting 4-14 with 5 turnovers.  When threes aren’t falling and you don’t have the Melo, the Knicks are more likely to lose.  That’s why relying on three poitners is so risky – While it acts a major weapon, it could also really hurt  the team when they’re not falling.

When the Knicks were down by 3-5 points in the last 2 minutes of the game, they could not find any one of their players to hit the big shot.  This is when they needed Melo the most.  They had absolutely no go to scorer to knock down the  jumper under pressure.  Every team needs a go to player and with Melo coming back tonight, we will have that once again.  This is a clear reason why we made this trade two years ago, shipping a bunch of solid players to the Nuggets for Melo.  In situations like last night, where the Knicks need to finish off a game, they need a player like Melo to get the job done.

Although the Denver Nuggets have a lot of solid players on their team, they will never be championship caliber because they lack a player to finish off the game.  In the past decade, you have Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs (2002-2003, 2004-2005, 2006-2007), Chauncey Billups of the Detroit Pistons, Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics (2007-2008),

Dec 7, 2012; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs players (from left) Tim Duncan and Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili watch from the bench during the second half against the Houston Rockets at the AT

Kobe Bryant of LA Lakers (1999-2003, 2008-2009) Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks (2010-2011), James of the Miami Heat (2011-2012).    As for the Knicks, there is Melo which hopefully will get us the (2012-2013) ring.

November 23, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) gestures to the crowd during the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-US PRESSWIRE

If you wanted to see some great Knicks defense, you should have turned the tv off.  If you wanted to see some atrocious play by the Knicks, this was the game to watch.  The Knicks gave up the most points this year in the league with 131 points allowed,and suffered their first back-to-back loss under head Coach Mike Woodson. It seemed like the Rockets were in layup lines – Lin went to the basket with his right hand, and then they switched to the left side and Harden went for a layup or got a foul.  There was no help (pointing at you Chandler) when either of these guys got into the lane.  There was no effort (pointing at you Brewer) when a Knicks’ defender went for for a pump fake to get back and try to defend the guy.  It was just terrible.  Coming into this game the Knicks led the league with the lowest opponents points per game with just over 90… they allowed 72 points in the first half and 131 overall.

The former Knicks point guards, Jeremy Lin (13 points, 8 assists) and Toney Douglas (went 3-4 from three)   did not let the Knicks opponents win on their new home court due due their teammates spectacular play:

Chandler Parsons, a second year player out of Florida seemed like Michael Jordan out there, breaking his career high with 26 points in the first half and finished with 31 points for the game.  Harden was also unstoppable with 25 points in the first half (33 overall and 16-16 from the stripe) and Omar Asik finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds.

November 23, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets small forward Chandler Parsons (25) drives to the basket during the first quarter as New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) defends at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-US PRESSWIRE

The Knicks’ offense was also D-league caliber. Hitting 17 threes on 39 shots and Carmelo having 37 points on 7/12 shooting from three seems like winning numbers but it was far from that.  Smith was playing like his old-self (it only took time for this to happen), throwing up wild shots and going one-on-one, finished 2-13. Melo was isolating like he was on Denver  leading to 7 turnovers.  Felton and Kidd were not controlling the flow of the offense, Novak was not getting the ball, and Chandler was lacking the looks to the post.

Getting back to Melo, I’m not blaming him at all for the poor offense since no one else was providing scoring. Melo was as hot as a blow torch in the first and third quarter finishing with 37 points on 7-12 from three.  But when he was out, scoring was a major problem especially from the second unit.  When Pablo Prigioni is jacking up 6 threes in a game, you know he is not doing his job in controlling the offense.   JKidd had a whopping +/- of -29, and Chandler added absolutely nothing to the game.

It only got worse in the second half:

The Knicks cut it to 10 points right off the bat, and then the Rockets went on 13-0 run and were up by 23 with 4 minutes left in the 3rd.

And it only got worse…

Carmelo, complaining to the ref for not getting a foul call, argued with the ref all the way down the court letting Patrick Patterson go in for a wide open dunk.  Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier called  what Melo did “inexplicable”.  I call it a disgrace to the game of basketball.

And it got worse…

Chandler intentionally elbowed Omar Asik in the face when fighting for a rebound and was called for a flagrant foul. Mike Breen described the Knicks as “losing their cool again like they did in Memphis.”  And that’s exactly right – their focusing way too much attention on complaining the calls instead of trying to win the basketball game.

The Rockets had 102 points going into the 4th quarter and I honestly had to switch channels to Fred Claus on TBS for a more pleasurable experience on a Friday night.

Speaking of Friday Night, what really disturbed me is with the Knicks down 24 heading into the 4th quarter, they still played the Friday Night Knicks “Get There” song.  Who wants to here that when the Knicks are playing sooo terribly?

Harden finished with 33 points, Parsons finished with 31 points, and Asik finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds.  If the Knicks cant handle this trio, I can’t imagine them against the Lakers trio of  Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, and Dwight Howard or the Thunder duo of  Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.

November 23, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) attempts to drive the ball past Houston Rockets small forward Chandler Parsons (25) during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-US PRESSWIRE

A shout out to all the veterans – where is the leadership?  JKidd, you tell Melo to stop complaining.  Kurt you should tell Chandler that he could play physical but still keep his composure.  And Marcus (I don’t know why you didn’t play tonight), can you please tell JR Smith to stop playing like a maniac and play like he did in the first 6 games. Maybe it’s because Sheed’ was hurt this game that caused bad luck…I don’t know.

I apologize for hurting anyones feelings, but I expect more from this Knicks team.  This should be their year to go all the way, and we can’t have this happening 10 games into the year.  We have to stay consistent, go back to what works which is constant ball movement, aggressive defense, no complaining with the refs, and helping players out when they’re beat.  Let’s hope the Knicks forget about this game.

Woodson in the post-game interview said:

“We got to get back to the practice court.  It was an awful, awful performance on our part.”

Click here for boxscore

Nov 18, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) drives past Indiana Pacers center Ian Mahinmi (28) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

The Knicks are back on track and improve to 7-1 with a 88-76 finish against the Pacers.  They put the game against Memphis behind them, and left the talking and energy to playing basketball instead of arguing with the calls.  We saw a wide array of scoring from the Knicks players and spectacular defense, which led to yet another double digit victory.

The first half was tumultuous for both teams – the Pacers shot under 30% FG and the Knicks shot just over 30%.  Although the offense for both teams got better in the second half, it was still was an overall sloppy game.  Indiana finished with 19 turnovers on 39% shooting and the Knicks finished with 34% FG  and 28% form behind the arc.  Yes it could be attributed to great defense by the Knicks, but Indiana was short on most of the shots they took and lack the offensive scoring of Danny Granger who is out for 3 months with left knee tendinitis.

Enough about percentages, what was still great about this game was the energy by the Knicks.  Even at the most sloppy points in the game, they still kept their head up and played with high intensity.  Carmelo Anthony was constantly attacking the rim, even though he got blocked by Hibbert three times ,and finished with 26 points and 9 rebounds.  He has such a knack for getting offensive rebounds off of his own missed shots as he had 4 offensive rebounds.

On the subject of rebounding, this was the first game by the Knicks where they beat their opponents in this category.  Smith who once again played much more controlled on the offensive end taking high percentage shots, had 7 rebounds.  Wallace also contributed 7 rebounds off the bench to go along with 9 points.

Nov 18, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) advances the ball during the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

One highlight of this game was the performance by Ronnie Brewer.  In the 23 minutes he played, he was all over the basketball, diving for balls, and hustling for rebounds.  On offense he was cutting for easy layups off passes by Raymond Felton.  He is really making up for the loss of Shumpert who will be out till January with torn ACL and MCL.

One thing to worry about:

Every fan can agree with me that Carmelo Anthony’s effort on defense it great.  No longer are the days that he is a liability on one end of the court.  By playing at the 4 position, Carmelo has mismatches on the offensive end.   On defense he likes playing physical against these big forwards such as Glen Davis on the Magic, Zach Randolph on the Grizzlies, and today David West.  But I think Carmelo is getting a little overzealous and keeps on trying to front the guy.  I love his aggressiveness but running into foul trouble could play a negative toll on the team in close games especially since its their star.  Against the Grizzlies, he picked up his 5th foul early in the 4th quarter and today he picked up his 4th foul midway through the 3rd quarter.   Either he switches with someone on defense to avoid foul trouble or learns to contain the player and not get over-aggressive.

Woodson in the post game interview responded to a question regarding Carmelo’s impact on defense to the rest of the team:

“He’s supposed to play defense… [It's] no different from the last guy to come off the bench.  It’s not just the star.   If your committed and you’re all about team, your supposed to be playing defense.”

This type of coaching mentality is exactly what we need to push Melo into continuing to play this great defense.

Game Notes:

• The leading scorer for the Knicks was Carmelo Anthony with 26 points on 9-22 shooting.  For the pacers, Paul George, a player who has so much potential at the age of 22 finished with 20 points, shooting 4-7 behind the arc.

Nov 18, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson during the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

• A technical foul was picked up only 90 seconds into the game by Coach Mike Woodson – no one really knew the reason why.

• Jason Kidd had to leave the game in the second quarter after being hit in the head by Lance Stevenson when attempting a three pointer.  He quickly got cleaned up to hit the 3 free throws but then left to receive 7 stitches in the head.  He returned and finished  the game with a headband around the band-air. The headband should definitely not be a style he should get used to.

• Roy Hibbert did not look deserving of a 4 year -58 million contract as he finished with 6 points on 3/10  shooting and 6 turnovers.

Click here for Boxscore

The New York Knicks are off to a 6-0 start, the first time since the 1993-1994 season. Just a quick recap of what we’ve seen so far: Carmelo Anthony has moved on to the next chapter in his basketball career as a more team oriented player (MVP candidate possibility), JR Smith has become a controlled and efficient scorer (6th man candidate possibility), Tyson Chandler is playing a great defensive game and is benefiting from the point guard triumvirate of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni, who have gelled all the weapons together through smart decision making into one cohesive team. While everyone is wondering how long this great winning streak will last, I want to look more towards the future.

Amar’e Stoudemire (recovering from Knee Surgery) and Iman Shumpert (recovering from knee surgery on MCL and ACL) are both targeting their returns for January. This would be about 35 games into the season before they can see court time. If the Knicks continue their strong play and lets say have 25-10 start (hopefully better), Where will Amar’e and Shumpert fit in the lineup? – Will they start or come off the bench? and Which players are going to lose minutes?

Lets start with Amar’e Stoudemire

Where will Amar’e fit in the lineup – start/bench?

The Knicks took a big risk signing Amar’e to a massive 5 years 100 million in 2009 knowing that the power forward has huge upside when playing, but is known for being injury prone. The signing paid off in the first season but the second season was disastrous, and the remaining years are left with huge question marks. In the offseason Amar’e worked hard with Hakeem Olajuwon, and he feels rejuvenated and thinks he can return to his old form as one of the elite power forwards in the league.

But truth over harmony, this is not going to happen. At the age of 30, STAT’s body has given up on him, and its pretty clear that we won’t see him in top form for the rest of his career. He suffered a bulging disk injury in the 2011 playoffs against the celtics, then missed a month with another back injury last season, and now is stuck with a popliteal cyst in his knee that requires surgery. This inconsistency of playing time has not let Amar’e get back in the flow of things and we saw this last year. He lost his quick step to the basket, his jump mid-range jump shot was inconsistent, and posed no threat on defenses – and often looked lost out there.

Although, we might not see STAT put up 20 and 10 anymore, this doesn’t mean he can’t play an important role with the team. We know for sure that he will be better than last year and add scoring and energy to a front court that lacks offense. But what we don’t know for sure is whether he will start.

This decision that Woodson has to make is a very delegate matter. There are many factors that play into this decision, and while it may be the smartest move to bench him, STAT will probably be the starter when he comes back in January.

May 6, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire (1) shoots a free throw against the Miami Heat during the second half of game four in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 89-87. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Reasons for STAT to come off the Bench

1. I think the days of Carmelo and STAT existing together in the starting lineup are over. We need a starting lineup that stays consistent and with STAT having all these injuries, he and Carmelo will never get in a groove.

2.Why tinker with the starting lineup of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, Ronnie Brewer, Carmelo Anthony, and Tyson chandler if it’s working so well. We’re 6-0!!! Melo at the 4 seems to be the best place for him with mismatches on offense and he seems to play better defense too. Also a lineup of two point guards has worked very effectively as one is more of a slasher, driver, and kicker (Felton) while the other is more of a true passer and spot up shooter (Kidd).

3. A bench of Pablo Prigioni, Iman Shumpert/Ronnie Brewer, Steve Novak, Amare Stoudemire, and Marcus Camby is ridiculous!!! Amar’e will really solidify a second unit with size, strength, and scoring. In addition, if Carmelo or Chandler get into early foul trouble, he is the perfect substitution. Plus, you still have Kurt Thomas and Sheed to add extra beef.

4.It might be in Amare’s best interest to gracefully return to the team off the bench. If the Knicks start losing once he is reinserted, the media and fans might blame him for the losses.

Reason why Amar’e will end up starting

His ego and the way he views himself as one one of the top power forwards in the league, will probably put him in the starting rotation. He doesn’t want to hurt his image in the league as one of premier power forwards, and I don’t think Mike Woodson wants to create any conflicts with him either.

So who’s going to lose playing time?

Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas will all see their roles as part of the team diminish. Kurt might even just stop playing and just be a leader in the locker room. I haven’t seen enough of Camby yet to see how he fits with the team since he just came off an injury.

Let’s move on to Shumpert:

Where will Shumpert fit in the lineup – start/bench?

Shumpert is one of those players that any coach would want on his team for his hustle and menacing defense. It was a big loss to the Knicks when he went out in game 2 of the series against Miami since he is such a defensive asset on the perimeter to the team. If the Knicks want to win a championship, they need to stop the quick athletic players that score from perimeter and can drive to the hoop and thats what makes Iman so vital to the team.

When Shumpert returns in January, coming off a major surgery, he of course is not going start right away. In the long term he definitely will start. That means that Kidd or Brewer will take the 2 spot, because Stoudemire will be in the 4 spot, and Carmelo will move back to the 3 spot.

Apr 28, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) during the first half of game one in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Who will lose minutes?

This is a very interesting topic because it all depends on the situation. Lets take all the players at the 2 and 3 position: you have Shumpert, Kidd, Brewer, Smith, and Novak. Shumpert and Brewer are very similar players as they are both defensive minded and finish well around the rim. But Shumpert (6’5) guards more at the 1 and 2 position while Brewer (6’7) guards players at the 3 position who are taller and stronger. Smith will stay at this 6th man role which he is playing unbelievably well so far this season. Kidd who currently starts at the 2 will lose a lot of his minutes against quick guards but will get more playing time when Felton needs a rest. Then there’s Novak who will hit the three when you need one. This is what is so good about this Knicks team is they have so many options all specializing at different aspects of the game. Pablo Prigioni will also see a decrease in minutes and will only see more playing time if Kidd or Felton get hurt.

Wrap-Up

As well as the Knicks are playing now, when Shumpert and Stoudemire come back, they will be more of a force to be reckoned with. It may not be easy for Woodson to keep everybody happy, but we have the talent to go very far!

Nov 2, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts to scoring during the first quarter against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Before I get started on the game recap, I’d like to thank NBA and the NBA players association and NFL and the NFL players association for donating $1 million to the American Red Cross and other organizations, Madison Square Garden for donating $500,000 to the Red Cross, and Miami Heat shooting guard, Dwayne Wade for donating his paycheck for tonight’s game (roughly around $200,000) to the Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy disaster relief.  This is a very tough time for New Yorkers and New Jersey, and this incredible support shows the great heart of our sports world.

Nov 2, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) drives past Miami Heat small forward Shane Battier (31) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Now onto the game  - what a way to start off the season!!!

Here’s what I liked about the game:

1.  What a difference an upgrade of point guards can do to the fluidity and cohesiveness of a team.  Last year the point guard trio of Toney Douglas, Baron Davis, and Mike Bibby was probably one of the worst in the league.  This year the point guard trio consisting of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni could be one of the best.  They contributed 15 of the 23 assists by driving and kicking, and more driving and kicking to the wide open shootoers of Novak and Carmelo.  When they weren’t driving and kicking, they were swinging it around the 3 point-line till one of players were open.  That’s basketball right there.  No more Carmelo isolating or JR Smith doing these fancy moves with crazy pull-ups (although he did do that a couple of times tonight – but he’s learning) – this is the NEW New York Knicks.

Besides Marcus Camby and Tyson Chandler, everyone on the Knicks is flexible at many positions where they can all play on the wing and hit the jumper.  With pass first point-guards, and players that could hit the a jump shot, you can’t get a better mix of players.

2. Due to the superb ball movement by the Knicks, they shot a whopping 52% on 19-34 shooting from beyond the arc. This was not surprisingly better than the overall FG% of 42% since most of the drives were often wild shots after passing up a wide open three.  Novak hit five three points, Carmelo hit four and the point guards hit a combined six threes.  This definitely can be the best weapon for the Knicks for the rest of the season.

3.  I absolutely love the starting lineup.  By having both Felton and Kidd in the game, it lets Felton have energy to do what hes best at, and let’s Kidd at age 38 have the energy to stay in the game longer and show off his strengths.  Felton is the slasher, the guard with high intensity on both sides of the floor and willing to throw his body everywhere on the court.  He takes off the pressure from Kidd by bringing up the ball on defenders that will get right in their faces.  Felton also takes off the pressure from Kidd by guarding the quick and strong point-guards in the league such as Chalmers tonight.  Felton can attack the rim and work his great pick and roles while Kidd will space the floor with his 3 point shooting and keen passing skills.  It’s just such a good duo as they complement each other so well.  It also works out so much better than having JR Smith at the shooting guard position because he comes off great from the benc,h and it’s not like the Knicks need additional scoring in the lineup with Carmelo there too.

4. The defense on the defending champions is what we need see every night this season.  They had high intensity across the board and forced the Heat to commit 21 turnovers.  Felton shut down Chalmers, limiting him to only three points and Smith and Anthony played great defese on Wade and James.  When Carmelo plays well on both sides of the floor, he could be a top 5 player in the game.

Nov 2, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) drives the ball during the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 104-84. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Here’s what I didn’t like about the Game

1.  Throughout the second quarter, it looked like the Knicks forgot that moving the ball around is the most efficient way of scoring.  Carmelo starting coming down the court throwing shots up instead of relying on his teamates to get him the ball, which prove to work in the first quarter as he had 16 points.  Felton started to get a little wild and Smith who was passing great and making good descisions starters in the first quarter started to do his one-on-one basketball.  But after Woodson called a timeout, this style of play died, and the Knicks were back to the the right way of playing basketball for the rest of the game.

Game Notes:

Carmelo Anthony finished with a game high 30 points and team high 10 rebounds.  James finished with a team high 23 points and also added 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

Rasheed Wallace and Chris Copeland made their debut in the garbage minutes.  Wallace played for the first time in two years and hit a 3 pointer while Copeland took one shot while time was running out.

Oct 22, 2012; Syracuse, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) dribbles the ball up court during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-US PRESSWIRE

Due to the inclement weather from Hurricane Sandy, the Knicks – Nets game was postponed tonight and was rescheduled to Nov.26 at 7 P.M. ET at the Barclays Center.  The game will still be televised by TNT so we will still be able to hear Shaq and Charles Barkley argue with each other at halftime.  Although this would’ve been a great game to start off the Knicks’ season, we still have a great matchup against the Heat at home tomorrow night at 8 P.M. ET.  The Heat won their first game against the Heat on Tuesday, so lets hope the Knicks can come out strong and give the Heat their first loss of the season.

Apr 30, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire (1) during the first half of game two in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Miami Heat of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

According to Chris Broussard’s Twitter, Amar’e Stoudemire will miss at least 6 weeks of the season with a popliteal cyst behind his left knee.  What was originally a day-to-day injury  turned into 2-3 week injury and is now a two month injury by the time he’ll be back in action (possibly January).  Don’t you always hate when players get those second opinions – it always turns out to be worse news.

As Editor of bucketsoverbroadway.com Matt Shetler said in his piece on Amar’e yesterday Click here,  Kurt Thomas will most likely start at the 4 spot in place of Amar’e.  Chris Copeland and Rasheed Wallace will also have an increased workload and Carmelo will play more at the 4 position.

Stoudemire was able to recover from micro-fracture surgery in 2005 on his left knee, so hopefully he could recover from this and be ready to play when he comes back.

October 11, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; New York Knicks forward Amar

Nooooo.  As the regular season kicks off on November 1st against the Brooklyn Nets, the Knicks are already at a huge disadvantage.  With a long list of injuries already burdening the Knicks squad, there was just another addtion to the injured reserve – An MRI on Sunday revealed a ruptured cyst on the back of Amar’e Stoudemire’s left knee and will be out for 2-3 weeks.  This is a non-surgical injury and will require rest and treatment.

After missing the first two preseason games with a left Knee bruise, Stoudemire made his preseason debut on Friday against he Toronto raptors where he scored 18 points. Woodson decided to rest him last night against Boston for cautious reasons.

What does this mean for the Knicks team – not only does it mean that almost half of their roster is injured, but it means that our our depth at the PF/C position is extremely thin.  We already have Marcus Camby out with a strained calf, who is not making much improvement, and now with Amare out, that means Kurt Thomas and Chandler are going to have to step up their games.  This injury could also translate into which rookie the Knicks will sign.  Due to lack in depth at the PF/C position, 6’8 Chris Copeland and 6’10 Henry Sims look like better options than James White, Mychel Thomson, and Josh Shurna who are more guard-orriented players. With Copeland looking the best out of all these rookies after he put up a whopping 32 points last night against the Celtics, Stoudemire being out could only increase his case for the last spot on the Knicks roster.

Looking towards the start of the season, Carmelo Anthony will have to put up huge numbers with the number 2 scorer out, and the Knicks will have to rely more on the point guard trio of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, and Pablo Prigioni to score. This is not a great start for the Knicks team and hopefully, Amar’e will have a speedy recovery.

List of injuries

Marcus Camby – strained left calf  Timeable Return: 1-2 weeks

JR Smith – achilles injury Timeable Return: day-to-day

Chris Smith – surgery on left patella tendon Timeable Return: 3-6 months

Iman Shumpert – torn MCL, ACL  Timeable Return:  3 months

Amar’e Stoudemire -  ruptured cyst on left knee Timeable Return: 2-3 weeks

Ronnie Brewer - knee surgery  Timeable Return: is starting practice now

Rasheed Wallace - out of shape Timeable Return: ???

Oct 13, 2012; Hartford, CT, USA; New York Knicks forward Chris Copeland (14) dunks the ball against the Boston Celtics during the second half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE

Although this game at Hartford, Connecticut was a preseason game, the atmosphere of the fans and intensity of players made it feel like a playoff game, especially with an entertaining overtime ending.  The first half was dominated by the NBA players who have a few years of years of experience under their belt. For the Celtics their production didn’t come from Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Garnett (combined 25 points) but from Jeff green  (missed all of last year due to heart surgery) who had 12 point including a worthy ESPN top play dunk.  For the Knicks it was Carmelo Anthony who constantly attacked the basket drawing fouls and hit some jumpers  - he finished with 23 points in 24 minutes.  This aggressiveness is what we need to see this year.  Along with Carmelo providing some offense was Tyson Chandler.  This is what I’m looking forward to seeing this year because all last year, Chandler did not get enough touches.  But with Jason Kidd, Felton, and Pablo Prigioni all of which are great passers,  this is not going to be a problem as he finished with 16 points with at least 4 buckets coming from alley-oops.  We will definitely see the offensive production this season from Chandler similar to when he was with Chris Paul in New Orleans 4 years ago.

Due to all the injuries by the Knicks – Iman Shumpert out to till January (torn ACL and MCL), Ronnie Brewer out for two more weeks (knee), Marcus Camby out for one week (strained left calf), Amare Stoudemire out day to day (bruised Knee), JR Smith also out day to day (minor ankle sprain),  and Chris Smith out 3-6 months (knee), we saw a lot of playing time by the Knicks Rookies. While starter James White, Michael Thomson and John Shurna did not provide any offense for the Knicks (combined 3-16), Chris Copeland was a different story. He came into the game mid-3rd quarter and played the rest of the game, adding scoring and high energy to the team.  The pick and roll with Pablo Prigioni was absolutely unstoppable as Copeland finished layup after layup or (dunk) and got to the foul line 7 times finishing with 21 points.  This 6’9 forward reminds me of a better Renaldo Balkman – not only because of his dreadlocks but also because he could add high energy off the bench and finishes well in transition around the rim.

Whether it was Chandler getting the alley-oops in the first half or Chris Copeland coming off the pick and roll and finishing for layups in the second half, this point guard trio is fun to watch.  This is the first time in a while that we have points guards that we can trust will move the ball around and offset any stagnancy in the offense coming from Anthony when he isloates or J.R Smith when he;s creating his own shot.

The one thing that worried me about this game was how poorly the Knicks shot  - they went 3-29 from beyond the arc and 33-92 in total.  After coming off of a 7-7 performance from Novak against the Washington Wizards, he only connected on 1 three on 6 attempts.   The reason why this worries me is how much we depend on the three – it’s in the Knicks blood to shoot a whopping 30 shots from three a game, and its a great tool when they shoot well such as the 18-33 performance against he wizards.  bBut when they have those bad shooting nights, it could really mess up the whole game.

Overall, this was a great game to see the youngsters work with the veteran point guards and see Camrelo and Felton playing well together.  We have still yet to see the full Knicks starting lineup due to Stoudmire being out with an injury, so this is definitely something to watch for in the next few preseason games.

Feb 15, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Marcus Camby (23) reacts to a play against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. Portland defeated Golden State, 93-91. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

Preseason hasn’t even kicked off yet and we already have our first injury to the Knick veterans of 38 years and over  -  Marcus Camby strained his left calf in the 4th practice of training camp and will likely miss 7-10 days. This will cause Camby to sit out for the first two preaseason games – the Knicks play the Wizards on October 11 and the Celtics on October 13th.  Hopefully this isn’t a step to the Knicks becoming part of the AARP club and needing geriatric medicine… this team by the way is only the oldest Knicks team in NBA history.

Entering his 17th NBA season, Camby has only played in more than 70 games three times.  In his first four years with the Knicks back in 1999-2002, he played no more than 63 games, so let’s hope that the second time around will be less injury-filled.  We all know he isn’t going to log 30 minutes a game, but he still has an important role to fill being the back-up for Tyson Chandler.

What I find most amusing about this whole situation is Camby himself told his teammates privately that he was surprised he received this offseason a 3 year – 13.3 million dollar contract (about 9.2 million guaranteed) knowing his injury history and it has already started.  We have a good amount of money invested in the almost 40 year old Jason Kidd too, who has a 3 year 9.1 million dollar contract. He also needs to play an important role for the Knicks at the point guard spot.  Even though he is going to come off the bench at the start of the season, he is very likely to finish out games and add that veteran experience when it matters most.

The signing of all these veterans in offseason could fair out two ways.  They could stay healthy and provide solid minutes off the bench as they are crucial members to this Knicks squad and provide great leadership to the youngn’s, or their bodies won’t hold up causing a huge void in the Knicks bench and a total disaster by GM Gren Grunwald.  Let’s obviously pray for the former and let this instance not cause worry to fans and the New York Knicks team.  Most of all, let’s hope the signing of the players (who were alive at the time of President Nixon’s resignation in 1974), not come back and bite us in the end.

Mar. 16, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) shoots during the first half against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

The next player to review from ESPN NBA Player Rankings is the second of the three “Big Three” – Tyson Chandler. The Knicks center jumped a whopping 14 spots up the ladder this year to a ranking of #23 from #37 in 2011.  He is the second highest ranked Knick behind Carmelo Anthony who holds a rank of 17, and the 10^th highest PF/C in the NBA.

This rank by ESPN for Chandler has brought widespread surprise and criticism that the rank was way too high. Some critics have argued that due to “New York media hype” and it being the “media capital of the world”, Knicks players are ranked too high.  I don’t believe this to be true because you have Amare Stoudemire who dropped from 13 to 43 (don’t see any favoritism there) and Carmelo drop from 12 to 17  (I‘ll leave this up to my fellow writers to talk about the absurdity of Carmelo’s ranking).

Then we have the critics that say that Chandler is ranked too high due to his lack of offensive ability.   I don’t understand why people consider Chandler a one-dimensional player who is known just for  his defensive capability.  When I think of this term, I think of guys like Jason Collins, Ben Wallace, Chris “The Bird” Anderson, and Tony Allen  – not Chandler who you often see receiving alley-oops, getting to the free throw line and putting back missed shots off the boards.

Although I agree he is not considered a scorer, I don’t think this to be a major weakness in his overall game,  and I don’t think it should effect his rankings.  First off, the centers in the top 50 after Chandler are Marc Gasol, Tim Duncan, Al Horford, Zach Randolph, Roy Hibbert, Joakim Noah, and Serge Ibaka, who in the 2011-2012 season averaged 14, 17, N/A, 11, 12, 10, and 9 PPG respectively, while Chandler averaged 11 points.  Not only was Chandler right in the middle in this category, but he also led the league in FG% at 67.9.  And just for some added effect, I will also tell you this FG% is the 3^rd best in NBA history!!!

There’s also going to be some people talking about Chandler’s playoff performance, saying that a statline of 6 points, 9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a game should not be from a player that is ranked #23 in the country.  Although it is true that Chandler did not play very well in the playoffs against the Heat, this was just one series.  In addition, in game 1, Chandler had an awful Flu limiting him to 20 minutes where he had 0 points, 7 turnovers, and 3 rebounds.  Take this game out and for the rest of the series he averaged 8 points 11 rebounds and close to 2 blocks a game.  These stats are more like Chandler.

Finally what makes Chandler so valuable and deserving for the #23 rank is  DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE.  By the way, Chandler is the Defensive Player of the Year!!!  On John Hollinger player profile of Tyson Chandler, he said “His presence on the court transformed the Knicks from well below average into a strong, cohesive unit.”  I couldn’t have put that in better words – He is the  glue of the Knick’s defense.  They gave up 1.2 points per 100 possessions less with Chandler on the court, which is pretty amazing when you have guys like Amare’ Stoudemire and  Carmelo Anthony at his sides.  In the 2010-2011 the Knicks gave up an average of 105.7 PPG, and this past season with Chandler, the Knicks only gave up 94.7 PPG which is truly unbelievable.  In this past years olympics, Chandler played a pivotal role on the undersized USA team at center against teams with a lot of size.

Overall, I would be happy with any ranking in the high 20s for Chandler.  I could even see Chandler drop to 24 or 25 since Manu Ginobili (25), James Harden (26), Tim Duncan (27), or Andre Iguodala (28) could move up, but I can’t see Chandler get any lower than that.

So how can Chandler improve from here and receive a higher ranking?  Defensively there is not much more he could do besides avoiding technical fouls.  But offensively Chandler could of course improve his post -game (doesn’t really have one) but most of all call for the ball more.  There are so many times where he is wide open and Knicks teammates don’t look for him.  Hopefully we see him get more involved in the offense and thus his ranking will improve next year.

Once the former New Jersey Nets “big three” were broken up with the departure of Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson in ’07-’08 and then Vince Carter in 08-09, fans knew that the rebuilding process would take time and they would have to deal with a few years of not the most exciting basketball.  Meanwhile across the Hudson River, the opposite was happening and in ’09-’10, the Knicks were coming out of the Dark Ages of a decade of awful, awful basketball with the acquisitions of Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. Knicks’ fans knew that after all the years of success in the playoffs by the Nets, it was on the horizon that the Knicks would be a better team in the New York/New Jersey area.  Going into the ’12-’13 season, both teams have completed their rebuilding process (Nets acquired Deron Williams a year and a half ago and Joe Johnson this year) and both are playoff bound.  A new rivalry is going to be born between two cities that are no longer connected by the George Washington Bridge, but by the Brooklyn Bridge, not separated by the Hudson River, but by the East River, not 13 miles away, but a mere 6 miles away.  Will New York Knicks fans find A Tree that Grows in Brooklyn?

I have five reasons why Knicks’ fans will consider switching to another team, but even better reasons why they won’t.

1. A whole new start, a whole new city, a whole new stadium and a new revamped team - Who wouldn’t be excited?  Whether it’s a new team, a new pair of Jordans, or a new iPhone, anything that is new is always refreshing and exhilarating.  When it comes to the Brooklyn Nets, it is something completely different than a new team like the Charlotte Bobcats – they started out from scratch, with no foundation besides a few high draft picks and prospects that would help them down the road.  The Nets on the other hand, are past the rebuilding process and have a very solid lineup already consisting of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, and Brook Lopez.  These are experienced players and will almost guarantee an entry in the playoffs this year.  They are ready now and they are ready to contend.

The new arena, Barclays Center that will host the Nets, is beautiful and clean and ready for a new beginning. It has a 5-tier video scoreboard, in house Wi-Fi, and interactive team tweets during games.

July 13, 2012; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams and guard Joe Johnson pose for photos at a press conference at Brooklyn Borough Hall. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

 2.  The location and affordability - As I said earlier the Nets moved to Brooklyn.  Over the years Brooklyn has become a popular and cool destination to live for young professionals.  Hence, it will be a lot easier to attend games due to the short distance and loyalty to rooting for a team in their own borough.  Another thing to consider is the affordability of the tickets.  Last year the Knicks raised their prices by 49% and even the top, top seats were high priced.  The price for the seats in Brooklyn however will be more affordable – over two thousand tickets will be priced at $15.00 and 50 percent of all ticks are $55.00 or less.

3.  The Nets colors, logos, and jerseys – Although the colors are very simple (black and white), sometimes simplicity is what makes something really attractive.  I think the logo and the colors are simply bad a** and it has a nice elegance to it.  Music icon and part-owner Jay-Z said “the Brooklyn Nets’ logos are another step we’ve made to usher the organization into a new era”.

4. Advertising is very catchy.  The Nets introduced the “Hello Brooklyn” marketing campaign to connect the city with the new team and capture the attitude, pride and history of Brooklyn.  They have presented this on billboards all over Brooklyn and on subways and used lots of social media platforms.  The Nets first year will also be broadcast on “The Association”, a behind the scenes series on NBA TV and NBA.com.

5.  Fans are tired and frustrated - the Knicks have been in a playoff drought for 38 years dating back to 1973…these were the good years and Knicks fans reminisce over these times.  It’s been tough for any Knicks fan over the past decade with Dolan overspending on players with infamous sidekick Isiah Thomas.  They were also disappointed with not re-signing fan favorite Jeremy Lin and they can’t see Carmelo and Amar’e Stoudemire coexisting.

While it seems that all these reasons are reasons to switch over, here’s why all those reasons don’t matter.

We are the New York Knicks – Walt Frazier, Earl the Pearl Monroe, Bernard King, Dave DeBusschere, Willis Reed, Patrick Ewing, John Starks… HISTORY!!!!! The REAL New York City (Manhattan).  Although Barclay Center is brand new, there’s nothing like the newly renovated Madison Square Garden – “The Worlds Most Famous Arena” and its history.

• I know its hard that we haven’t won in 38 years but the feeling of winning after a drought is one of the most satisfying events in your life.  Do you want to be someone that switches to the Nets, while all your friends are cheering for the Knicks when they win the Championship.
• What does it mean to say “Hello Brooklyn”? That’s marketing? Brooklyn has been around for over 200 years!   The Nets logos and jerseys are very cool, but we too upgraded our jerseys and logos this year and they have some great style.  Click here for more info on new Knicks logos and uniforms. 
• Who wants to schlep all the way out to Brooklyn when the Garden is in the heart of the greatest city in the world?  The convenience of where the arena is unbeatable.
• When it comes to affordability – you know the Barclays Center will raise the prices eventually as the Knicks did.  Also most fans watch the games on TV anyway.
• Over the past years, the Knicks have been a dysfunctional mess.  But as Knicks fans we are used to this craziness and it shows how loyal we are to them.  We’ve gone through the worst and it could only get better from here. I did say earlier that the Nets have a very solid team but who knows how they will gel together in their first year? – the Knicks team on the other hand has Carmelo Anthony who played amazing in the London Olympics and Amar’e Stoudemire who worked out with Hakeem Olajuwon, and they have two years under their belt on what works and what doesn’t.  With the addition of some other great players, what’s not to be happy about for this upcoming year?  Like I said, We are the New York Knicks!

Click here to see Knicks 1994 GO NY GO

Apr 5, 2012; Orlando, FL, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) and small forward Steve Novak (16) celebrate in front of Orlando Magic shooting guard J.J. Redick (7) during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

For anyone that isn’t caught up with the trades over the summer, the Orlando Magic shipped  Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster trade including the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers.  With the team built around Howard, his exit meant starting from scratch and building a whole new team.  Looking over the roster, this Magic team is far from making any run into the playoffs but in the years to come, with all the young talent they received in the Howard trade (including future draft picks), they could be a solid team once again.  As of now, for the 2012-2013 season, lets see how the New York Knicks who made many acquisitions this summer stack up against this young Magic team. I would really call this matchup a battle between the veterans and the young’ins.

PG– NYK: Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, Pablo Prigioni vs. Jameer Nelson, Ish Smith

May 3, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd (2) drives the ball past Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Derek Fisher (37) during the first half of game three in the Western Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Orlando Magic –  Since Jameer Nelson’s 2008-2009 All-Star campaign, he really hasn’t improved his game (a consistent 12 points 5 assists for his career), making it safe to say that he is a solid point guard but no star.  He has a high 3pt FG% around the 40% mark and with his strength can make nice moves to the  basket.  Theres nothing special about Ish Smith, a two year veteran out of Wake Forest.  Already being small, he has a sub par shot and a low field goal percentage driving to the rim – he also is not a great distributor so overall this is a pretty weak position for the Magic.

New York Knicks:  With a total new look at the point guard position, the Knicks filled every area with speed and defense from Raymond Felton, and veteran leadership and great passing from Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni.  All three of them also are overall great offensive floor generals.  As long as Felton returns to his All-Star caliber form from two years ago, and Kidd doesn’t get injured, this is a great positon for the Knicks.

Knicks: A-/B+    Magic: B/B-      Advantage: Knicks 

SG – NYK Iman Shumpert, JR Smith, Ronnie Brewer vs. Aaron Afflalo, JJ Reddick, E’Twuan Moore

May 6, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Aaron Afflalo (6) shoots the ball against Los Angeles Lakers center Jordan Hill (27) during the first half of game four in the Western Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE

Orlando Magic- Aaron Afflalo who was acquired from the Denver Nuggets is one of the most underated shooters in the NBA with a 47%FG and close to 40% from three.  And at age 26, he is only getting better, especially with the other aspects of his game.  JJ Redick who did not live up to expectations out of college  in any sense, still can his the dinger when left wide open.  And at age 23, the undersized, not-very-athletic E’Twuan Moore still can become a better player if he works on his shot and dribbling skills.

New York Knicks - Iman Shumpert is out till January with a torn ACL, MCL and lateral meniscus which takes away the tenacious defense and athleticism.  The Knicks filled this rising star’s role by re-signing JR Smith, who can score in bunches.  As long as he stay sunder control especially with his shot selection, he could really help out the Knicks.  The Knicks also added Ronnie Brewer who has a Hhumpert-esque style of play but he’s out 6 weeks with a hurt knee.

Without Shumpert:  Knicks: B-  With Shumpert: B+  Magic: B+  Advantage: Magic

SF –  Carmelo Anthony, Steve Novak, Chris Copeland vs Quentin Richardson, Al Harrington, Mo Harkless

Apr 5, 2012; Orlando, FL, USA; New York Knicks small forward Steve Novak (16) attempts a three point jump shot against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

Orlando Magic - Any sentence with Quentin Richardson in it, I can’t handle.  Ever since his time on the Los Angelos Clippers and the Phoenix Suns, Richardson has been one of the biggest disappointments of the past 7 years averaging around 8 points and 6 rebounds a game. This overrated player was way overpaid (over 35 million on his contract) on the Knicks (not unusual for them them to do this) and he was injured 25% of the time.  The other 75% of the time that he was playing he did absolutely nothing.  Al Harrington, who was also a Knick, is not going to get my full head of steam as Richardson did- he is a solid player and can get hot very quickly.  Mo Harkless, the 19 year old rookie out of Saint Johns University  is one of those rebuilding players for the Magic who was acquired from the Philadelphia Sixers in the Howard trade.  He can defintely score and has lots of athleticism.

New York Knicks:  I don’t have much to say about Carmelo Anthony – he’s better than all three SF on the Magic combined + more.  Behind Lebron James and Kevin Durant, Carmelo has proven to be the 3rd best SF in the league.  Mr. Discount – Double – Check (Steve Novak) led the league in 3pt shooting at around the 50% mark, and Chris Copeland is a promising player on the rise.

Knicks: A-  Magic: B-   Advantage: Knicks

PF– Amar’e Stoudemire, Kurt Thomas vs Hedo Turkoglu, Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga

Feb 8, 2012; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Kurt Thomas (40) shoots against the Houston Rockets at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-US PRESSWIRE

Orlando Magic: Hedo Turkoglu is back for the Magic and as we’ve seen, he is no where close to as good as he was 4 years ago

when the Magic made it to the NBA Finals.  Josh McRoberts (most of you know him for his highlight reel of dunks) who was acquired from the Lakers in the Howard trade is a solid pickup who adds superb athleticism and at 6’10 has great dribbling and passing skills (although sometimes he can get a little sloppy).  Then Christian Eyenga who was acquired from the Lakers in the Howard trade too, has some really raw talent at the age of 23 and can definitely become a solid player.

New York Knicks:  This season for the Knicks is all based on how Amare Stoudemire plays becuase as we saw last year, Melo can’t do it all by himself.  But I really think he’s going to come back strong this year – he’s rested from his back injury, he’s worked with Hakeem Olajuwan to become a better post player and most of all in the highlight tapes, you can see his explosiveness is back.  Now when it comes to Kurt Thomas, he is going to do absolutely nothing on the court besides commit hard fouls but it’s what he’s going to do in the locker room with his veteran leadership that matters.  Looking at this position, there really seems to be a lack of depth but Woodson has all sorts of lineups that he could put on the floor  such as put Carmelo at the 4 or have Tyson Chandler and Marcus Camby in the game at the same time, so there is nothing to worry about.

Knicks: B+ Magic: B  Advantage: Knicks

C – Tyson Chandler, Marcus Camby vs. Glen Davis, Nikola Vucevic 

Mar 21, 2012; Orlando, FL, USA; Phoenix Suns center Robin Lopez (15), small forward Grant Hill (33) and Orlando Magic power forward Glen Davis (11) battle for a rebound during the third quarter at Amway Center. Orlando defeated Phoenix 103-93. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

Orlando Magic:  Big Baby Davis had his breakout at the end of last season when Howard went down with a back injury.   After shadowing Kevin Garnett on Boston Celtics for 4 years and Howard on the Magic, its great to see something like this come to fruition.  In April he was putting up a consistent 17 points and 9 rebounds as Howard’s replacement.  The 7′ Foot Nikola Vucevic who was acquired from the 76ers  had his rookie season last year but did not get much playing time with so much depth on that team.  But now with Howard out and Davis undersized, we will really be able to tell what Vucevic can do this year.  His offesnive skils are not bad but he lacks athleticism and defensive skills.

New York Knicks:  With the present Defensive Player of the Year starting the game, and a former Defensive Player of the Year as a backup, I don’t know what more you can ask for.  These two big man will clog the lanes on defense, rack up all the boards on offense, and receive countless alley-oops from some great passing point guards.  I couldn’t be happier with this position.  I know there is lack of offense from these two players but with Melo, STAT and some great shooters, this shoudl not be a problem at all.

Knicks: A-/B+  Magic: B  Advantage: Knicks

Overall

With the Knicks winning at the PG, SF,PF and C position and the Magic barely having the upper hand at the SG position, the Knicks win the position matchups 4-1, clearly showing that they have the advantage over the Magic.

Advantage: Knicks

February 20, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz small forward Josh Howard (8) passes the ball during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Energy Solutions Arena. The Spurs defeated the Jazz 106-102. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE

According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, the Knicks are among three teams (Bobcats and Bulls are the other two teams) that are still interested in Josh Howard.  At one point in his career, the 32 year old veteran was one of the top small forwards in the league, making an All-Star Appearance in 2007.  But injuries have plagued him the past 3 years – after leaving the Mavs in the 2009-2010 season to play for the Washington Wizards and the Utah Jazz, Howard has only played in 65 regular season games.

As long as he stays healthy Howard could be a great addition to the Knicks.  We all know he’s not going to average 20 points a game like he did in 07-08 but that’s not why the Knicks are after him.  The Knicks think the 6’7 forward can make a great contribution on the defensive end since he has the capability of guarding many positions.

Although Howard knows he’ll act as a backup for the now talented Knicks team, he will definitely get playing time since Novak, the other backup forward is not known for his defense.  With Ronnie Brewer out for 6 weeks with a torn meniscus in his left knee, Howard will also see some additional time.  Woodson can even use Howard with Carmelo Anthony in the game so that he could move to the 4 spot, which he excelled at last season.

Josh Howard is also willing to sign cheap which is great for the Knicks since they could only offer the veteran’s minimum which would be around 1.23 million dollars.  Overall this addition will add even more talent to an already deep team with all the acquisitions made this summer – and as long as Howard stays healthy and plays under control, he will work well for the Knicks.

The biggest change to the uniforms is there will be no more black on the home or away jerseys (black was introduced on the 1997 uniforms). In place of the black comes a slick silver that will appear just around the collar and around the arms.  The orange and blue that ran along the sides of the uniform will also be taken off.

Here is a look at the 2002-2012 uniform compared to the 2012-Present uniform on SportsLogos.  I don’t know about you, but I like it. The removal of the color black is very interesting – maybe it’s because our rival Brooklyn Nets’ uniforms are black and white.  The new uniforms also look like throwback jerseys from the old days- a time that fans loved rooting for the Knicks. So overall its a clean, new look that still has the influence of the old Knicks and its glory with Bernard King in the 80s and Patrick Ewing in the 90s. So I will give it a grade A-, its definitely better than previous years but does not have the pizzazz of other teams’ jerseys.

As for the shorts, the Knicks will use the logo they introduced last year but was not on their uniform (on Carmelo Anthony’s jersey above) .

This is the Logo from 1995/1996-2010/2011: 

This is the logo from 2011/2012 – Present

The Knicks also made some changes to the back of the jersey by inserting the new alternate logo (above the player’s name) that has some resemblance to the 1970s Knicks logo.  The previous Knicks logo on the back was in use since 2002 and had “NYK” in black letters surrounded by an orange circle. The new one, which is a little smaller spells out the “Knicks”.

To see all the Knicks Primary Logos, Alternate Logos, Home Uniforms,  and Away Unifomrs  over the years go to SportsLogos

May 9, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson during the second half of game five in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Miami Heat of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

With a Knicks team that has the same foundation as last year but a much deeper support team, Head Coach Mike Woodson is going to have a lot of fun creating  certain lineups in certain situations with all that’s on the table. With Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, and Carmelo Anthony as their core and the additions Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton, Marcus Camby, Ronnie Brewer, Kurt Thomas, Pablo Prigioni and the re-signing of other role players, Woodson has  plenty of options.

Now with the game on the line, I can see Woodson changing the lineup numerous times depending on the situation, because even though we have a solid roster, some of the players clearly are better on offense than defense and some contribute more on defense rather than offense.

Game on the Line Needing a Bucket

Raymond Felton – with Felton’s quickness, great changing of speeds and strength, he can get to the basket almost at will as long as he stays under control.

Jason Kidd – in these key situations you need a guy that will control the floor and make the sharp pass to Carmelo.  Kidd also will help space the floor in these situations and could knock down a three if Carmelo gets in trouble and needs to kick it out.

J.R. Smith – JR always is able to create his own shot so if he has the ball needing a bucket, you will definitely see a shot attempt.

Carmelo Anthony – any time you need a basket, Carmelo is the guy to go to.  He’s had a multitude of game winners and clutch shots for the Knicks in the past two seasons.

July 21, 2012; Barcelona, SPAIN; USA forward Carmelo Anthony (15) during practice in preparation for the 2012 London Olympic Games at Palau Sant Jordi. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

Amare Stoudemire – He is a type of player that will hit the knock down and will finish strong when we need a basket.

Why no Novak:  Although Novak finished with the best 3 point percentage, if you put a guy on him, he won’t score.  He can’t score off the dribble or off a screen, so I see JR more useful in this situation.

Game on the Line Needing a Three

Jason Kidd – he’s a career 35% 3 point shooter, and when open he can be deadly.  In 07-08 on the Dallas Mavericks, Kidd shot 47% from beyond the line.

J.R. Smith – when Smith gets hot, he gets hot.  His career 3pt  % is around 37%.

Carmelo Anthony – as you’ve seen in the Olympics Carmelo could hit the three ball especially when he steps into the shot.  In the Olympics, Carmelo went for 37 points on 10-12 shooting from the 3 point line against Nigeria.  Although Carmelo’s scoring and 3pt % were down this year, he still managed to shoot 34% from the 3 point line.

Steve Novak – this is a no-brainer.  Novak led the league in 3pt FG % this year, shooting 47%.  If he is left open, you don’t need to even look if it goes in.

Amare Stoudemire – What I like about Amare in this lineup as oppose to another guard is no one expects him to be shooting the 3 yet under D’antoni he often was the go to in this situation.  He would get a screen and curl up to the top of the 3 point line and knock it down.

Game on the Line Needing a Defensive Stop

Raymond Felton – Felton plays scrappy defense, diving on loose balls, getting steals (career 1.5), and can guard the quick point guards.  he is a major upgrade from Jeremy Lin in this category.

Carmelo Anthony – I put Carmelo in this lineup  based on that he plays the menacing defense that he did at the end of last season when he had to cover some big players.  When he plays with tenacity and desire, Carmelo plays very solid defense

Ronnie Brewer – Brewer is a strong perimeter defender and is a great replacement for the injured Shumpert who usually fills this role.

Tyson Chandler – The reigning Defensive Player of the Year will make sure that no one is coming into the paint for a game winner – he will not allow an easy basket and make it very difficult.

Apr 02, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Houston Rockets center Marcus Camby (29) grabs a rebound over the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE

Marcus Camby -former defensive player of the Year (06-07) is one of the best post and help defenders in the league still at the age of 38.  He averages a career 2.4 blocks a game.

Game on the Line Needing to Knock Down Free Throws

This for the most part is based on the player’s free throw percentages.  Now if I had to choose one player to put on the line it would be a toss-up between Carmelo and Novak.  Even though Novak is Kyle Korver-esque from the free throw line, I still like Carmelo’s being great under pressure situations in the clutch.

Jason Kidd – 78% Career Free Throw Shooter

Raymond Felton – 81% Career Free throw shooter

Carmelo Anthony – 81% Career Free Throw Shooter

Steve Novak – 88% Career Free throw shooter

Amare Stoudemire – 76% Career Free throw shooter

Right away you might not think a third string point guard would have much of an impact on a team, but as you’ve seen in the past this has been proven wrong.  Jeremy Lin was a third string point guard behind Toney Douglas and Mike Bibby and look what he created – Linsanity.  I’m not saying that Pablo Prigioni will bring Prigionity, but he can definitely be an asset on this team.

Probably the most experienced rookie in the NBA after playing years of international ball, the 35 year old brings to the table his veteran leadership skills (you can never get enough of that) and his unselfish point guard skills. This was a perfect addition for the Knicks squad as was Jason Kidd since they have a ton of scorers and just needed players to control the floor.  He’s a type of player that will play smart, find the hot shooter, help space out the floor, and try to fix the often-staggered offense.

I could see Prigioni getting his minutes in two different situations.  The first is when head coach Mike Woodson decides to pair up Kidd and Felton together in the backcourt and Prigioni would be used to play the backup minutes.  The other situation would be when Felton is looking sloppy out there, throwing the ball away, and taking bad shots (this did happen often on the Trail Blazers last season) and then Kidd comes in, and at age 39 where he’s hobbling up and down the floor, can’t cover a speedy player like like Russell Westbrook or Derrick Rose – Prigioni would then come into the game and help at the point for a bit.  I know Prigioni is not much younger than Kidd, but after playing in Argentina and in Europe, he has adapted to the physical play and can handle the extra pressure.

You can tell by Prigioni’s attitude that he really wants to help out the Knicks team.  In an article by Marc Berman of the New York Post, Prigioni says he “really feel I can help the team — 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, doesn’t matter.”

Manu Ginobili, Prigioni’s Argentine teammate  has weighed in and mentioned :

“He’s been one of the best point guards in Europe for many years… I have complete confidence in him. He’s a great player, great character. Not shy of taking a tough position and making a big shot.’’

Hopefully we will see this type of play when Prigioni comes to the Big Apple this year.

Apr 22, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts to play against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Philips Arena. The Knicks won 113-112. Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-US PRESSWIRE

end of the season.  And most of all his leadership wasn’t at a level that it needed to be – especially when he’s the best player on the team.  But with all the injuries and different lineup changes that existed, it was very hard for Carmelo to get in a good flow with his teammates, so I give him that.

Area of Improvement:  As I mentioned above Carmelo needs to be consistent.  He needs to play hard on both ends throughout the whole season and display better leadership skills.  I know there have been rumors that Carmelo plays a lot better when he doesn’t need to fill this role such as in the Olympics where he completely tearing it up (finished with 37 points today on 10-12 shooting from 3 point land) but this is what Carmelo signed up for when he became a New York Knick.  Being the leader is as much part of the job as him scoring.

Steve Novak: Mr. Discount Double Check was one of the biggest surprises in the NBA last season.  He finished with the best 3PT % in the NBA and was probably the only player that helped space the floor on the team since he could not be left open.

Area of Improvement: I don’t mean to be harsh on Novak but he needs to improve in every area other than his 3pt shooting.  He’s 6’10 and only one out of every six shots he takes is inside the arc. I know you can make the case that this is what 3pt shooters are known for but with this height, he could be such a bigger threat since as you saw against a good defensive team like the Miami Heat in the playoffs, he can’t score when there is guy in his face all the time.

Apr. 13, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Steve Novak (16) shoots a three-pointer during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 103-65. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Novak doesn’t have the dribbling skills to make any move off the dribble and he doesn’t have the talent that Kyle Korver or Ray Allen have to move without the ball.  Defensively, he is a liability as he is not quick enough to guard a 3 and is not strong enough to muscle up against a 4 or a 5.

Raymond Felton: Coming off the worst season of his career with the Portland Trail Blazers, Felton definitely has his work cut out for him.   Almost every statistical category was down from his time on the Knicks in 2010-2011 (17.1 points, 9 assists per game) to his time on the Trail Blazers (11.4 points and 6.5 assists per game).   Hopefully Felton can turn it around, and return Amar’e Stoudemire to his old form with their great pick-and-roll.

Area of Improvement:  I know bad passing and poor decisions come along with every point guard but Felton (especially this past year) tended to do it a little too much.

April 15, 2012; Sacramento, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Raymond Felton (5) calls out to his teammate against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Power Balance Pavilion. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 104-103. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

As a point guard of a team with so many weapons he without question needs to cut down on his turnover rate but still keep his fast paced style of play.

Iman Shumpert:  He had a superb rookie season for the Knicks, being their best perimeter defensive stopper and had an uncanny ability to get to the basket with his athleticism.  It was tough on every Knick fan to see him fall to the floor in Game 1 of the playoffs and tear his ACL and lateral meniscus, and is now out until January.

Area of Improvement:  Although this is common with every rookie, there is a lot of maturity that we need to see from Shumpert.  He did commit some foolish technical fouls for gloating or slamming the basketball, which could definitely cost the Knicks in a close game.  I think one area that Iman should definitely work on his point guard skills.

Apr 26, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert (21) brings the ball down the court during the first half against the Charlotte Bobcats. The New York Knicks defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 104-84 at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-US PRESSWIRE

Even though he is a pure 2-guard, there are times when Woodson puts out a certain lineup where Shumpert needs to fill this role.  He needs to learn to become a better distributor and be able to play at the 1 every once in a while as he had a lot of trouble doing this at the beginning of last year before Linsanity came along.

Kurt Thomas:Welcome back Kurt Thomas to the New York Knicks.  Thomas was signed to add veteran leadership in the locker room and so that the Knicks could sign someone using a veteran minimum contract.  There is not a chance Kurt is going to put up the same numbers he did seven years ago as a Knick where he averaged a double-double, but hopefully he still has the mid-range shot working for him.

Mar, 18, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Kurt Thomas (40) during the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena Mandatory Credit: Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Area of Improvement: At age 41 (oldest player in the NBA) there is not much a player could do to improve his game.  But I think Kurt could add a smile every once in a while and look like he’s enjoying himself.

Marcus Camby:  Welcome back Marcus Camby to the New York Knicks.  Camby is a solid backup center that will without question rebound and rebound the ball.

Area of Improvement: Camby, once again at age 38, can’t really improve his game but can reverse the trend of centers not being an offensive threat. He averaged 3.8 points a game last year on 41% shooting, way down from his double-double he used to have every year on the Knicks 10 years ago.

April 22, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Houston Rockets center Marcus Camby (29) against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Tyson Chandler: In his first year with the Knicks, Chandler received the Defensive Player of the Year Award and made the Knicks from one of the worst to one of the best in opponents PPG.  He had a stellar field goal% and was a consistent rebounder finishing with a stat line of 11.3 points and 9.9 rebounds a game.

Area of improvement:This bugged me throughout the whole season that you have a seven-footer that is so wide open throughout the game, yet he doesn’t get the ball.  He posed no offensive threat unless it was an alley-oop or on an offensive rebound.

May 3, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) during the first half of game three in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Chandler definitely has the ability to become dominant down low-he been training over the summer with Hakeem Olajuwon to work on post moves so hopefully when he comes back, we will see more offense.

Jason Kidd: Last season was his lowest assist per game of his career as you can clearly see him slowing down.  He was hobbling down the court and was injured for almost half the season.  Yet the Knicks still signed him to add veteran leadership to what we thought at first was to mentor Lin but now is Felton.

Area of Improvement: Once again at age 39, an aging Kidd cant really improve his game but he can return to his 3pt FG% from three years ago and space the floor with a nice open 3pt shot.

May 3, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd (2) drives the ball past Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Derek Fisher (37) during the first half of game three in the Western Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Amar’e Stoudemire: Last season was Stoudemire’s worst play since his rookie season.  He averaged 17.5 points and 7.9 rebids and never really got into the flow of the offense throughout the whole season.  Sometimes he honestly looked lost out there, either him driving out of control or not being an asset to the team.

Area of Improvement: You could attribute Stoudemire never getting into the flow of the offense due his absence for his deceased brother or his herniated disc, but Stoudemire’s play never reached All-Star caliber levels.  He couldn’t hit the knock down shot from the elbow, he couldn’t beat someone of the dribble, and his defense was below-par. Hopefully with a full offseason to rest for his back and work on his game again, plus a point guard that he gelled very well with in the pick-and-roll two years ago in Felton, Stoudemire could return to All-Star form.

May 6, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire (1) shoots a free throw against the Miami Heat during the second half of game four in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 89-87. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

J.R. Smith:  He did bring a lot of energy off the bench in his first season with the Knicks and had some moments where he was a blow torch from 3-point land.  In his 28 minutes a game, Smith averaged 12.5 points and shot just over 40% FG sand 34% from three.   But come playoff time, it was not fun to watch Smith play the game of basketball.  He shot 11-of-48 through the whole series and 5-of-28 from the three-point line.

Area of Improvement:His shot selection needs to be a lot better without question.  He needs to stop dribbling the ball and look fancy with every move he makes and just play smart basketball. Enough with the one-on-one 1 basketball JR!!! While it looks like he hustles on defense, he rarely closes out on his defensive assignment before they shoot the ball.  If he doesn’t improve in these areas that annoy me so much I do not want him playing 28 minutes a game this season.

May 9, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) tries to pass arounds New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) during the second half of game five in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Mar 21, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin (17) shoots a foul shot during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Knicks defeated the Sixers 82-79. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Knicks fans were ecstatic last friday when the NBA association dropped the appeal on challenging the Bird rights of Jeremy Lin.  After defeating one block in the road to seeing Lin next season in a Knicks uniform, Knicks fans still have one other challenge they have to face, and that is to actually re-sign this restricted free-agent.

Many people thought that we could definitely sign him using the Early Bird exception but that still does not get in the way of other teams offering him contracts. According to NBA analyst Chris Broussard, Lin could be receiving offers in the range of  $30 to $35 million while the Knicks could only give him around a 4 year deal worth around $24-$25 million due to luxury tax concerns.

Broussard mentioned that Brooklyn, Dallas and Toronto are interested if they can’t sign Steve Nash or Deron Williams.  Offers by other teams are limited to around 5 million dollars in the first two years but after that, they could increase to up to $15 millions and that is way too much for the Knicks who have Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, and Amar’e Stoudemire under their cap.

This would total to around the $75 million mark which even for a city like New York which is not afraid to spend money and go over the salary cap is way too much money.

It would heartbreaking to see Lin go after all Knicks fans have been through with Linsanity and the purchasing of millions of Lin paraphernalia after just half a season.  Every Knick’s fan would love to see what Lin could do with this team after a full summer camp and when all the players are healthy again.  Since it looks like no one can match the Raptors three-year,  $36 million offer for Steve Nash (maybe Phoenix) and Deron Williams looks like he will stay in Brooklyn for the year, hopefully the Knicks could re-sign Lin.

The seedings in the Eastern Conference are going to be jumbled next year.  The Bulls are without Derrick Rose for maybe all next year with a torn ACL, the Celtics still have not re-signed Ray Allen and have the oldest starting lineup in the NBA, and the Pacers may not be able to match the max contract offered to Roy Hibbert by the Trail Blazers.

So this leaves the door wide open for the Knicks, who with a lineup that consists of  Lin, Iman Shumpert (out till January), Anthony,  Stoudemire and Chandler (under the conditions that they learn to gel together) could be a serious contender in the Eastern Conference.

After 2 hours and 51 minutes of less than exciting 2012 NBA draft, the Knicks decided to use their 48th pick to select Kostas Papanikolaou.  They lost their first round draft pick due to a trade with Houston 2 years ago where they received Tracy McGrady (don’t even get me started on him) to free up cap space for two max players.

Papanikolaou, a 21 yr. old, 6’8″, 230 pound forward, is a draft and stash player who has lots of energy and plays hard.  He’s not the greatest shooter but he loves to defend and play scrappy, willing to get on the floor.  He was a productive role player for the Greek National Team and the Euro powerhouse Olympiakos averaging around 7 points and 5 rebounds in his two seasons.  Although his stats don’t jump out at you, his maturity, size and defensive prowess make him very appealing.  He had a solid performance in the Euroleague Final Four in Istanbul connecting on all five of his 3 pointers and scoring a career high 18 points in the Euroleague final.

We definitely won’t see Papanikolaou for a couple of years since his contract with Olympiakos has two seasons left on it, but it does look like he has the talent to help the Knicks in the near future. It would be nice to have another player that can defend and drive to the hoop in an offense that passes around the perimeter too much.

Jun 21 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) dribbles into the near court against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the third quarter of game five in the 2012 NBA Finals at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

“It’s about Damn Time” were the words that came out of LeBron’s mouth Thursday night after winning his first NBA championship. In the past two years, LeBron has gone under the most scrutiny by media and sports fans probably in the history of the NBA.

Since the infamous broadcast “The Decision” and the outrageous Big 3 Party where he displayed his cockiness of how many rings the Miami Heat would win (not 1,not 2, not 3…) all types of hate toward LeBron have been present.  Ranging from the burning of his Cavalier’s jersey to the thousands upon thousands of jokes of LeBron not having a title yet, Lebron was the face of “I hate…”

The pressure to excel under the great magnitude of criticism from the entire world without question affected his gameplay in the last year’s playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks.  In the 2-4 series loss, LeBron went for 17.8 points a game (including an 8 point game), 60% FT, 8.7 Points in paint, and 7.2 rebounds.  He often disappeared in the fourth quarter in the corner, not wanting to be part of the game at all.

When this year’s playoffs came around, nothing with the media changed – he was still the most hated figure in sports. Even when LeBron would put up huge numbers such as 30 + games with 8 rebounds and 7 assists, he would be blamed for the loss.  Not only did he have a ridiculous playoffs averaging 30.3 points 9.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists, LeBron tried to improve his image off the court. He apologized for “The Decision” saying it was wrong to carry out his decision in this fashion.  Before game 5 of the finals, he even admitted that the way he acted last year was “very immature” as he tried to “prove people wrong.”  No more was the fake crying he did with Wade on the golf cart trying to imitate Dirk Nowitzki’s flu. No more was that chip on his shoulder that he needed to prove something. Instead of paying attention to all the media, he “just went back to the basics,” as he said after he winning the championship.  “I never had to prove anything to anyone.”  “I played with a lot of hate, and that’s not the way I play the game of basketball.  I play with love, and a lot of passion, and that’s what I got back to this year.”

And that’s exactly what LeBron did.  In the 4-1 series win he went for 28.6 points, 83% free throw, 17.5 points in paint and 10.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists.  The stat that stands out the most is the points in the paint compared to last year.  Instead of jacking up threes, he used his superhuman physique and smart play to drive to the basket and completely dominate, carving up every defender.

Jun 21, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James celebrates with the MVP trophy after winning the 2012 NBA championship at the American Airlines Arena. Miami won 121-106. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

His demeanor was completely different from last year finals in that he was never complaining with calls like he usually does where he takes out his mouth guard and furiously walks away to avoid the refs, and after scoring he kept his head up and went straight back to defense.  But most of all you saw his leadership.  You saw Thursday night when Mario Chalmers was about to complain about a call, and he just calmed him down, telling him it’s not worth it.  He did not disappear in the 4^th quarter like he did last year and stepped up and made huge shots such as in game 3 when he knocked that ridiculous bank shot from the left side, or in game 4 when he was suffering with a bad cramp and knocked down that 3 right in front of Thabo Sefolosha’s face.

Many people view his Championship as redemption to all the critics. But that’s not what he wants or what die-hard basketball fans want. They want this to be a step to move on from all the silly comics and stat comparisons, and that media jargon. They want the NBA media to return to the actual game of basketball and focus on his style of play, and just how damn good he is.  That what I get most out of when he said “it’s about damn time.” Not only is it time that he is a Champion but also it’s about time we can finally move on and appreciate LeBron James work ethic, energy, domination, and skills as a team player.  Sports Memes for a while has had some very amusing pictures of LeBron on Facebook and they finally come to a close with this one: Click Here. 

The Thunder lost 91-85 Sunday night to put the Heat up 2 games to 1 in the series.  The 2 losses have been for completely different reasons.  In game 2, the loss was mostly attributed to the awful start as they went 1-12 in the opening minutes and fell behind 18-2 making it catch-up for the duration of the game.  In game 3, after playing a solid 40+ minutes of basketball, poor decisions in crunch time led to their downfall.

Lets first talk about game 2:

After having such a bad start, a comeback of this magnitude against the Miami Heat in the Finals even with a guy like Durant is hard to come by. Since game 1 was also similar in that the Thunder fell behind early (shot 1-6 from opening tip resulting in a 20-10 deficit in first quarter), people were wondering whether Harden should be in the starting lineup to add scoring to the slow-starting offense. Sefolosha was not posing any offensive threat at the shooting guard position or doing his job on defense (3 points in Game 2) and Perkins wasn’t playing much of a role either (combined 8 points 15 rebounds in Game I and 2), so it was a valid point.

But who in there right minds would want to tinker with the starting lineup in the finals when for the whole playoffs the starting lineup of Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, and Kendrick Perkins was working – they won 13 of 17 games and went 47-19 in the regular season.  Scott Brooks said in an interview before game 3 “it hasn’t even crossed my mind to change the starting lineup”.  Westbrook in an interview on slow starts said that its all about “coming out ready to play and they were more ready to play than we were…we have to come out and play harder.”  Later he was asked what adjustments they needed to make and Westbrook said he isn’t making any adjustments “regardless of what anybody says.”

The Thunder improved on their game 2 deficiencies in game 3.

1.  They came out with a strong start, never being down by more than 6 in the first quarter shooting 9-19.

2.  Sefolosha came back from a poor game 2 and played outstanding defense on Wade and Lebron coming up with 3 steals, one of which was one of the most important plays of the game when he stripped it from Wade dribbling up the court and finished for a layup to make it a 3 point game with around 2 minutes left.  He also hit the first basket of the game.

3.  Perkins proved all the doubters that he should stay in the starting lineup by going for 10 points on 12 rebounds, 6 of which were offensive.

4. The Thunder’s defense forced 8 turnovers in the 4th quarter, close to as many as all of game 2.

But with all of these improvements, plus Durant still scoring 25 points, the Thunder still lost.  Bottom line is that in a very tight game, the Thunder still did not make smart decisions.  Whether is was Westbrook’s offensive charge, or Harden’s rookie move fouling Lebron with 16 seconds left (they did not need to foul down 3) as he tried to draw a charge with his below par acting skills.  Then the miscommunication on the inbound pass from Sefolosha down 4 with 13 seconds left, which is truly unaccetable… lead to their demise.  This cannot happen if the Thunder want to win the finals.  In game 2, you could come back being down in the 1st quarter, but in game 3 when you make mistakes in the final minutes, there is no coming back.

So How Can The Thunder get to Game 6?

One thing for sure is they need to hit their free throws.  In game 3 they shot 15-24 from the line and with every game being decided by 6 points or less, where leads come and go as fast as a jaguar in the finals, this cannot happen.

Another thing that needs to happen is Westbrook needs to find a medium of aggressiveness.  He needs to pick his spots – when he needs to step up and drive to the basket and when he should just give the ball to Durant and that is a point guard job to do.

In game 3 the thunder improved on their game 2 weaknesses but weren’t smart down the stretch. And in game 4 they need to not only improve on game 2 weaknesses by getting off to a better start but also game 3 weaknesses by finishing the game wisely.

If they overcome all these weaknesses – slow starts, lack of production from supporting cast, Westbrook and Harden playing without intelligence late in the game, and poor free throw shooting, we will see the Finals return to Oklahoma.

Drafted in the middle of the second round of the 2010 draft, Fields was one of the biggest surprises of the NBA; he started as the shooting guard for the Knicks from the very beginning of his first season. In his first three months of playing for the Knicks, he averaged over 10 points and seven rebounds a game and became a fan favorite for his scrappy and fast paced play.

Then came February 23, the first game after the huge trade with the Nuggets which sent three of their five starters to Denver for two of Denver’s starters. This trade included Raymond Felton, and thus ended the Knick run and gun style of play that helped Fields’ game.  In came Carmelo Anthony, and a stagnated, isolation type of offense, where the Knicks became one of the slowest offensive paced teams in the league. But it wasn’t only Carmelo that caused the game to slow down, it was also Chauncey Billups who slowed it up and made it hard for the Knicks to run in transition.

Fields is a type of player that feeds off other people in transition and this change made him become a spot up shooter, which he most definitely is not. For the rest of the first season, Fields numbers dropped to 8.0 points and 4.5 rebounds a game.

This season, Fields often looked lost out there, standing in one spot waiting to get the ball instead of moving in the flow of the offense.  He occasionally showed some spark when he drove to the basket with determination but that too wasn’t in the flow.  His shot was flat and in general he did not add anything to the Knicks play offensively and defensively.  As a result, his minutes went down and starting position was taken away.  You could tell that things were not the same when Spike Lee was not wearing his Landry Fields jersey anymore.

Over the course of the past season Fields averaged 8.8 points, 4.2 rebounds 46% FG, 56% from FT line and and awful 26% percent from the 3pt line.  Compared to his rookie season where he averaged 10 points, 6.5 rebounds, 50% FG, 77% FT, and just under 40% 3pt, you could without question say Fields had a down year.

So the question is can Landry Fields in an offense that involves Carmelo bounce back from a disappointing season?

I think without a doubt he can.  I know I’ve been a little harsh on Landry Fields but I love his type of game.  He does a little bit of everything – defends, rebounds and brings great hustle to the team.  The Knicks don’t need scoring but if he could hit his open shots (which he wasn’t able to do consistently this season) then he’ll be a great role player.  Even if he does come off the bench once Shumpert comes back and plays 20-25 minutes a game, the added energy Fields brings is all we need.

With someone like Jeremy Lin that does push the ball up the court, Fields can return to his rookie season form.  In the playoffs Baron Davis had some moments where he was pushing the ball and Fields ended up having a very solid playoffs. So if we have a true point guard for a whole season, and if Carmelo Anthony is willing to keep the ball moving on offense, and if he can improve on his jump shot, Fields will have a good season for the NY Knicks.

Jeremy Lin has one player of the month award and is the creator of Linsanity.  If we asked this question four months ago before Linsanity, there wouldn’t be one person not laughing about this comparison.  But this has now become a question.  Should Carmelo Anthony adapt to Jeremy Lin-Led offense? or Should Jeremy Lin adapt to Carmelo Anthony-led offense?  Before we jump to any conclusions, let’s take a look at both sides.

May 9, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the second half of game five in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Miami Heat of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Miami won 106-94. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Should Carmelo Anthony adapt to Jeremy Lin-Led offense:

There is a major case for this to occur since Lin was the one that revitalized the Knicks’ season.  Linsanity brought the Knicks back into the conversation for the playoffs going on a seven-game win streak with no Carmelo and no Amar’e Stoudemire (until the last two games).

It was a fast paced offense where Lin would penetrate to the basket making every defender collapse on him and he ended up slicing everyone for an easy layup, or kicking it out for Steve Novak and J.R. Smith to hit wide-open threes.

This was also a time when Tyson Chandler played his best basketball feeding off of Lin’s alley-oops (had his season high of 25-points during Lin’s error).  For the rest of the season and the playoffs, Chandler’s offensive game was nowhere.

In the time that Lin and Carmelo played together it was a very hard adjustment since Lin was all about pushing the ball, while Carmelo was to take it slow and isolate.  We saw Lin becoming a very passive player and not always making the right decisions, always having to decide should I drive and kick, or should I give it to Melo right away?  Lin often got caught up in the middle.

The Knicks offense looked stellar under Lin.  They played together and the ball movement was at a all time high, making it very enjoyable to watch.  Carmelo Anthony should adjust to Lin’s style of play where he needs to move better without the ball and trust Lin in finding him to do what Melo does best.

Although Melo’s numbers were down under Lin’s offense (16.9 points a game), he did increase his rebounding and dishing, and became a more intensified defender and a overall team player.

Should Jeremy Lin adapt to Carmelo Anthony-led offense:

Mar 21, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin (17) during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Knicks defeated the Sixers 82-79. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

To many people, this is a no-brainer.  We brought Carmelo to the Big Apple to lead the Knicks to the championship and we would build pieces around him such as sidekick Amar’e Stoudemire and defensive stopper Tyson Chandler to help him accomplish this.

We knew we would need a solid point guard to control the flow of the offense but we never thought that the three players above especially Carmelo would have to look up to the point guard.

Carmelo played his best basketball when Amar’e and Lin were out with injury since he was able to play a little bit of every position – he controlled the point, defended the power forwards (best defense he ever played in his career) and was without question the go to scorer every time down.  Whether it was isolation or coming off screens, Carmelo was arguably the most dominant player in the league in this stretch scoring 28.4 points a game.

So who needs to adapt?

It has to be Lin adapting to Carmelo.  Who cares that the offense can get a little bit stagnant with Carmelo- it’s his way of scoring and when he is on, he is on.

This doesn’t mean Lin can’t penetrate and dish and still be a threat on offense, but when Carmelo wants the ball, give him the ball.  Don’t have any doubts, just do it.  If we want any improvement next year (under the circumstances that Lin resigns with the Knicks), we need to see them work well together.

April 20, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA: Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) brings the ball up court during the game against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric P. Mull-USPRESSWIRE

Even though we can attribute not going far in the playoffs to all these reasons, I still think we shoulve made a bigger improvement than winning one more playoff game in a series than the previous year because if we go at that rate, it won’t be another three years until we even make it out of the first round.

I truly think that this years downfall was not due to these reasons -I think Iman Shumpert could have definitely helped the Knicks lock up one of the two superstars (LeBron James and Dwyane Wade) and I think Baron Davis could have helped  a lot in Game 5 since we lacked a point guard and I think Jeremy Lin could have controlled the point a lot better, but do you actually think that we could have beaten the Miami Heat in a 7 game series?  Enough making excuses!!!

I think the major reason the Knicks lost was plain and simple. They had the wrong playoff matchup.

New York had way too many costly losses during the season to teams 20 games under 500 – eight losses to be specific fit under this category.

The Knicks started the season off 2-4, with three of those losses coming to Charlotte (worst winning percentage in NBA history), Toronto (a team that has losy any hope of being a playoff team since becoming Bosh-less) and Golden State (a team that has had no defense, since let me think about this – ever).  So already the Knicks are off to bad start.

Then, down the road in the season there are losses to Cleveland (21-45), New Orleans (21-45), New Jersey(22-44) and Toronto again (by a whopping 17 points).

This brings me to the end of the season which the Knicks finished strong under Mike Woodson (13-5)  but suffered two of their costliest losses of the season.

The first was against Indiana, one of the most disappointing losses I have seen, where they were up 15 points going into the fourth quarter and the Knicks got too cocky.  J.R. Smith was chucking up shots. Baron Davis was doing absolutely nothing, and the defense was transparent.

Then comes the most annoying loss of all year.  It comes down to last five games when I’m calculating how we can get that No.6 spot from the Orlando Magic and play Indiana instead of having to face the Chicago Bulls or the Heat in the first round.

All the Knicks needed to do was win their last five games, which was very manageable since we played the Nets, Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, the Chris Paul-less Los Angeles Clippers and the Bobcats.

At the same time, the Magic needed to lose four out of their five last games, which was also very likely to happen since they were without Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu and they were playing very tough teams down the stretch.

Everything worked out well as the Magic lost four out of the five.

But the whole plan was foiled by the Knicks losing one game – not to the to the Clippers or Hawks but to the Cavlaiers.

They decided to rest Tyson Chandler and Carmelo Anthony for the fourth quarter and lost by eight.

I do not what was going through the mind of Woodson – did he know that this game actually mattered and could have been the deicing factor for which team the Knicks would play in the playoffs?

Instead of playing the Pacers in the first round, which they could have done if had they won, and instead of playing the Bulls, the Knicks drew the Heat, the one team you do not want to play in the first round.

When it comes to wins and losses, if the Knicks just win one out of these eight games to teams 20 games under .500, the Knicks would have had the No. 6 seed and played Indiana.  If we did lose all these games and not let Indiana come back from down 15 in the fourth quarter, making it one of the most embarrassing losses of the season, the Knicks also would have drawn the Pacers.

But I guess that basketball and it just goes to show that every game during the season matters.

May 6, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire (1) blocks a shot by Miami Heat point guard Mario Chalmers (15) during the second half of game four in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 89-87. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

This game was a back and forth battle from the start and in the end it was who could convert under pressure, who can knock down their free throws, and step up their defense.  The Knicks caught some breaks in the end such as Carmelo’s long heave from the 3 -point line where Shane Battier gave him a love tap on his elbow and received three shots from the foul line.  The next play with the Knicks up one after a ridiculous move by Lebron James that got him an “and-one”, Amare Stoudemire tried dribbling the ball to the basket with his left lacerated hand that had 8 lines of padding on it, and was about to lose the ball out of bounds when Joel Anthony comes along and bails him out with a foul.

I think Amare Stoudemire played better with a lacerated hand because without being able to use it, he needed to use his athleticism, his jumping skills and actually put a body on a guy to get the rebound.  He finished with 10 rebounds, 5 of them coming on the offensive end and scored 20 points on an efficient 8-13 shooting.   What were once boos at the beginning of the game due to his stupid injury, ended up being cheers for his great performance that he has lacked throughout the playoffs.  He was the key to this game since we had a second scoring option that we haven’t really had in previous games.

The Knicks defense played a large role in this win especially closing out on the three point line – The Heat shot 3-19 from the the 3 point line due to the great perimeter defense by Landry Fields and J.R. Smith.  When Wade shot that three at the end that could have been a game winner, it was Landry Fields who was right in his face and contested the shot.

Mike Bibby who played the rest of the game when Baron Davis went down hard and left the game, hit two clutch three pointers that extended the Knicks lead in the final minutes.  It must feel so good for a crowd to be cheering for him in the playoffs against the Heat, the team he was with last year and was non-existent in the playoffs.

The player of the game was by far Carmelo Anthony erupted for 41 points on 15-29 shooting, with 6 rebounds, 4 assists and only 1 turnover.  When he had the mid-range jumper on target, he was virtually unstoppable.  He needs to hit this if we want to win any more games. Click here for box score.

What we need to see for Game 5:

Tyson Chandler finished with only 1 point and added 9 rebounds in Game.  Two things he has to work on.  The first is he has to finished around the rim, he is 7 feet and missing layups.  The second thing is Tyson really needs to start making smarter decisions – he in frustration committed a cheap foul and then received a technical foul in anger, giving the heat 3 straight free throws.  In game 3 he also made a mistake with an outlet pass and then committed a stupid foul resulting in an “and one” and a 5 point turnaround.  He can’t make these mistakes if we want to win.

We also need J.R. Smith to shoot well.  We cannot have him shoot 3-15 and  1-8 front he 3 point line – it’s just way too many waisted opportunities.  He has to stop isolating himself and trying to create off the dribble – instead he needs to get his shots off when it is in the flow of the offense.

However, now that Amar’e Stoudemire is not going to play for at least one game due to his punching of a fire extinguisher, and injury to his hand, we now will see and analyze if the Knicks are better or worse without him.

Apr 30, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire (1) reacts during the first half of game two in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs against the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

So far, the numbers are against him! In the 47 games that Amar’e has played this season the Knicks went 22-25 only 9 of which were wins against teams that made it to the playoffs.

Something happened to Amar’e this year that we are all trying to figure out. His legs just aren’t there! He can’t beat anyone off the dribble like he did last season and doesn’t have the consistent mid-range shot that works so effectively when players lay off him.  He flat out does not look like a star anymore.

As I watched these past two playoff games, the more I realized we might be far better off without Amar’e.  Although the stats clearly prove that the Knicks play better without him (14-5), you can also see by watching, that the Knicks look worse in all aspects of the game with Amar’e.

Starting with the offense, his style and position basically clogs things up. He likes to get the ball in a similar spot as Carmelo Anthony (who is a much better scorer) and is a guy who needs a certain amount of touches in a game to exceed. When Amar’e does get the ball the offense seems more stagnant, since he doesn’t look to pass. In past seasons he could create, score and force a double team. Since he rarely hits his mid range jumper, his field goal percentage is his lowest since his second year along with his points per game being the lowest since his rookie season – in turn, teams let him be.

Defensively, he also has been painful to watch, as he has clearly become a liability.  In Game 2 more than ever he didn’t even attempt to close out on the shooters around the 3-point line when he was caught up on the switch. How many times did you cringe when he got caught guarding Lebron on a switch? In addition, he makes no effort to find someone to box out to for the rebound. There were multiple times in the first two games where smaller players were getting rebounds by either out-hustling or out jumping Amar’e.

So, maybe Amar’e hurting his hand when he punched the glass of the fire extinguisher is a blessing in disguise.  Carmelo can go back to the 4 position where he excelled in the month of April averaging close to 30 points a game and was really able to get where he wanted to go without there being someone that clogged the paint.  Carmelo also played menacing defense on the opponents’ power forward and utilized the mismatches on offense to his advantage. With a more open offense, hopefully Carmelo can be Carmelo, forcing double teams and leaving the Knick three point shooters open.

Lets hope that the “Amar’eless” Knicks being quicker both offensively and defensively brings success in Game 3!