May 18, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) stands on the free throw line against the Indiana Pacers in game six of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers won 106-99. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

Carmelo Anthony said during his exit interview with the team that he’ll be getting his injured shoulder checked out now that the season is over. Anthony wore a protective sleeve on his left shoulder during the postseason after he got it beaten on during the New York Knicks’ April 14 win over the Indiana Pacers. Though no specific injury was found, several times over the remainder of the season, Anthony drew contact on that shoulder and came up grimacing.

During that April 14 game when he sustained the injury, Anthony shot 9-23. It was his final game of the regular season. However, the time off until the postseason didn’t appear to heal the shoulder. Although it was his left shoulder (he shoots righty), all parts of the body are equally important in terms of shooting form, especially for a scorer like Anthony. Any pain in his gathering of the ball or rising up for the shot, could cause Anthony to make adjustments in his form, therefore changing his overall shooting motion.

The pain was pretty obvious, too. In the postseason, Anthony’s shooting percentage fell by almost five whole points to 40.6% FG. Against the physical defense of both the Boston Celtics and Pacers, Anthony struggled when dealing with contact. For instance, when shooting less than five feet from the rim, Anthony shot just 40.3% and had his shot blocked 14 times in the playoffs from that distances. Whereas Anthony is usually physical around the basket and protects the ball and his shot with his body, the injury to his shoulder seemed to lessen his ability to go up strong near the basket.

The obvious worry — although ‘Melo seemed calm about it in his interview — is he’ll need surgery. He’ll have an MRI done soon to see if there’s any internal damage. A long layoff and recovery will effect his training this offseason and could get him off to a slow start to the next season. It’s a situation worth monitoring, although, luckily, Anthony doesn’t have any Team USA obligations this offseason, so he’ll have more time to let it heal.

Tyson Chandler

Offense: Chandler began the 2012-13 season on the same pace he totaled in 2011-12. His offense, though still at times frustratingly limited, consisted of a league-high number of alley-oops, plus the usual assortment of dunks and finishes around the basket. He even surprised teammates, fans, and broadcasters alike by stepping out and hitting a midrange jumper every once in a blue moon. His field goal percentage was tops in the league again, heading towards the historical precedents he had reached the season before.

However, over time, for injuries unreported and reasons unknown, Chandler’s offensive output dipped dramatically. The Knicks found him less in the pick-and-roll, definitely, but it’s hard to pinpoint why, exactly. Perhaps different ailing body parts than Chandler refused to use as an excuse to sit out? The numbers alone tell the tale:

• Pre-All-Star: 11.4 ppg, 67.3% FG, 6.4 FG attempts per game, 11.1 rpg,
• Post All-Star: 7.6 ppg, 50% FG, 5.1 FG attempts per game, 9.1 rpg,

Chandler’s scoring output and efficiency on offense took a serious nosedive after February. He was logging high minutes because of the Knicks’ season-long mixtape of injuries to back-up big men like Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby, and Amar’e Stoudemire. Chandler, throughout his career, hasn’t been a big minutes player, and his 32.8 per game this season is higher than his career average. The overall drop in his offense didn’t hurt the Knicks too much, as their Offensive Rating was still better with Chandler on the floor than off. It can be looked at two ways. One, Chandler isn’t supposed to be on the floor for offense, so whatever he can give the team should be seen as a bonus; or two, given his age, mileage on his body, and knack for injuries, things won’t be getting better.

Grade: C+

Defense: Chandler still remained the defensive backbone for the Knicks all year, but it was to a strikingly lesser degree than the prior season.

Whereas in his first season in New York, Chandler directed a bunch of mediocre defenders all over the floor, calling out screens, mismatches, double-teams, and directions for any player in orange and blue, this year, his impact was less noticeable. The defensive floor-scrambling — hedging pick-and-rolls, recovering to stop the roll man, sending help on double-teams, trapping, protecting the basket, and usually gathering the rebound — became more infrequent. It was odd, considering he helmed a lesser cast to a top five Defensive Rating in 2011-12. This year, the Knicks finished just 17th in Defensive Efficiency, according to NBA.com/Stats. Amazingly, the Knicks’ Defensive Rating was actually .5 points better with Chandler off the floor this season.

Unlike his offense, Chandler’s defense should be able to recover. Though as he gets older — a legitimate concern at this point — he may not be able to switch onto guards as effectively or rise up to block a shot, his communication and understanding of team defense can uphold. Many older defensive geniuses (Kevin Garnett, for example) have remained effective in keeping a defense glued, simply by barking out instructions and having an understanding of where to be at all times. The Knicks’ defense seemed a bit fluky this season, simply because a better defensive coach and roster would, imaginably, be a better overall defensive unit. Despite what the numbers say, it’s still hard to think the Knicks’ defense could get them anywhere without Chandler.

Grade: B-

Overall: It will be interesting to see how Chandler rebounds next season. He began the year at a pace that could’ve placed him on First, Second, or Third All-NBA team and simply faded out. As mentioned, nagging injuries or overuse could have done it; it certainly appeared to be both in his lackluster playoffs (though he blamed catching his daughter’s illness for that). Overall, Chandler is still a vital piece to this Knicks team, but it feels as though the Knicks’ only chance of ever reaching the elite level they desire is if Chandler is that indispensable player that Knicks fans grew to love in 2011-12.

Final Grade: B-

Carmelo Anthony

Offense: Carmelo Anthony’s reputation in the NBA has always been as a scorer. It’s his first instinct on the floor and it’s really his only elite skill. This year, he did it better than anyone in the league. Anthony’s first full, 82-game season with the New York Knicks produced the best offensive season in his career. He led the NBA in scoring at 28.7 points per game, the highest average of his career. Though his overall FG% was down from his career rate, for some reason his three-point field goal accuracy jumped to the highest percentage of his career at 38%. Similarly, he posted a 56% True Shooting Percentage, which was almost two whole points higher than his career average. ‘Melo took a step forward in eliminating jap-step-happy deep twos and focused more on shooting three-pointers, taking it to the basket, or posting up defenders. His offensive eruption this year (a 50-point game and seven 40-point games) surely had something to do with his move to the power forward. He stretched the floor and knocked down jumpers on big men unwilling to come out to the perimeter. When they did, Anthony blew past them off the dribble. Then, when teams tried to cross-match with him, he posted up most small forwards.

The progression we saw in Anthony was also reflected in his passing. Though he had moments of regression, he took out some of his ball-stopping isolation habits for the most part. And even when he did regress, it seemed – for the most part – that he chose his opportunities more carefully, like when he was cooking from the field or had obvious mismatches with the defense. His assist numbers were down across the board, but this is a case where the stats don’t reflect the eye test. Anthony was a far more willing passer, especially out of double-teams. When defenses sent help, Anthony happily kicked out to the perimeter (sometimes on lovely skip passes) and let the ball swing until a shooter was open.

Unfortunately, some of these good progressions fell apart in the playoffs. His three-point stroke disappeared, he settled for jumpers, and defenses often denied the Knicks’ swing-swing-shoot offense. Nonetheless, we just experienced Anthony’s best offensive season in the NBA, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

Grade: A

Defense: The lovely season Anthony blessed fans with also had to do with an increased focus on defense. Anthony wasn’t, nor will he ever be, a consistent, lock-down defender. However, more often than not, Anthony gave effort this year. He does much better battling power forwards who post-up or try to work off the dribble than guards or forwards who run off screens and curls. Anthony is quicker than almost any four in the league, and his strength is comparable, allowing him to bang in the post or stick with them should they try to isolate on Anthony. At times he was over-matched (see: West, David), but overall, Anthony gave a willing effort when he didn’t have to chase his man.

There were still let-downs, however. He’s prone to ball-watching, his effort on the glass wanes, and he doesn’t always hustle back on defense. When things on offense weren’t going ‘Melo’s way, we saw more defensive breakdowns. The Knicks were a tad better defensively with Anthony off the court than with him on, according to NBA.com/Stats, but he rarely appeared to hurt the team.

Grade: B-

Overall: The Knicks just had their best season in 13 years and their star player just had (likely) the best season of his career. There’s not a lot to complain about there. Anthony is still an imperfect player and his flaws are glaring compared to other elite stars (LeBron James, Kevin Durant, etc.). However, a position change, a roster and coach he approves of, and a talented supporting cast brought out the best in Anthony. If he’s willing to build on the positive changes he made this season, he could only stand to improve while he’s in the prime of his career. For the first time in his short Knicks career, Anthony resembled a top ten player for most of the season.

Overall Grade: A-

Melo said it would be ‘selfish’ to think about opting out after next season. Says he doesn’t want to ‘jump the gun.’

We can see where this is going. The Knicks’ resurgence this season was led by (arguably) Carmelo Anthony’s best season. He led the NBA in scoring for the first time in his year, defended with vigor, and trusted his teammates more, willingly passing out of double teams or making smart plays in the pick-and-roll. That the Indiana Pacers were able to bottle up Anthony so well in the playoffs and send the Knicks packing is likely to undermine the progress Anthony made as player this season.

Anthony is right in some aspects: the Knicks are still coming off a good season and could potentially grow even more next year. His contract status in the next year isn’t really relevant when the Knicks still have work to do.

However, Anthony being mum on the situation has potential to become a media circus. Should Anthony or the Knicks struggle during the 2013-14 season, questions about Anthony’s ability to opt out of his contract and become a free agent could overtake the entire New York media. This was Anthony’s first real taste of success with the Knicks, and it was moderate. A disappointing year would be seen as a continuation of his first lackluster year-and-a-half with the Knicks, with 2012-13 being the brief interruption.

It’s still so early and inappropriate to speculate, but comments like Anthony’s today has the potential to be the spark that ignites the flame. I think we’d all like to pass on “Melodrama 2.0.”

Prigioni moved his wife and two children, all three of whom had never left Spain, to the U.S. while he played for the Knicks. Rumors are, they may want to return to Europe. Of course, it is just speculation; it’s impossible to know what the Prigionis think about and discuss at home, and how they would manage Pablo’s wishes with his family’s.

Prigioni came to the Knicks on a one-year, veteran minimum contract of $473,000. According to Berman, GM Glen Grunwald wanted Prigioni for two years, but Pablo figured he could increase his salary by proving himself on a one-year deal and then earning more money the next time around. The Knicks could make Prigioni a qualifying offer of $900,000, but ultimately, to re-sign him, they’d need to dip into the mini-mid-level exception of $3 million.

First thought of as a back-up, insurance third-string point guard, Prigioni came to be an essential part of the Knicks’ lineup. His overall per-game stats weren’t anything particularly overwhelming – 3.5 points, 39.6% 3FG, 1.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, .9 steals in 16 minutes per game. However, advanced stats showed Prigioni’s worth to the team. During the regular season, with Prigioni on the floor, the Knicks’ Offensive Rating was 108.8 and their Defensive Rating was 100.9, giving Pablo a Net Rating off 7.9. This would register as the highest of any member of the Knicks besides Kenyon Martin and Earl Barron, both of whom played in a small sample size of the season’s total games. The Knicks’ 13-game win streak in March and April coincided with Prigioni’s first starts. With the point guard starting in the back-court, the Knicks went 16-2 to finish the regular season.

In the playoffs, Prigioni was even better. His overall stats went up: 4.5 points, 43.3% 3FG, 1.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 steals in 21 minutes per game. Once again, however, his advanced stats told an even greater tale. In the playoffs, with Prigioni on the floor, the Knicks’ Offensive Rating was 109.4, with a Defensive Rating of 93.2. His overall Net Rating of 16.2 was the best on the team by a wide margin. With Prigioni on the bench, the Knicks actually had a negative Net Rating, meaning they were out-played when Pablo was off the court.

It was a strange season for Pablo. His playing time was inconsistent, and as a rookie to the NBA game, at times he seemed lost amongst a fasterpace environment with far more athletic players. Yet, when given time to run the offense (look at the fourth quarter of Game 2 against the Pacers), Prigioni had some shining moments. He isn’t a flashy player, but a point guard with fundamental roots, who will gladly make a pass before take a shot. He wasn’t a lockdown defender, but a guy who could pester a ball-handler just enough to make a bad pass or give up the ball and get out of the way.

If Prigioni goes back to Spain, it’ll leave a deeper hole in the Knicks’ guard rotation than many would assume. With Kidd aging to the point of ineffectiveness, the Knicks would surely need to seek out another point guard to back-up Raymond Felton.

If Prigioni does indeed head back for Spain, if it was indeed his first and only season in the NBA: it was a pleasure, Pablo. I’m so glad I got to watch you play on the Knicks.

“I want to retire a Knick,” Smith said when asked about his future following the team’s season-ending loss to the Pacers on Saturday night. “I don’t want to go anywhere else. I love it. I love my teammates. I love my coaches. I was sitting in the locker room looking at my jersey after the game just knowing I don’t want to be anywhere else except for in the orange and blue. So we’ll see.”

Smith is expected to opt out of his $2,9 million player option next season and become an unrestricted free agent. Smith had limited options last season and signed a fairly small offer with the Knicks. However, given Smith’s mostly productive season, he is due for a pay raise, especially as he hits the prime of his career.

The Knicks cannot pay Smith as much as other teams with cap space, but they do have a few advantages. They can offer him a decent contract, around the average league salary of about $5 million with small increases each season. If Smith is willing to sacrifice a big pay day for one more year, however, the Knicks will own his Bird Rights (they currently have his Early Bird Rights) and could sign him for whatever they/he pleases and for however long they want.

The Knicks obviously have the advantage of being the Knicks, too. Smith is from the New Jersey and loves the city. Likewise, he’s become very close to the organization, namely Carmelo Anthony, who he’s spent nearly his entire career playing with. And, of course, there’s Mike Woodson, whose trust and love of J.R. Smith surely outweighs any other coach Smith could play for in the NBA.

There’s almost no doubt that the Knicks will try to keep J.R. Smith around. However, there’s a legitimate argument about how much he’s worth. Yes, J.R. just had the best season of his career, averaging career-highs in points (18.1 per game) and rebounds (5.3). He had moments where he looked like a legitimate All-Star, like this past April where he averaged 33 minutes per game, 22 points on 48.3% FG and 40% 3FG, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Smith’s best moments were a big part of the Knicks’ regular season success.

Mar 29, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) dunks during the third quarter against the Charlotte Bobcats at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 111-102. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

However, for the second straight year, Smith’s game and focus waned in the postseason. During the past two postseasons, his combined stats come out to 13.2 points per game, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Most alarming, however, is that he’s been attempting 15 shots per game and shooting a combined 32.3% FG and 22.6% 3FG. Smith’s contributions drop radically in the playoffs in nearly every category. And this year, Smith’s focus took a sour turn with an intentional elbow to Jason Terry’s face in Game 3 of the first round, earning Smith a suspension; talks of going golfing while in the midst of a series; and going clubbing at night.

Smith’s regular season contributions are great and needed. However, for a team that has higher aspirations than the second round, the Knicks need Smith to be better than those lowly numbers above.

Personally, I welcome Smith back. However, I would prefer it to be in one of the aforementioned $5-million per year contracts that the Knicks can offer this season. This would keep New York from overpaying Smith, and it would also likely be for a shorter time, thereby retaining cap space for 2015.

May 14, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (24) during game four of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight the New York Knicks look to keep their season alive by winning an elimination game in Indiana. It won’t be an easy task, though; in fourgames in Indiana this season, the Knicks have lost by an average of 15 points. However, there’s still reason to believe that the Knicks could force a Game 7.

The status of the Pacers’ starting point guard, George Hill, is still uncertain. He missed Game 5 with a concussion – an injury with strict policy in the NBA – and his absence certainly benefited the Knicks. In the series, Hill is averaging 17.3 points with 34% 3FG and 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Without Hill, the Pacers relied on DJ Augustin to run the point almost full time, but he is neither as efficient as a distributor or as menacing a defender as Hill. If Hill misses Game 6, it surely increases the Knicks’ odds of winning.

Likewise, the Knicks seemed to rediscover their identity a bit last game. “Big” lineup experiments by Mike Woodson were cast aside, and instead, the usual small ball lineups yielded greater results in floor-spreading and pick-and-rolls as Raymond Felton was able to squeeze his way to the basket for some close shots. Whereas the Knicks had previously been the team adjusting to the Pacers’ identity, in Game 5, the Knicks forced Indiana to adjust to their Knicks’ game.

There’s also still the fact that these Pacers are young and haven’t ever closed out a semi-finals series. Last season they had the Miami Heat down 2-1 before the Heat came roaring back to win the series. Though this group is more experienced, and the Knicks aren’t the Heat, there’s still pressure on the Pacers to actually close out another good team, especially facing the prospects of a Game 7 in New York.

However, the Knicks’ play hasn’t inspired too much confidence to win a Game 6 in Indiana. The Pacers’ home crowd is a loud, dedicated one, and this Knicks team is prone to bouts of frustration. When things don’t go their way, that aggravation mounts. The Pacers’ tight defense and rebounding advantage has proven to be thorns in the Knicks’ sides, and New York can’t let it overcome their focus.

Truth be told, this game could go either way. The Knicks definitely face the greater challenge: on the road, looking at elimination, playing against a (thus far) superior team. However, last game showed promising signs. Carmelo Anthony’s offense has gotten a little more efficient, and he was looking to attack the Pacers more. J.R. Smith seems to have re-found his stroke, Raymond Felton’s dribble penetration opened things up, and Chris Copeland added some sizable contributions off the bench.

The game begins at 8:00 ET. The Knicks have 48 minutes to keep their season alive.

It was odd, too, given Copeland’s strong finish to the season. Through March and April, Copeland averaged 12.3 points per game on 47.2% FG, 47.6% 3FG, and 3.3 rebounds per game in 21 minutes per game. He filled in admirably at the end of the season as various Knicks’ big men all caught the injury bug, placing the undersized Copeland at center.

In the first round series with the Boston Celtics, there wasn’t a huge need for Copeland; the Knicks’ offense was able to function fairly well. However, in the semi-finals, struggling to score against the staunch Indiana defense, the Knicks needed a floor-stretcher and a guy who could create his own shot, especially with so many of the Knicks’ most consistent scorers off-target. Last night, Copeland got his chance.

After Mike Woodson’s failed experiments at going “big” versus Indiana in Game 4, and the Knicks’ inability to break 85 points on the road, Copeland was told he’d be seeing real minutes in Game 5. Fans and analysts alike agreed with the move as Copeland could stretch the floor, potentially pull away Indiana’s bigs from the basket, and provide scoring to a parched offensive team.

Copeland responded with 13 points on 4-6 shooting, 3-4 from behind the arc, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in 19 minutes. Furthermore, he provided the Knicks with momentous plays at various points during the game. Upon checking in in the second half, he immediately knocked down a three-pointer on a spot-up attempt. Later in the third quarter, he chased down DJ Augustin to break up a two-on-one fastbreak, misfired on a three, but collected an offensive rebound on a second attempt and laid it in to put the Knicks up 11.

Though his playing time has been limited, Copeland has had a positive effect when he’s on the floor. in 74 minutes of playing time, with Copeland on the court, the Knicks have an Offensive Rating of 108.5 – best on the team – and a Defensive Rating of 90.4 which is three points better than the Knicks’ average DefRtg in the postseason. His 18.1 Net Rating could be inflated by playing at the end of games or in short spurts, but overall, the Knicks have been better with Copeland on the floor.

Given his positive effect on Game 5, it seems likely that Copeland has secured a spot in the rotation for the remainder of the playoffs – hopefully longer than one more game.

May 16, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) dribbles the ball around Indiana Pacers point guard D.J. Augustin (14) during the second half in game five of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Knicks win 85-75. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks live to see another day. Facing elimination on their home floor, the Knicks put together a buzzer-to-buzzer victory over the Indiana Pacers, squeezing out just enough offense and stingy enough defense to force a Game 6. The Pacers, playing without starting point guard, George Hill, struggled to find offense and combusted with a bevy of crucial turnovers and foul trouble to important players.

After losing their identity over some of the previous games – failed attempts at small-ball, a lack of launching from downtown – the Knicks more-or-less got back to their brand of basketball. It helped, of course, that players actually made shots. Carmelo Anthony led the way with 28 points, hitting from all spots within the arc; Raymond Felton found his stroke on wiggles to the lane and pull-up jumpers in the pick-and-roll; Chris Copeland and J.R. Smith both came through with significant offensive contributions. Late in the game, the fate still very much undecided, the Knicks went cold. However, they turned to their defense, forcing seven fourth quarter turnovers, three in the final two minutes.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances with player report cards.

Carmelo Anthony – 42 minutes, 28 points, 12-28 FG, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 TOs, +6

‘Melo began the game with a renewed accuracy. He kicked things off with a jumper at the elbow off a little curl, and then a pull-up three in transition – a welcomed sight. Earlier in the game, too, he exploited mismatches, posting up the smaller, smothering Paul George, and a few times getting mismatches with David West and Roy Hibbert. As the game went on, Anthony got a little more stationary and a bit colder. However, contrary to previous games, Anthony came up with some huge fourth quarter baskets, mostly on face-ups on the right elbow versus Sam Young and George. If the Knicks are going to win the series, they’re going to need the same level of scoring, plus an increased effort on the glass and defensive end – the latter two were a bit lacking in this one.

Final Grade: B

J.R. Smith – 36 minutes, 13 points, 4-11 FG, 1-4 3FG, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 TOs, +8

It wasn’t a return to form, necessarily, but it was a step in the right direction. For the first time perhaps all series, Smith looked like himself on the floor. There the occasional bouts of over-dribbling, ball-stopping, poor shots, and defensive lapses, but paired with those deficiencies were some canned jumpers, good rebounds, timely forced turnovers, and clutch free throws. With Iman Shumpert in foul trouble and Pablo Prigioni and Jason Kidd contributing little, it was a good time for Smith to step up. And then there’s that whole ‘elimination’ thing, too, so yes, nice timing, J.R.

Final Grade: B-

Chris Copeland – 19 minutes, 13 points, 4-6 FG, 3-4 3FG, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 TOs, +2

Mike Woodson reads Twitter? Calls for the dreadlocked rookie resounded during the team’s anemic offensive performance in Game 4, and he received mostly insubstantial playing time. But speak thy name and he shall get playing time… or something like that. Copeland got minutes to start the second quarter, and when the team turned to him in the second half, he responded. His impact on offense was felt almost immediately as he went to the line or canned three-pointers promptly off the bench. His best sequence came when he chased down DJ Augustin on a two-on-one fastbreak, helped force a Pacers turnover, came back on offense, missed a three. Then, when the Knicks rebounded that miss and shot another three, Copeland scooped up that rebound and put it back in for a layup to the roar of the Garden crowd and his teammates. I think he’ll play Game 6. Just a hunch.

Final Grade: A-

Raymond Felton – 37 minutes, 12 points, 6-14 FG, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 0 TOs, +7

Facing up against DJ Augustin instead of George Hill surely had an effect on Felton’s solid work in this one, but his accomplishments won’t be taken away. Felton’s offensive attack came in spurts, at times dashing his way to the rim off pick-and-rolls, others pulling up at the foul line extended for jumpers. His penetration makes such a significant difference in the Knicks’ ability to get better looks on offense, one can only hope that he keeps it up. Throw in his superior possession care-taking (zero turnovers) and all the stray passes and dribbles he got his flippers on, and this was a vintage Felton playoff performance.

Final Grade: A

Kenyon Martin- 20 minutes, 7 points, 2-2 FG, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, +8

Martin’s minutes didn’t pile up too high, but he was forced to play an important role substituting for the oft foul-plagued Chandler. He did a stout job defending Indiana’s bigs, and while his rebounding was a bit shy, he protected the rim about as well as a 6’9″ center can. He finished a few looks around the rim and set some good screens, which was nice of him

Final Grade: C+

Iman Shumpert – 26 minutes, 5 points, 2-10 FG, 1-4 3FG, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 TO, +8

Shumpert saw more pine than usual due to some foul woes, some of which were tick-tacky, others a little more justified on the refs’ parts. Though he looked physically better than Game 4, his stroke was astray, and he committed a few emphasized errors, like going under a screen and leaving Paul George open for a three that connected, cutting the Knicks’ lead down to four midway through the fourth quarter. Whether his poor shooting is a result of an iffy knee is hard to tell, but there’s no more than a day’s rest for the remainder of the series, so he’s going to have to keep contributing on the boards and hopefully pick up his D.

Final Grade: C-

Pablo Prigioni – 18 minutes, 3 points, 1-2 FG, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal, +3

Prigs, thankfully, saw more than three minutes of action in this one, but he still didn’t play a whole lot. Part of that was his ineffectiveness on the floor, and the other was his own foul troubles. The Pacers’ big lineups don’t suit him well on defense, and there was a whole lot less pick-and-roll action for him in Game 5. It’d be preferable for him to start second quarters with Stoudemire and Martin to try and initiate that pick-and-roll magic.

Final Grade: C+

Tyson Chander – 27 minutes, 2 points, 1-4 FG, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks

It seems that Chandler is OK after a scary fourth quarter fall that had him rolling on the ground in agony. That’s good. Chandler was shaky on offense, failing to finish over the Roy Hibbert’s beanstalk arms. However, his defense neared 2011-12 levels, including some big ole swats at the rim. If not, he just tossed ‘em to the ground like he did to Lance Stephenson on a delusional posterization attempt. Lance, meet floor. Most importantly, Chandler played a big part in denying the Pacers so many offensive rebounds, and in the meantime, came up with some biggies of his own. Now get that back fixed.

Final Grade: B+

Amar’e Stoudemire – 7 minutes, 2 points, 0-0 FG, 2-2 FT, 2 rebounds, 1 TO, +4

Stoudemire’s action was limited to the first half and no one quite knows why. In those seven first half minutes, his offensive attempts turned into free throws and a turnover. As was the case in January, Stoudemire looks to be featured a little too much, and his attempts usually come at the expense of rhythm. Stoudemire is a much better player in rhythm. For now, it really doesn’t feel like he’s had much impact on the games; he’s just kind of out there.

Final Grade: C

Jason Kidd – 5 minutes, 0-1 FG, +2

It seems even Mike Woodson has his limits with Kidd. It’s sad to see, but Kidd’s impact on the game is so diminished that it’s not unreasonable to think he doesn’t deserve minutes on the floor. He hasn’t scored in his his last 160-something minutes, and for the second straight game, blew a fastbreak layup. It kind of saddens me to think that his confidence is so misplaced, but these are important games, and charity minutes can’t be dished out.

Final Grade: C

The Knicks have a day off and will play Game 6 in Indiana.

Here are three adjustments the Knicks should make if they wish to keep their season alive:

1.) Go Small, Stay Small - Last game, Mike Woodson panicked and decided to start a bigger, more traditional lineup of Raymond Felton, Iman Shumpert, Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, and Tyson Chandler – a lineup that hadn’t played before Game 4. The unit performed awfully, putting up an Offensive Rating of 62.1 with a Defensive Rating of 107.6, according to NBA.com/Stats. Not good numbers, to say the least. By making this move, Woodson crowded the paint with two big men with limited offensive skills, and forced ‘Melo onto the perimeter where he’s been misfiring for most of the playoffs (though he shot decently in Game 4).

The Knicks’ offensive recipe all season has called for small lineups to open up the spread pick-and-roll game. Two point guards in the back-court increases ball-handling and playmaking, and putting Carmelo Anthony at the four gives him a mismatch on offense with nearly all players. Woodson’s thinking was a bigger lineup would keep the Pacers off the boards and help the defense, but New York was still out-rebounded by 22 in Game 4. Frank Vogel praised his team after the game, saying their best quality is that they don’t adjust to other teams – other teams adjust to them. Woodson should keep a hell-bent small-ball mindset and try to force Indiana to match up with the Knicks, not the other way around.

2.) Gang Rebound – As mentioned, the Knicks have been crushed on the boards all series long. Through four games, the Pacers have collected 50 more rebounds than the Knicks. Since New York plays at such a slow pace, there’s no reason for guards or anyone else to be leaking out in transition when the Pacers shoot the ball. Yes, a little pace would help the Knicks, as would transition opportunities off of turnovers, but the Pacers, with hyper athletes like Paul George, Lance Stephenson, and George Hill, are better suited to play a fast-paced game. During the regular season, Indiana played at a slightly faster pace than the Knicks.

Instead, the Knicks need to be rebound as a five-man unit. They’ve been hurt by the Pacers’ size and Roy Hibbert’s ability to simply reach over players and grab a stray shot. However, the Knicks have also given up many possessions by fighting for boards when three Pacers hit the glass and one or two Knicks are left to try and grab the ball. Similarly, Indiana has gotten more possessions by collecting long rebounds on hard misfires. The guards should always be around to collect long misses. In Game 5, the Knicks should look to take away possessions for the Pacers by having all five players box-out their man, and collectively grab the rebound.

3.) Exploit Mismatches- This is a follow-up to #1- play small ball. As typical-broadcaster-cliche as it sounds, the Knicks need to take good shots. Contrary to belief, the Knicks haven’t run very many isolations the last few games, but it still doesn’t mean they’ve executed their offense very well. At times, the Knicks have gotten good shots and just flat-out missed them – Shumpert, Felton, and Smith have all seen decent looks on jumpers and simply couldn’t hit. However, other times the Knicks have gone away from the spread pick-and-roll and the rapid fire ball movement that opened up so many three-pointers during the regular season.

Part of this “take good shots” business comes from exploiting mismatches. Paul George and David West are cross-matching to contain Carmelo Anthony, so that Anthony defends West, but George defends Anthony. The Knicks should run some 3-4 or 4-5 pick-and-rolls to get the long-limbed George off Anthony’s case, and let ‘Melo get the ball on the move versus slower defenders in West and Hibbert. If the Knicks can’t get those mismatches, Shumpert (assuming he’s healthy) needs to take advantage of his mismatch with West. Anthony also has the size and strength to back up George, so he should look to post him up instead of face-up, where George has been so effective in denying Anthony. Going to the post and forcing help should open up other looks on the outside or inside, and Anthony needs to be a willing passer to hit open teammates instead of forcing shots over the brick wall that has been Roy Hibbert.

The Pacers’ defense works hard to deny three-point opportunities and baskets in the paint, and the Knicks have been too happy to accept mid-range jumpshots. Felton, Prigioni, Smith, and Anthony are all talented ball-handlers in pick-and-rolls, and if they attack the pick-and-roll and go to the basket, they force Indiana’s defense to adjust. With this mindset, eventually, rotations will fail and the Knicks can open up better looks for themselves that they just need to actually knock down.

Led by Carmelo Anthony’s 32 points, the Knicks found a significantly better offensive rhythm in this one, using more diverse sets and getting away from their heavy isolation tendencies. Indiana had their moments where they scored with ease and locked up the Knicks, but New York fought back with a huge 30-2 run from the end of the third quarter to midway through the fourth quarter. The Knicks forced turnovers all game long with intense traps on ball-handlers and later forced the Pacers into arrhythmic jumpers during the second half rally. York’s 33-13 fourth quarter put them in total control of the game, and they were able to rest their usual rotation players and ride out the double-digit victory.

The series goes to Indiana now, all tied up at 1-1. Here’s a look at the individual performances:

Carmelo Anthony – 35 minutes, 32 points, 13-26 FG, 2-5 3FG, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, +20

As Chris Herring pointed out on Twitter, ‘Melo was still mired in something of a shooting slump before a Frank Vogel timeout in the late third quartergave Anthony a chance to drink Mike’s Secret Stuff. Thereafter, Anthony went 6-8 from the field, taking it to the basket for a yam in David West’s face, knocking down mid-range jumpers, and finally, hitting two of those ever-evasive “three-pointers.” Overall, Anthony’s approach was more disciplined and vintage ‘Melo (meaning the ‘Melo of, like, three weeks ago). His defense was less physical, but smarter on David West, and for the most part, when shifted to the perimeter, Anthony made some solid rotations and well-timed traps. Still worried about the shoulder, which clearly caused him pain at some points, but three days rest between games oughta help it somewhat.

Final Grade: B+

Iman Shumpert – 29 minutes, 15 points, 7-11 FG, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, +5

Mmmmmm. Blowing the Pacers out in the fourth quarter only sweetens that delightful jam Shump treated us to. Everything about it – the distance he had to run to get there, how far he had to reach to cock it back, the force he threw it down with. Oh man. Shumpert continues to be the Knicks’ best option at two-guard/ small forward, and when he’s hitting open threes, scoring off the dribble, working in the pick-and-roll in limited amounts, and pestering opposing offenses, there are very few Knicks who deserve playing time over him. Shot selection can still be a problem, as is his tendency to get lost on backdoor cuts and screens, but right now, Shumpert has been essential to the things new York has done right.

Final Grade: A

Raymond Felton – 27 minutes, 14 points, 5-9 FG, 2-2 3FG, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 TO, -2

Felton continues to attack any open space he can find on offense. His assists are way down, likely because he’s assuming much less of a play-making role than a scoring role, but he’s doing the latter quite efficiently. No matter the range, really, Felton is hitting, especially around the basket, off curl plays to the free throw line extended, and from downtown. His defense on Indiana’s guards has been (mostly) sturdy, too. It’d be even more magnificent if he could make Indiana pay for sagging off pick-and-rolls by hitting that mid-range pull-up jumper, but we can’t have everything. He got a nice rest in the fourth quarter as Pablo Prigioni took total control of the reins.

Final Grade: B

Pablo Prigioni – 21 minutes, 10 points, 4-4 FG, 2-2 3FG, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 0 turnovers, +23

After a somewhat quiet start, Prigioni had his biggest moments during the Knicks’ 30-2 run in the second half. As mentioned, he took Felton’s place as the conductor of the Knicks’ offense, and while Carmelo Anthony will surely receive the most credit for bursting for 16 of those points, Prigioni made some terrific plays. Whether it was gathering rebounds, hitting ‘Melo for a three in transition, canning a three-pointer and a runner of his own, or dishing from the three-point line to Chandler on a gorgeous alley-oop, Pablo got the train rollin’. Let us not forget his own noteworthy harassment of Indiana’s guards during the run, too. It seems he’s gained Woodson’s trust – finally – and it couldn’t be more deserved.

Final Grade: A

Kenyon Martin – 18 minutes, 10 points, 5-6 FG, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 blocks, +16

Strange how Martin’s efficiency has fluctuated from high at the onset of the Celtics series, to low in that same series, to high, once again in this Indiana series. Martin has mostly held his own defending Indiana’s big men, and what’s stranger, he’s been the best Knick at finishing over and around them. If he can consistently hit a midrange jumper or two, and finish a play in the paint, he’ll continue to be valuable on offense. Just one small complaint on the other end: block shots a little less hard and corral them to yourself, please?

Final Grade: B

Tyson Chandler – 31 minutes, 8 points, 4-5 FG, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, +21

Chandler came away even with Hibbert in this one. After being out-played in Game 1, Tyson looked more active on the boards (despite being out-rebounded, he put a body on Hibbert), deterred some drives, and severely limited Hibbert’s offense. Chandler still needs to flat-out win that matchup each night for the Knicks’ chances in the series to look really good, but nights like tonight are a good start. Also, Chandler did a nice job finishing dunks.

Final Grade: B-

J.R. Smith – 30 minutes, 8 points, 3-15 FG, 1-7 3FG, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 3 TOs, 1 block, +27

Kind of weird that Smith registered the highest +/- of any Knick, but hence why that stat can be misleading in a single game. For the game, the Knicks shot 49.4% FG, 33.3% 3FG, and had seven turnovers. Without Smith, those numbers would have been 55.4% FG and 39.3% 3FG, and their turnovers would’ve been nearly halved. Of course, that isn’t totally fair, but it goes to show that Smith has hurt the Knicks on offense. Credit, though, to J.R. for finding other ways to be effective. He played aggressive, feisty defense, rebounded well, and moved the ball better later in the game.

Final Grade: C-

Quentin Richardson – 5 minutes, 6 points, 2-3 3FG, 1 rebound

Q-Rich hopped off the bench late in the game and launched up some threes, two of which sank to cap the absurdity of the Knicks’ late run.

Final Grade: B-

James White – 5 minutes, 2 points, 1-2 FG, 2 rebounds

White also joined the bench bros who got to run around like kids in a classroom once the teacher leaves. He tipped in a missed shot.

Final Grade: C+

Jason Kidd – 24 minutes, 0 points, 0-3 FG, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 TOs, +20

Despite his complete inability to put the ball through that iron cylinder, Kidd had probably his best game of the playoffs in this one. He came at Indiana’s guards and big men with smart traps, frazzling them with his Venus flytrap hands, and forcing turnovers. He’s mightily non-threatening on offense, but still has the ability to whip around some assists. To cap the third quarter, he dove out-of-bounds to save the ball under the Knicks’ basket, and placed it right in Chandler’s hands for an easy dunk. That felt like a huge play at the time.

Final Grade: C+

Chris Copeland – 11 minutes, 0 points, 0-4 FG, 1 steal

Cope got a little too quick-triggered in launching some threes on pick-and-pop opportunities, but it’s forgivable; the Knicks need him to be aggressive if he’s getting minutes. If Amar’e Stoudemire does indeed return soon, then Copeland probably won’t see minutes beyond garbage time anymore. However, if he does still see court, I’m personally interested in seeing a possible ‘Melo-Copeland-Chandler frontcourt to put a bigger body on West, reduce Anthony’s physical beating, and still spread the floor.

Final Grade: C-

Steve Novak – 5 minutes, 0 points, 0-1 FG

Missed his only attempt in garbage time. Healthy or not, it’s hard to imagine Novak getting minutes in this series. Sorry, Steve.

The Knicks will take on the Pacers Saturday in Indiana.

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After a hot start which saw the Knicks play with tempo and a clear game plan in mind, the Pacers caught up and simply out-worked the Knicks and adjusted far better. New York began the game with a disciplined offensive approach – attack the basket in the pick-and-roll, when the defense collapses, kick it out to shooters. They rang up 27 points on Indiana in the first quarter, but the second quarter began the trouble. Indiana began to work inside-out on offense, punishing the Knicks inside, or draining from the outside when New York’s rotations were slow. On offense, the Knicks hurt themselves by going away from their effective attack in the pick-and-roll, but Indiana’s number-one defense plugged up remaining holes. Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, the two most heavily leaned-upon Knicks, struggled once again, and in doing so, complicated the Knicks’ approach.

Things looked to be turning around early in the third quarter, but quick foul trouble on Anthony relegated him to the bench, and New York sputtered thereafter. The Pacers exposed whatever holes remained in New York’s defense, while the Knicks failed to reach even 20 points in consecutive quarters. Outraged over some poor refereeing and their own incompetence, the Knicks dug themselves into a double-digit hole. They fought back in the fourth quarter, gradually connecting on some jumpers, attacking the basket or at least drawing fouls, and defending with vigor. However, when they needed stops or the momentum-pushing baskets most, the Knicks couldn’t come up with.

Here’s a look at the individual performances:

Carmelo Anthony – 36 minutes, 27 points, 10-28 FG, 1-4 3FG 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 TOs, +2

As mentioned, Anthony picking up his fourth foul early in the third quarter changed the game. The Knicks were struggling, but at the time, it was a single-digit lead. Although Anthony’s offense was hardly effective to that point, his presence alone changes a team’s defense. Without Anthony, the Knicks relied on a lot of pick-and-roll and too much J.R. Smith who connected from the field like dial-up internet during a hurricane. All game – with ‘Melo still in an inexplicably ill-timed shooting slump from downtown – Anthony’s biggest problem (quite literally) was Roy Hibbert’s rim defense. Occasionally, Anthony’s attacks to the rim were denied by straight-up, staunch, clean rim defense. Other times, like on a MASSIVE near-dunk on Hibbert, Anthony was met with slaps to face, wrists, or body-to-body contact. The Knicks’ loss was by no means on the officials, but if half of Anythony’s drives were called for fouls (and they were on about half of them), the game would’ve been much closer. Later, as Anthony resolved to just pulling up from outside, he splashed on some comeback-starting jumpers, but couldn’t finish the deal with the big baskets New York really needed.

Final Grade: C+

Raymond Felton – 38 minutes, 18 points, 8-12 FG, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, -9

Felton continues to be the Knicks’ best option on offense, and his defense has become oddly stingy. Why the Knicks ever went away from Felton high pick-and-rolls in the first half is totally bewildering. For much of the game, when Felton was given a good pick, he wriggled his way into the defense, often finishing with a suddenly accurate floater, or dishing out to the perimeter or for drop-off passes. The Knicks just wouldn’t keep up with these plays for whatever reason. The Knicks won’t win this series if Felton is consistently the best scorer, although it is very appreciated, Ray.

Final Grade: B+

J.R. Smith – 34 minutes, 17 points, 4-15 FG, 2-6 3FG, 7-10 FT, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, -3

J.R. Smith’s fall from grace has come in the form of bricked jumpers, decided isolations, and unfinished drives. Once again, when New York needed a scorer most, Smith let the call go to voicemail (for those keeping score, that’s two phone analogies I’ve made for J.R. in this post). Smith had one strong final quarter in which he defended with gusto, getting over screens and selling fouls with conviction. In said quarter, he also suddenly drained a few jumpers and got to the basket for layups or free throws. Smith has been seen out at night for two public events in two of the last three games. The correlations isn’t definite, but the results haven’t been favorable, either. It’s fair to wonder if Smith’s sense of urgency is where it should be.

Final Grade: C-

Kenyon Martin – 25 minutes, 12 points, 5-8 FG, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, -6

Martin had his moments in this one, finishing some plays around the rim and deterring some drivers. He was often paired with Tyson Chandler in the frontcourt, however, and there was rarely ever any success. Martin actually defended admirably, but even when he and Chandler denied opportunities inside, the Knicks were beaten from the outside. And on offense, the pairing just clogs up space, especially when the Knicks are so dry from outside.

Final Grade: B-

Iman Shumpert – 32 minutes, 11 points, 4-11 FG, 1-4 3FG, 4 rebounds, 3 TOs, -13

Shumpert missed some clean looks from the perimeter that he’d been hitting with regularity thus far in the playoffs. The misses only compounded the Knicks’ offensive struggles. Somewhat similarly, Shumpert had his moments, but guarding Lance Stephenson and Paul George is not like defending Paul Pierce – the prior two can actually move. Again, the Knicks won’t win the series if Anthony and Smith aren’t at their best, but Shumpert needs to be positive X-factor on both ends of the floor if the Knicks want to advance.

Final Grade: C+

Chris Copeland – 8 minutes, 6 points, 2-3 FG, -6

Surprised? So was everyone else, probably. Copeland hardly saw minutes in the Celtics series, but he was suddenly thrown into the mix at the onset of this second round series. Copeland didn’t offer much, but he did hit two threes, which could be a useful skills for this current version of the Knicks. At best, Cope could serve as a surprise to the Pacers who may be unaware of his offensive skills.

Final Grade: C

Tyson Chandler – 28 minutes, 4 points, 2-2 FG, 3 rebounds, 6 PFs, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2 TOs, -8

Chandler coupled a relatively weak performance with two back-breaking blunders in the final minutes of the game. Down eight with under three minutes remaining, the Knicks’ defense forced Indiana into a deep three as the shot-clock expired, as the Knicks went to corral the rebound just before the shot clock expired, Chandler was whistled for a blatant pushing foul on Roy Hibbert during a box-out. On the Pacers’ new 24, Chandler fouled Hibbert after forcing him into a fade-away, 14-footer along the baseline. Hibbert then sank both free throws as the Pacers had knocked about 30 seconds off the clock. Already Chandler had struggled defending and rebounding against the Pacers’ big men. On offense, Chandler’s invisible on his dives to the rim – a fault that’s both he and his teammates’ fault. Like many others, the Knicks need Chandler to be the best center on the court to win this series.

Final Grade: C-

Pablo Prigioni – 22 minutes, 0 points, 0-1 FG, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 TO, +2

What happened to our dear, sweet Pablo from Game 6? Prigioni hardly launched from deep depsite shooting fairly well for the playoffs, and he had clear trouble defending Indiana’s significantly speedier guards than Boston’s. He was, however, part of the Knicks’ uber effective pick-and-roll attack, but part of that is being willing to take open three-pointers when the defense sags off. He still needs time and can help the Knicks more than Jason Kidd, but he needs to regain his aggression.

Final Grade: C+

Jason Kidd – 17 minutes, 0 points, 0-1 FG, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 TO, +4

Ignore Kidd’s +/-; it’s not reflective of his play. Kidd has been ineffective in almost every game of the playoffs to the point where I wouldn’t be wholly upset if he stopped getting playing time. Of course that won’t happen (though credit Mike Woodson for cutting Kidd’s playing time down slightly). He can’t stay in front of guards on offense (he and Prigioni let DJ Augustin drop 16) and he’s a non-factor on offense.

Final Grade: C-

Marcus Camby – 12 seconds, -3

Camby played for 12 seconds at the end of the first half to avoid other big men picking up a foul, and the Knicks were out-scored by three points during that time.

Final Grade: C

The Knicks play Tuesday night in an essential must-win. The scary thought is that the Knicks are three losses away from ending their season. Gulp.

Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith each came up with some important baskets down the stretch, but it was a team effort, one surely not possible without almost immeasurable contributions from the likes of Raymond Felton, Iman Shumpert, Tyson Chandler, and Pablo Prigioni. New York’s staunchy defense (they had only given up 49 points through 38 minutes of the game) collapsed at a terrible time, and the crisp offense that wore the Celtics thin through three quarters came to a halt. Boston raged back like only they can, cutting the lead to four, but as displayed throughout the season, this New York team is different. This New York team sewed it back up, plugged the holes, and rode out the victory for the final four minutes of the game.

Here’s a look at the individual performances:

Carmelo Anthony – 40 minutes, 21 points, 7-23 FG, 1-6 3FG, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 TOs, +5

In the heat of the Celtics’ furious comeback, with the Knicks desperate for a bucket, Anthony was going to have the ball, and he was going to shoot it, narratives and common sense be damned. ‘Melo misfired rather woefully for a good chunk of the game, and in crunch time it wasn’t very different. The trend was so painfully obvious, too. When ‘Melo worked off the ball, running on little curls to the elbows, launching on clean catch-and-shoots, cutting to the basket, he was scoring successfully. Isolating to the waning moments of the shot clock against a great isolation defense… not so great. However, shooters will shoot, and shoot this Knickerbocker did. After missing some lay-ins and committing some egregious turnovers to fuel the Boston fire, Anthony drew some heady fouls for free throws, hit a typical pull-up jumper from midrange, and later sank a huge three-pointer (off a drive-and-kick, mind you) that put the Knicks up nine in the fourth quarter. Good, but goodness gracious, why must it be so difficult?!

Final Grade: C+

Iman Shumpert – 38 minutes, 17 points, 6-9 FG, 3-3 3FG, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, +14

Shumpert’s growth in the playoffs has been an absolute joy to watch, and it’s even earned the praises of Doc Rivers. All game long, Shumpert was sniper-like from beyond the arc, at one point nailing a trey in Jason Terry’s grill and then doing the Terry JET back down the floor. He was aggressive on the dribble-drive, too, which made Boston’s defense collapse and allowed other shooters more room. Furthermore, Shump’s sudden re-invigoration on defense provoked perhaps the most critical play to the Knicks’ saving their series: picking a pass and going end to end for a layup that put New York back up by six.

Final Grade: A+

Pablo Prigioni – 23 minutes, 14 points, 5-9 FG, 4-6 3FG, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 TOs, +11

Prigioni flat-out deserved minutes down the stretch when Jason Kidd nearly stumbled the game away with a bevy of mistakes. Prigioni opened the game launching from downtown and connecting at a considerable clip. His defense was a little less pesty than usual, but it was made up for with clever backdoor cuts and the sweetest set shot stroke on the club. We didn’t see Prigioni past the 9:43 mark in the fourth quarter, but a round of applause for his dynamite play until that point.

Final Grade: B+

J.R. Smith – 31 minutes, 13 points, 5-13 FG, 1-3 3FG, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 TOs, +2

Smith’s stretch as an indispensable member of the rotation has been temporarily discontinued. For most of the series, Smith’s entrance into the game (especially as the cost of Shump or Prigioni’s playing time) and subsequent poor play was met with a lot of angry SMHs and frustrated hand-tossing. It took three-and-a-half more quarters for Smith took get untracked, and after initially laying down the welcome mat for the Celtics’ comeback with some obliviously lazy passes-turned-turnovers, Smith came up with the big bucket. Following Anthony’s three-pointer to push the lead to nine, Smith came up with a driving and-one to put New York up 12, and effectively seal the game. Still, get your act together next round, J.R.

Final Grade: C-

Raymond Felton – 40 minutes, 11 points, 5-14 FG, 1 rebound, 7 assists, 2 steals, 3 TOs, +13

Felton’s worst game of the series came at a bad time, but honestly, the numbers look worse than the performance did. Felton continued his aggressiveness, and if there was a biggest fault in his game (other than having a hand in the Knicks’ late-game meltdown), it was not shoving Anthony and Smith away from the ball and calling Chandler for more pick-and-rolls. His accuracy on jumpers waned as the Celtics mostly went under screens, but when he pressed into the lane, good things happened. Just please, more pick-and-rolls in the next round, Ray.

Final Grade: B+

Tyson Chandler – 33 minutes, 9 points, 4-8 FG, 12 rebounds, 9 off. rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, +12

Chandler has gradually worked himself back into the paint-roaming monster he usually is. Unfortunately, Boston covered up most lob opportunities to get Chandler slammin’. This didn’t prevent Chandler from regaining his tap-out stroke on offensive rebounds, or just collecting them himself and finishing on second-chance opportunities. Nothing came easy in the paint for Tyson, and even though it took him a few games to get his playoff legs, he out-played Kevin Garnett in almost all aspects. He has another sizable challenge waiting for him next round in Roy Hibbert (get it? Sizable!).

Final Grade: A-

Kenyon Martin – 17 minutes, 3 points, 1-2 FG, 0 rebounds, 2 blocks, -4

After dominating the early games of the series, Martin has become almost a total non-factor off the bench. Perhaps it was the matchup, perhaps it was Doc Rivers’s ability to exploit Martin’s weaknesses, but the Knicks were usually pounded on offense and non-threatening on defense when Martin took the floor. Zero rebounds in 17 minutes about sums up Martin’s listless effect on this game.

Final Grade: C-

Jason Kidd – 16 minutes, 0 points, 0-1 FG, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 TOs, -9

Jason Kidd: What the hell, bro?! It seems that Kidd has yet to have a positive impact on any of these games, and this one may have been the worst. In a game the Knicks mostly led by double-digits, Kidd was a team-low -9. Furthermore, his awful fourth quarter stint played a large hand in the Celtics’ comeback. At this point, if Kidd’s best quality is rebounding, just play Prigioni or Shumpert instead, please.

Final Grade: D+

Marcus Camby – 2 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebounds, -4

Camby is getting minutes over Chris Copeland, which is weird. Who knows how Mike Woodson thinks these days. Oh well, if it means Camby is a healthy option at this point, that’s some nice reassurance.

Final Grade: C

The Knicks will move to the second round for the first time since 2000. Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers is Sunday. AHHHHH!!!!!

His basic stats are impressive enough on their own: 18.4 points on 48.8% FG, 4.6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2 turnovers per game in 41.3 minutes per game. In the playoffs, Felton is second on the Knicks in points per game, but he’s beating both Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith in field goal percentage, and by a wide margin as both players are below 40%.

May 1, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) puts up a layup against the Boston Celtics during the first half in game five of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

However, beyond basic stats, Felton’s impact on the series has been notable. He’s third on the team in True Shooting Percentage (of players getting consistent minutes), behind only Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin, both of whom only score at the basket. His effect on the offense is reflected in his Offensive Rating (points per 100 possessions), which is 99.2, according to NBA.com’s stats site – almost three points better than the Knicks’ average OffRtg of 96.3. The only players with better OffRtgs than Felton are Iman Shumpert, Pablo Prigioni, and Chandler, none of whom handle the ball or score as much as Felton.

Felton has also helped lead the squad to a better defense. He ranks fourth on the team (again, of players getting regular minutes, so Quentin Richardson, Marcus Camby, James White, etc. aside) in Defensive Rating – points allowed per 100 possessions – behind only, again, Shumpert, Prigioni, and Chandler. With Felton on the court, the Knicks are allowing 90.7 points, compared to their series average of 91.7 points.

Going back to the offense, however, Felton has helped the Knicks enormously with his ability to get into the lane and score at the basket. The Celtics’ only shot-blocking threat is Kevin Garnett, and he has even lost a step on his ability to keep up with penetrating guards. Thus far, he hasn’t had any effect on Felton’s drives to the basket, as 58.7% of Felton’s field goals in the playoffs have come inside the paint.

One would imagine that Felton’s penetration would have opened up the Knicks’ dynamic three-point game, but so far the Knicks have struggled to get those looks they knocked down so regularly during the season. In the postseason, the Knicks are shooting just 31.7% from three-point range and are knocking down an average of 7 threes on 24 attempts per game. In contrast, they shot 37.9% from downtown in the regular season, with about 11 made threes on 29 attempts per game. Part of this has been the team-wide shooting slump from beyond the arc. Only Shumpert and Steve Novak are shooting above 40% 3FG, but they only combine for four total attempts per game. Elsewhere, Jason Kidd, Prigioni, Felton, Smith, and Anthony are shooting a combined 30.5% on a combined 21 attempts per game.

However, credit must be given to the Celtics’ defense. Their strategy has appeared to concede drives (and the occasional Chandler alley-oop) to Felton, while denying the Knicks’ drive-kick-and-swing offensive philosophy. Take this Felton-Chandler alley-oop from Game 5, for example:

Notice that while Chandler and Felton run the pick-and-roll, Garnett and Avery Bradley try to double and trap Felton, thus leaving Chandler open. However, the Celtics don’t send any perimeter help to try and contain Chandler’s roll to the basket and subsequent throwdown. Brandon Bass, Paul Pierce, and Jeff Green all stay glued to Anthony, Smith, and Shumpert, respectively. Make no mistakes that the Celtics would like to find a way to deny the Knicks’ pick-and-roll, but they appear willing to give up two points than allowing the Knicks to get open looks from downtown.

Even on this Felton drive, the Celtics’ perimeter defenders don’t make any concentrated effort to deny Felton’s drive. Though they left some space for the Knicks’ shooters behind the line, the Celtics still cut off an easy angles for Felton to make a drive-and-kick pass out to his teammates.

Considering this staunch, responsible defensive strategy by the Celtics, Felton has taken advantage as well as anyone could expect. His dribble penetration has carried the Knicks’ offense for stretches and has denied the Celtics’ from completely shutting off all of the Knicks’ options. However, with some help from Mike Woodson and his teammates, the load on Felton’s shoulders should lighten. He’s been arguably the Knicks’ best player in the first round series, but if the Knicks want to go deep in the playoffs, he shouldn’t have to be playing that role.

Follow Scott Davis for Knicks coverage on Twitter: @WScottDavis

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Apr 28, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics shooting guard Jason Terry (4) reacts after making a three-point basket against the New York Knicks during game four of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Knicks’ offense to open up a double-digit lead, and push it to 20 early in the third quarter. However, the Knicks battled back, led by a rejuvenated offense suddenly able to find holes in Boston’s defense. It wasn’t a roaring comeback; instead, it took the Knicks almost the entire second half until they finally took a two-point lead in the final two minutes. However, Kevin Garnett hit a clutch jumper to tie it, the Knicks missed their opportunities to go back ahead, and Paul Pierce missed a jumper in the final seconds to win it. In overtime, Jason Terry came up big for the Celtics, sinking back-to-back shots to put Boston up five, and the Knicks missed several attempts to come back into the game. The two teams had back to New York for Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Here are player report cards for the game:

Carmelo Anthony – 45 minutes, 36 points, 10-35 FG, 0-7 3FG, 16-20 FT, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 7 TOs, -10

Carmelo Anthony reverted back to old bad habits for a good part of the game, often times hurting the Knicks’ offense. His hands grew far too sticky on numerous occasions, and for the better part of the game, settled for jumpers he wasn’t canning. Obviously missing all seven of his three-pointers hurt the Knicks offense, but he missed some vital free throws in the fourth quarter as well. Interspersed in this general deficiency, however, were some shining moments, such as getting to the foul line 20 times, attacking the basket for easier shots and to draw fouls, and some solid one-on-one defense. Down the stretch, though, when the Knicks needed ‘Melo at his best, he was close to his worst.

Final Grade: C-

Raymond Felton – 48 minutes, 27 points, 10-21 FG, 4-9 3FG, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 TOs, -4

Felton, on the other hand, just added on to an already great series. For much of the game, Felton was the Knicks’ most efficient player on offense, shooting the ball very well, and eventually playing a hand in the probing of the Celtics’ defense that helped the Knicks start scoring to get back into the game. Much of the Knicks’ comeback could be attributed to Felton, especially his 16-point third quarter outburst, punctuated by a 30-foot bomb to end the quarter. His man defense was on-point, coming up with some timely steals and pressuring the Celtics’ ball-handlers for a good portion of the game. It’s a shame that one of Felton’s best individual performances of the season came in a loss.

Final Grade: A

Iman Shumpert – 44 minutes, 12 points, 5-13 FG, 12 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, +5

Mike Woodson’s utilization of Shumpert has always been a little short-leashed considering what Shump can bring to the floor. But Game 4 saw Woodson let Shumpert prove himself on the floor in critical moments, and Shump mostly delivered. Though he bricked some open looks early in the game, he found his stroke – including a couple of late-game threes – was active on the boards, and played rookie-season-style, aggressive defense. In general, Shumpert’s game is almost always dictated by his own aggressiveness, and if he continues attacking on both ends, he’ll warrant more big minute games.

Final Grade: B

Tyson Chandler- 31 minutes, 5 points, 2-3 FG, 11 rebounds, 1 blocks, -6

Thus far, Game 4 was the most normal looking Tyson Chandler we’ve seen in the series. His patented Tyson tap-backs were in full bloom, giving the Knicks very critical extra possessions, he defended the rim and most pick-and-rolls actively, and even threw down a beautiful alley-oopfrom Felton. One small complaint: roll to the basket harder to suck in Boston’s defense or open up his own looks in the pick-and-roll.

Apr 28, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) works to shoot against Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett (5) during the third quarter in game four of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Final Grade: B+

Kenyon Martin – 22 minutes, 4 points, 2-4 FG, 6 rebounds, -1

Martin wasn’t able to rekindle his early series effectiveness. Though he was competent on offense in this one, the Celtics seemed more intent on attacking the rim when Martin was in, and despite his violent swat attempts, he actually doesn’t do that much for New York’s defense. Sometimes a little dose of K-Mart is exactly what the game calls for, but other times, he just doesn’t bring that much. Thankfully in those times, the Knicks now have a healthy Chandler.

Final Grade: C

Pablo Prigioni – 28 minutes, 3 points, 1-6 FG, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 1 TO, +1

Prigioni’s gnat-like qualities were on full display in this one. Prigioni pestered ball-handlers and inbound passers with his quick hands and clever tactics, earning him a few minutes of air-time discussion about what type of bug he really is. Though he missed mostly good looks, his presence of the floor seemed to help the Knicks on both ends, and he arguably deserved to be playing at the end of the game instead of Kidd.

Steve Novak – 7 minutes, 3 points, 1-3 FG, 1 rebounds, -9

Novak’s contributions were pretty limited, but he was a part of a pretty futile group that flat-lined to begin the miserable second quarter. The Celtics are simply too disciplined to leave Novak unguarded, and his impact elsewhere isn’t felt.

Final Grade: D+

Jason Kidd – 37 minutes, 0 points, 0-3 FG, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 TOs, -5

Kidd’s three-pointer has disappeared at a bad time, but his presence on the boards, ability to cover multiple positions on defense, and do things like telling Felton to stop complaining to officials are all pretty great. He was effective in this one, though his minutes were definitely boosted by J.R. Smith’s absence, and it still seems like Prigioni could’ve brought more on offense.

Final Grade: B-

Quentin Richardson – 3 minutes, 0 points, 0-2 FG

Richardson’s impact on Game 4 of this series will, for me, forever be represented by his smacking the ball off the bottom of the rim on a reverse layup attempt. That, and seemingly trash talking Paul Pierce from the Knicks bench late in the game.

5.) Two-handed jam vs. Utah Jazz:

Smith’s favorite time to bust out his best moves is garbage time. Without fail, Smith always delivers some type of highlight play when the game’s fate has already been sealed, usually in the Knicks’ favor. In a home blowout of the Jazz this spring, Smith took to the rack with a stylish, two-hand smash.

4.) Game-winner in Charlotte:

Despite Carmelo Anthony’s reputation as a top closer in the game, Smith came up with a number of big shots at the end of games this year, and his buzzer-beater over tight defense from Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was pretty spectacular.

3.) Explosion vs. Oklahoma City Thunder:

When the Knicks welcomed the Thunder into town, the outcome didn’t look good for the Knicks. Carmelo Anthony was sitting out after injuring his knee, and the Knicks had been playing mediocre ball for the last month and a half. However, short-handed against an excellent Thunder squad, J.R. Smith delivered an electric offensive performance. The Knicks lost the game, and Smith actually missed the game-winner, but he carried the team for most of the game and treated fans to some tantalizing moves.

2.) Alley-oop vs. San Antonio Spurs

Smith’s best blowout shenanigans came in a home stomping of the Spurs. As the Knicks pushed the lead towards 20 in the final quarter, Smith rose up for an absurdly athletic, reverse alley-oop that set the Garden ablaze.

1.) Game-winner over Phoenix

This game-winner buzzer-beater takes precedence over the one in Charlotte because of the surrounding circumstances. The Knicks lost to the Lakers the night before, were without Carmelo Anthony the whole game, and needed two big buckets from Smith, plus a defensive stop in order to take home the win. The sheer difficult of the catch, turn, and shot is admirable, too.

It’s been quite the season for J.R!

However, when the Knicks were at their lowliest, giving up an 11-1 run to the Celtics near the end of the third quarter, they turned it around. They cut that lead to three before the fourth quarter began, and in the final 12 minutes, the Knicks out-executed and out-hustled the Celtics in nearly every fashion. The tide turned at the start of the fourth quarter where the Knicks used a highly energetic burst to keep possessions alive with a multitude of offensive rebounds from Kenyon Martin and Raymond Felton. Coupled with some costly Boston turnovers, the Knicks simply got more possessions and took advantage of them with big baskets from Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, and Martin.

Here’s a look at the individual performances:

Carmelo Anthony – 41 minutes, 36 points, 13-29 FG, 4-6 3FG, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, 3 TOs, -3

Anthony kicked off the playoffs about as dreamily as anyone could have imagined -  with a 4-4 start, at one point draining back-to-back three-pointers to set the Garden ablaze. Shortly thereafter, however, ‘Melo was constrained by physical defense from Jeff Green and Brandon Bass, and a mid-range jumper that wouldn’t fall. For the better part of the game, Anthony actually hurt the Knicks’ offense by holding the ball for too long, isolating, and settling for tough, contested jumpers (not that he was getting the calls when he got bullied around the basket). Regardless, when the fourth quarter came around, he turned it around. He dropped in eight of the Knicks’ 18 fourth-quarter points on 4-5 shooting, and sealed the game with a lovely assist to a cutting Kenyon Martin for the layup. Hopefully the fourth quarter proves to be a wake-up call for Anthony not to deviate from his season-long unselfishness and overall brilliance on offense.

Final Grade: B

J.R. Smith – 32 minutes, 15 points, 7-19 FG, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 TOs, 0 +/-

Smith proved to be a big boost off the bench when he checked in early in the first quarter. A driving slam in Jeff Green’s mouth and his usual antics on step-backs and whirly drives to the rim excited the crowd and sparked the Knicks’ offense. However, later in the game, Smith puked away some precious opportunities by laying bricks on open three-point attempts. What could have gone down as a late-game choke, however, was redeemed when Smith trailed a fastbreak by the Celtics and stole back a critical possession, and later came up with game-changing and-one, absurdly athletic layup.

Final Grade: B-

Raymond Felton – 43 minutes, 13 points, 5-13 FG, 1-3 3FG, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 TOs, +16

With Pablo Prigioni sidelined for Game 1, Felton logged a ton of minutes, but they were generally fruitful minutes. Though he missed some bunnies at the rim and floaters in the paint, Felton mostly commandeered the offense to the best of his abilities; most shortcomings were not the result of his own incompetence. Likewise, on defense, Felton gave the Knicks many more opportunities to score (especially in the first half) by coming up with great steals on fronts and switches, tapping away passes, or even blocking Avery Bradley’s jumper. Though he could’ve been more aggressive in trying to evade Boston’s hedging and trapping in the pick-and-roll, Felton was pretty careful with his dribble and passes, and put the Knicks in good position to score for a majority of the game.

Final Grade: B+

Kenyon Martin – 28 minutes, 10 points, 4-7 FG, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, -1

Martin returned from a brief absence due to an ankle injury and played huge minutes in Tyson Chandler’s stead (more on that later). His hustle in the fourth quarter gave the Knicks some much-needed second and third attempts at the basket, and he came up with two huge buckets of his own: a put-back and-one layup off an offensive board, and a crafty slip of the pick-and-roll late in the game, in which ‘Melo hit him with the pass for the easy lay-in. Earlier, however, Martin was just as great, at one time swatting Jason Terry’s dunk attempt away, and another, finding himself open on a pick-and-roll for a rim-shaking dunk. Yeah, Kenyon Martin was pretty awesome today.

Final Grade: A

Jason Kidd – 35 minutes, 8 points, 2-6 FG, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, -5

Kidd’s only two baskets came in the first half, and they were important, momentum-busting three-pointers. And while his offense faded later in the game, his playing time did not. And it wasn’t just as a result of Prigioni’s absence. Kidd proved incredibly valuable in the game-changing fourth quarter as he came up with some big rebounds, and some oh-so crucial steals on defense. Deflections, strips, and just out-right mid-pass swipes – Kidd’s defense represented a suddenly stingy effort from the Knicks on that end late in the game. Though Woodson’s insistence on playing Kidd big minutes has been questioned before, Kidd’s worth will undoubtedly be felt in the playoffs where he is just never rattled.

Final Grade: B+

Iman Shumpert – 22 minutes, 3 points, 1-2 FG, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4 TOs, +8

It’s important to remember that this is only Shumpert’s first whole playoff game. Considering his only playoff experience came in a blowout where he tore is ACL, it’s understandable that the flat-topped one looked a little shaken by the intensity of the game. He seemed hesitant to pull from deep (though he hit one of two attempts), and he seemed unsure of what to do whenever he tried to create for himself. Some silly turnovers pulled him out of Woodson’s rotation, and when he picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter, he was done for good.

Final Grade: C

Tyson Chandler – 20 minutes, 0 points, 0-0 FG, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, +8

The excitement of the comeback win will block out worries about Chandler for a little while, but when the excitement wears off, we’ll all feel nervous. Chandler, perhaps from injury, perhaps from missing most of the last month, looked immobile and out-of-sync on the floor. His rotations weren’t as crispy as usual, his dives to the basket in the pick-and-roll created little space or attention, and by the second half, he was almost totally ineffective. Martin filled his shoes more than admirably, but let’s just hope Chandler was getting used to the flow of the game.

Final Grade: C

Chris Copeland – 13 minutes, 0 points, 0-3 FG, 1 rebound, 1 steal, +11

It’s a little unfair of Mike Woodson to ask Copeland, who hardly received consistent PT this season, to suddenly start against the Celtics in the playoffs. His +/- is inflated by being on the floor for the Knicks’ hot start, but he was almost invisible for the duration of the game. Missing arrhythmic jumpers is one thing; tripping on a fastbreak smells strongly of a nervous rookie thinking of what he’s going to do too much.

Final Grade: D+

Steve Novak – 5 minutes, 0 points, 0-0 FG, +1

The Celtics, and moreover, Doc Rivers, are far too disciplined to just leave Novak alone for three-pointers. Just like last postseason, if Novak wants shot attempts, the Knicks will have to run plays for him, give him screens, and make him move. Otherwise, he’ll just be a floor-spacer and a guy the defense attacks.

Well, three quarters of aggravating, nerve-racking basketball led to an impressive comeback in the fourth quarter. The Knicks lead the series, still hold homecourt, and have now gotten their feet wet. We’ll anxiously await Game 2 on Tuesday.

Follow Scott Davis on Twitter: @WScottDavis

Apr 5, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks player Carmelo Anthony shoots 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

Anthony is coming off likely his best season in the NBA – a belief supported by analysts, coaches, teammates, and Anthony himself. ‘Melo logged his second highest points per game total in his career with 28.7 ppg on 45% shooting, and a career high 38% shooting from beyond the arc. Anthony’s dynamic offensive season has led to the Knicks’ offense going to him on over a third of their possessions. This season, Anthony had a usage percentage (USG%) of 35.3%, according to the NBA’s stat site. According to Hoopdata, in the past six seasons, Anthony has never logged a USG% above 33.4% (it’s important to note that this metric may not have been tracked before 2007, so it’s possible that Anthony could have logged a higher USG% in earlier seasons).

However, what ‘Melo chose to do with these possessions is even more important. As mentioned, Anthony’s scoring was absolutely torrid this season. In 67 games, he scored 40 or more points eight different times (one of those games being a 50-point eruption in Miami). He scored 30 or more points 31 times this season – nearly half of his total games. Though his offensive attack hasn’t changed much, it has generally improved. His shooting percentages – FG%, 3FG%, FT% – all improved since last season, and this year, he made life easier on himself. According to the NBA’s stat site, 40% of Anthony’s made field goals were assisted, and 60% were unassisted – an improvement from last year’s 38%-62% marks. In wins, however, Anthony’s assisted vs. unassisted numbers changed to 44% and 56%, respectively, which increased his overall shooting numbers to 46.5% FG and 39% from three-point range.

Anthony’s overall more efficient attack has improved he and the team’s overall offense. According to nbawowy.com, Anthony’s two highest percentage of shot locations were from 0-3 feet (28% of his overall attempts) and from three-point range (27% of his attempts). Whereas in previous years, Anthony was criticized for his tendency to hold the ball, stop the offense, and settle for deep jumpers (an inefficient shot), his attack has been more team-geared, and he’s made a point to get to the basket or shoot three-pointers.

All of this stands to highlight what he’s done for the Knicks’ overall offense. With Anthony on the floor, the Knicks offensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions) was 110.5, which tops the best mark in the league, the Miami Heat at 110.3. The Knicks, for the season, had an offensive efficiency of 108.6, third best in the league, per NBA stats. The Knicks’ overall offense functioned better with Anthony on the floor, and his teammates’ field goal percentages reflect this.

According to nbawowy.com, with Anthony on the floor, the Knicks other top seven most played players – Raymond Felton, Tyson Chandler, J.R. Smith, Steve Novak, Iman Shumpert, Jason Kidd, and Pablo Prigioni – shot a collective 47.7% on two-point field goals and 39% from downtown. On the season, the Knicks shot 44.8% total and 37.6% from deep, so Anthony’s presence alone greatly increased the team’s offense.

Apr 5, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) is defended by Milwaukee Bucks power forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (12) and point guard Brandon Jennings (3) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. New York Knicks defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 101-83. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

Even though Anthony’s assists per game were tied for a career-low this season, and his assist percentage (teammate field goals a player assists on – AST%) was markedly lower than previous years, Anthony’s offensive prowess was simply enough of a distraction to put opposing defenses in a bind – leave Anthony alone to score on a helpless defender, or double Anthony and risk leaving teammates open. This year, the eye test alone witnessed a much more willing passer in ‘Melo, as he consistently passed the ball out of double-teams instead of forcing the shot. Often times, Anthony’s passes out of the double-teams didn’t lead to assists, however. These escape passes usually led to a series of passes to find an open shooter as defenses scrambled to recover. This action supports Anthony’s lower assists numbers despite his clear willingness to pass.

In the playoffs, the Knicks and Anthony must continue these practices. They will face a tough defense in the Boston Celtics, and then, likely, equally stingy defenses in the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat (assuming they make it there, of course). On the season, the Knicks as a whole shot 47% and 40% from deep in wins. Those numbers fell to 41% and 33%, respectively, in losses. Too often the Knicks have a tendency to revert to one-on-one, stagnant offense, usually led by Anthony, and followed by players like Smith and Felton. The key to the Knicks’ winning ways, however, was always unselfishness, rapid ball movement, and accurate marksmanship from beyond the arc.

Anthony must lead the way for the Knicks in these playoffs, but it’s a two-way street. Anthony’s own prowess begins with his accuracy from all points on the court. When ‘Melo is hitting his shots, defenses react to his presence, which then opens up opportunities for the Knicks. If Anthony is unselfish and passes out of doubling defenses, his open teammates have to hit their shots, especially three-pointers. If so, the Knicks’ offense will be too much to overcome for many teams, and can win them a handful of games by itself.

Feb. 10, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) high fives New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Clippers won 102-88. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a wild ride, too. There was a hot start to begin the season, as the Knicks took everyone by surprise and emerged as contenders in the Eastern Conference. In the middle, plagued by injuries, adjusting to new members of the rotation, the Knicks struggled, playing only .500 basketball and appearing as mere shadows of their November-December selves. Then, out of nowhere, still lacking normal bodies in their rotation, the Knicks, led by Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, got scorching hot and have thus far gone 14-2 through their final 16 games.

So, with the end of the regular season hours away, here’s a look back at the top 10 moments of the 2012-13 season:

10.) Blowout of the San Antonio Spurs at MSG (1/3/13):

A blowout of the Spurs never feels quite as satisfying since there’s no bad blood between the teams (unless you cling desperately to that Finals loss in ’98-99). Nonetheless, blowing out the top team in the Western Conference on your home floor is a good time. The Knicks didn’t let a single Spur score over 12 points, and generally put up one of their best defensive performances, holding the Spurs to 83 points on 36% shooting. J.R. Smith stole the show with a big chase-down block, and the whole blowout culminated with, perhaps, his best alley-oop as a Knick.

9.) Win over Golden State Warriors, despite Stephen Curry’s 54 points (2/27/13):

It says something when an opponent’s performance makes a game worth remembering. Mired in some disappointingly average play, the Knicks took on the Warriors in a nationally televised game, and had to fight until the final moments to overcome an absolute explosion from Steph Curry. The young point guard put on a delightfully torturous show in front of the MSG crowd, dropping 54 points, including 11-13 shooting from deep. But there were the Knicks fighting right back. Tyson Chandler pulled down 28 boards; Raymond Felton, after getting torched all night, came up with a big block on Curry down the stretch; and Carmelo Anthony and J.R. smith combined for 61 points and hit a number of big buckets in the fourth quarter to spoil Curry’s eruption.

8.) Knicks blowout Heat in Miami with abundance of threes (12/6/12):

Another nationally televised contest, another win for the Knicks. Minus Carmelo Anthony, the Heat with a full roster, the Knicks didn’t seem to have much hope of winning this one. After struggling in the first half to contain the Heat, however, the Knicks poured it on by simply firing away from deep. Led by Raymond Felton’s 27 points on 6-10 shooting from three-point range, the Knicks just ran away with it. They dropped in a total of 18 treys on 44 attempts, and beat the Heat by 20 points in Miami. It was the Knicks’ second stomping of the heat on the season.

7.) J.R. Smith game-winner in Charlotte (12/5/12):

It was the night before the aforementioned miracle in Miami, and the Knicks were supposed to get an easy win over the Bobcats. However, the Bobcats gave the Knicks all they could handle, at times leading New York by as many as 10 points. After Carmelo Anthony hurt his finger diving into the bench to save a loose ball, the Knicks turned to their defense down the stretch to force the Bobcats into a bevy of critical turnovers. New York forced a five-second violation on an inbounds which led to a Felton layup on the other end to even the game. Then, after stealing the ball and calling a timeout, with 3.4 seconds remaining, the Knicks put the ball in Smith’s hands. Game.

6.) Opening night beatdown of the Heat (11/2/12):

That second blowout of the Heat preceded this for a number of reasons. The Knicks kicked off the NBA season (after it was delayed by Hurricane Sandy in October) by swiftly stomping the Heat on their home floor. Always nice. Furthermore, those 18 threes they hit in Miami? One less than what they hit opening night in MSG. That’s right, 19 three-pointers in their NBA seasn debut, and a 20-point blowout of the reigning champions. Carmelo Anthony led the show with a scintillating start to the season that reeked of a this-is-my-house message to the rest of the NBA.

5.) J.R. Smith game-winner in Phoenix (12/26/12):

Minus Carmelo Anthony and Raymond Felton, the Knicks had to scrape one in Phoenix the day after Christmas. Jason Kidd and Smith both came up with heroic performances to give New York the win, notching 23 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 27 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, respectively. While the game on a whole wasn’t quite so memorable, the finish was electric. Smith came up with a near-impossible shot to tie the game at 97; Kidd forced a turnover on Phoenix’s final possession; Smith took the Knicks home with another high-degree-of-difficulty shot along the baseline at the buzzer.

4.) Big win over Thunder in Oklahoma City (4/7/13):

Again, not much of a rivalry between these two, but facing the top team in the Western Conference always makes for an exciting nationally televised showdown. It also put the Knicks’ win streak on the line and featured the top two scorers in the NBA, Anthony and Kevin Durant. The Knicks had a tough time defending the Thunder’s explosive attack, but New York retaliated with perhaps their own most explosive offensive performance of the season. The Knicks got huge offensive performances all around, including 37 points from Anthony, and a combined 55 points off the bench. It was an all-around team effort that featured big plays from Felton and Chandler, and critical baskets from ‘Melo, Kidd, and Smith, who hit the biggest shot of the day, once again.

3.) Comeback in San Antonio (11/15/12):

Seems weird to have two games/moments against a team that has no rivalry with the Knicks. However, down 12 with seven minutes to go, the game’s fate seemingly wrapped up, the Knicks exploded. Raymond Felton’s dribble penetration set up layups for himself, back-to-back deep threes for Jason Kidd, a dunk for Tyson Chandler, and a game-sealing three from Smith. The Spurs, seemingly awestruck at their own collapse, suddenly faltered fatally down the stretch and had no answer for the sudden onslaught from the Knicks. It came on a night when nothing would drop for ‘Melo, too, but the rest of the team picked up the slack and continued their win streak to open the season.

2.) ‘Melo drops 50 on the Heat (4/2/13):

Regardless of whether Miami sat LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Mario Chalmers, this same Heat lineup had beaten the Spurs in San Antonio the game before. The Knicks needed a win to keep the Pacers at bay, and they got a tremendously huge performance from Anthony. From the start, Anthony whipped the nets on catch-and-shoots and pull-up jumpers from all over the floor. On top of it, not a single basket within the paint. His right hand was hot enough to fry an egg, and the Heat hadn’t an answer to his insanely sizzling stroke. Even better, down the stretch, when Miami forced the ball out of his hands, J.R. Smith and Raymond Felton both came up with big baskets to put Miami away and give the Knicks an important win.

1.) ‘Melo’s 45, Kidd’s game-winner in Brookyln (12/11/12:

Nov. 26, 2012; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) shoots over Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) during the first half at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

The most talked-about confrontation in the offseason began with a dud as the season-opener was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy, and the first meeting was a sort of anti-climactic Nets win. The second game was the type of showcase the NBA dreamed of when the two teams became inner-city rivals. After falling behind by double-digits in the first half, the Knicks stormed back behind an amped up defense and another scoring outburst from ‘Melo. No matter the defender, Anthony splashed nets from inside and out, off the bounce and off the catch for a then-season-high of 45 points. Down the stretch, however, it was Jason Kidd that came to the rescue with a four-point play (that should’ve been an offensive foul, but whatever; we’ll take it) that put the Knicks up three with 24 seconds to play. The Nets squandered two opportunities to tie the game, and the Knicks got their signature win of the season.

Runner-Ups:

- Blowout over Boston in MSG

- ‘Melo’s first-half explosion over the Lakers

- Tyson Chandler dunks all over the Nets at MSG

What moments did we miss? Comment below and tell us your thought on the Knicks’ best moments of the season!

Follow Scott Davis on Twitter: @WScottDavis

Nevertheless, the Knicks and the Bobcats completed a game. With New York resting Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, Raymond Felton, and Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin still inactive, the young, spry, mostly healthy Bobcats took advantage of a short-handed squad simply playing out the minutes. The Knicks only played seven players (more on that below), and from the get-go, their lack of offense, inability to stop Charlotte’s penetration, and general lack of motivation wasn’t enough to carry them to win number 54 on the season or a sweep of their season series with Charlotte.

Here’s a look at the individual performances with player report cards:

Chris Copeland – 47 minutes, 32 points, 12-25 FG, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Without any other consistent shot-creators, Copeland’s hands got extra sticky tonight on his way to a new career-high in points. Copeland did his work in a variety of ways – inside on post-ups, off the dribble from all ranges, and deep (4-8 from beyond the arc). It still remains a mystery how much spin Cope will get in the playoffs (it probably depends on the health of New York’s other big men), but he’s filled in ably in recent games, and his scoring touch has been pleasant revelation this season.

Final Grade: A-

Steve Novak – 41 minutes, 17 points, 6-9 FG, 5-7 3FG, 7 rebounds

Novak’s well-groomed touch tonight helped erase a generally disheartening inability to stop any one of the Bobcats that came at him on defense. First it was John McRoberts and Gerald Henderson blowing by him to the rim, then it was Kemba Walker teasing him on some dribble-dribble-stepbacks that he’s oh-so-smooth at, and even getting posted up by Bismack Biyombo. But hey – 7 rebounds!

Final Grade: B

James White – 43 minutes, 15 points, 5-9 FG, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Arguably the prettiest stat line of the night, and I’m guessing a career-high in minutes, cheers to James White looking like a competent basketball player! White’s baskets all seemed kind of difficult to come by, but when they did, there were nice. A side-step into a dunk in transition, a turn-around jumper on the baseline… very nice, James.

Final Grade: B

Iman Shumpert – 42 minutes, 14 points, 5-16 FG, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 3 TOs

With Felton sitting out and Pablo Prigioni starting at point guard, Shumpert saw a lot more time on the ball. At times, this led to some scintillating dribble drives – a double-crossover into a layup and another Dr. J-esque reverse come to mind – and other times it led to bad shots and ineffective kick-outs. It was a little disappointing not to see Shump take on a larger role as a scorer and passer given the Knicks’ short-handedness, but he, too, was in coast mode, knowing the game meant next to nothing, and he needs to conserve himself for the playoffs.

Final Grade: C+

Pablo Prigioni – 42 minutes, 9 points, 3-9 FG, 8 assists, 1 steal

Prigioni probably preferred to not play 42 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back – his body language kinda reflected it, to be honest – but here we are. Prigs struggled to stay in front of any Bobcat he switched onto, couldn’t much find the range on his jumper, and was even more hesistant than usual to bust into the paint for some dribble penetration. As the game wore on, however, he threw some lovely dimes, and once again I was left thinking about what it’d be like if he came to the NBA five years ago.

Final Grade: C+

Jason Kidd – 21 minutes, 6 points, 2-8 FG, 2 rebounds, 6 assists

A+ for his 30-foot banker to beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter. The rest of his game was a bit listless, but if not for the Knicks’ dwindling available bodies, Kidd probably wouldn’t have played, either.

Final Grade: C

Rasheed Wallace – 4 minutes, 2 points, 1-3 FG

Rasheed Wallace was an assumed goner for the season, then all of the sudden, he popped up yesterday, and tonight he played… for almost four minutes. ‘Sheed hopped off the bench, promptly hit a deep turn-around jumper, and returned to the bench minutes later after air-balling a three-pointer, and getting blocked at the rim. He didn’t return because of a sore foot (the one he had operated on this year), and evidently didn’t speak to media. When we’ll see ‘Sheed again remains a mystery, but as Knicks fans, we can all cherish those first ten seconds tonight.

Final Grade: B-

Please excuse the general brevity and disinterest. Today’s events took the fun away from what could’ve been a relaxing, meaningless blowout, and it was a bit hard to get too into this game. I have friends and acquaintances in Boston, and thankfully, they’re all OK, but my heart goes out to anyone and everyone affected by the explosions today. These events serve to remind how lucky we are for our general safety and how quickly things can change in life. I wish everyone the best out there.

The Knicks end their regular season Wednesday night back in New York against Atlanta.

However, what’s developing now, is that the shoulder-load of healthy players has increased to stressful levels due to the dwindling ranks. The Knicks’ short-handedness up front last night in Chicago led to Carmelo Anthony, Chris Copeland, and J.R. Smith playing heavy minutes out of position. Fortunately, the Bulls were without two of their big men in Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson, so the Knicks weren’t too badly beaten up by considerably larger opponents.

However, because of the short rotation – James White was the only active player not to get off the bench last night – important players are logging heavy minutes. Carmelo Anthony played 45 of the 53 total minutes, J.R. Smith played for 42 minutes, and Jason Kidd, a player who clearly plays better when given rest, logged 37 minutes. Raymond Felton almost played the entire game – 49 minutes – and strained his knee on the opening tip of overtime. Though Felton has claimed that he’ll play tonight, the Knicks now have another important player limping into the regular season’s finale.

According to multiple sources, the Knicks will cut Kurt Thomas today in order to sign Solomon Jones, which will at least add one more healthy big body into the mix. Jones had had a few stints as a third string big man in the NBA, and may actually see some minutes if Chandler and Martin don’t play the four remaining games in the regular season.

Going into Cleveland to play tonight, the second night of a back-to-back, the Knicks aren’t even in a position to rest their top guns. Even if they were willing to concede loss and rest, say, Felton and Anthony, that would leave only seven active players, assuming Jones won’t be with the team yet. Again, the problem remains that missing players from the rotation only further adds to the burden of the healthy players and puts them at risk of injuring themselves by playing heavy minutes.

The absence of Chandler and Martin has seriously hurt the Knicks as both players have become part of New York’s most used, most efficient lineups. Chandler, of course, provides the backbone of the defense, a threat in the pick-and-roll, and presence on the offensive boards to give the Knicks new possessions. Martin, in his short time in New York, has become a physical presence, capable of finishing around the basket, and while he’s not an integral part of the Knicks’ defense, surprisingly, he does his best to protect the basket, and he’s able to switch onto smaller players.

If Felton is indeed seriously injured, it’s obvious how it will affect the Knicks’ currently scorching offense, and furthermore, their overall rotations.

Right now the Knicks are in a precarious position between wanting to win games and retain the second seed, and trying to keep players healthy. It’s an unenviable position for coach Mike Woodson, and one that could face serious repercussions either way. Just get healthy, Knicks. Please.

In the first half, when the Knicks’ threes were falling, New York was able to withstand a fairly sluggish Bulls’ offense. But as the Knicks got progressively colder, their attempts to move within the arc were ill-fated as were their chances at getting new possessions with offensive rebounds. Furthermore, the lack of size almost ensured automatic paint points for the Bulls, and when their deep shots started falling, they were able to spread the Knicks’ defense thin. However, New York still battled after blowing a 17-point lead and falling behind by as many as seven points. A series of quick inside buckets from J.R. Smith and some clutch free throws and big stops brought the Knicks to overtime. However, the Knicks’ short rotation, lack of interior presence, and icy strokes buried them into a bigger hole in overtime, this on inescapable.

While disappointing, the loss doesn’t mean much for the Knicks. They still hold over a game lead on Indiana for second place, the Bulls further solidified their hold on fifth place, and the Knicks have already locked up the Atlantic Division already. The streak was going to stop sometime, and for it to happen on the road, versus a good team, without any big men… it could be worse.

Here’s a look at the individual performances:

Carmelo Anthony – 45 minutes, 36 points, 13-34 FG, 19 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block

Props to ‘Melo for filling in at the five (at times) so admirably and legitimately trying to defend the paint, and actually crashing the boards hard. It’s a shame that a hot start in the first quarter fizzled out so dramatically over the rest of the game. Anthony tried to take the ball to the paint, missed some tough baskets over numerous defenders, got whacked but without any calls, or just flat-out missed bunnies he should’ve had. Like the end of the win streak, it was bound to happen at some point. Missing that game-tying pull-up jumper that he’s usually money on was a heartbreaker.

Final Grade: B

J.R. Smith – 42 minutes, 28 points, 11-27 FG, 14 rebounds, 4 assists

Smith and Anthony’s combined stats look aesthetically pleasing except for that big ole bruise in the middle – 24-61 combined shooting. The efficiency left something to be desired, and some poorly timed launches from downtown and a similar situation as ‘Melo’s at the rim really left a lot of empty possessions on the court. Credit on the boards to J.R. as well, but his inefficient offense and troubled defense on all of Chicago’s guards hurt the Knicks a bit kinda a lot. Also, -32 for the game. As has seemed to the case lately, the Knicks’ hot start cooled down when Woodson checked Smith in way too early for Prigioni.

Final Grade: C

Raymond Felton – 49 minutes, 19 points, 8-17 FG, 5 rebounds, 6 assists

Felton had a good, aggressive game for the most part, but was plagued by an inability to finish over Chicago’s big men (especially without the presence of Chandler or K-Mart to fill in on the roll) and a sensitive referee’s whistle. Felton spent a lot of time complaining to officials – somewhat justifiably – for some tick tacky fouls, and it might’ve taken his head out of the game a little bit. A fall on the opening tip of overtime, in which Felton grasped his knee on the floor, somehow didn’t take Ray out of the game, but it completely diminished his impact. We’ll see what’s said about the injury afterwards.

Final Grade: B

Chris Copeland – 29 minutes, 14 points, 4-14 FG, 3-8 3FG, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks

Copeland’s initial hot start contributed to the Knicks’ early success as Carlos Boozer failed to rotate out on some pick-and-pops early on. However, much like the rest of the team, Cope’s hand was shoved in the freezer by a stauncher Bulls defense. From there, Copeland, who hadn’t a shot at defending Boozer in the post or deterring any drivers, began to launch ill-advised, arrhythmic jumpers. His minutes dwindled with his effectiveness as the game progressed.

Final Grade: C-

Iman Shumpert – 26 minutes, 3-3 FG, 7 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 6 PFs

Shumpert’s minutes were fairly quiet in this one. He was efficient on offense, but didn’t get a whole lot of open looks and didn’t create as much off the dribble as we’ve become used to seeing. His best sequence likely came in locking up Nate Robinson in the final 30 seconds of regulation to give the Knicks another shot (resulted in game-tying ‘Melo FTs).

Final Grade: B

Pablo Prigioni – 24 minutes, 7 points, 3-4 FG, 2 assists

Recycle and reuse. Prigioni began the game playing well and deteriorated as it progressed. His open shots stopped falling and he played a part in back-to-back turnovers that led to back-to-back Jimmy Butler dunks that sparked the Bulls’ comeback run. Don’t think we saw Prigs again afterwards.

Final Grade: C+

Jason Kidd – 37 minutes, 0 points, 0-4 FG, 6 rebounds, 2 assists

An almost entirely ineffective Jason Kidd on both ends of the floor probably shouldn’t have been seeing 37 minutes tonight. Not that Prigioni or Shumpert were hugely better options, but Kidd produced very little in terms of staying in front of Chicago’s guards, switching effectively onto big men, or hitting open shots.

Final Grade: D+

Steve Novak – 12 minutes, 0-1 FG

Novak missed his only shot. That’s the only thing I recall him doing.

Final Grade: D

Perhaps most important of all, however, Anthony led the charge as the Knicks continued a win streak that has now reached 12 games. In the process, the Knicks moved two and a half games ahead of the Indiana Pacers for second place in the Eastern Conference, locked up the Atlantic Division, and reached 50 wins for the first time in 13 years. Likewise, Anthony’s absolutely torrid shooting led the Knicks to wins over four playoff teams in a row – the Miami Heat (who the Knicks took the season series, 3-1, against), Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, and Oklahoma City Thunder.

April continues to be a favorable month for ‘Melo. Last season, when Anthony was moved to power forward because of Amar’e Stoudemire’s back injury (the spring is not favorable for Stoudemire, apparently), Anthony averaged nearly 30 points on 49.5% shooting, 46% from downtown, with 7.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.

Anthony’s reception of the award follows J.R. Smith’s after Smith was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week last week.

The Knicks only have six games remaining in their season, but they still face three important tests in the Chicago Bulls (Thursday 4/11), Pacers (Sunday 4/14), and Hawks (Wednesday 4/17). If Anthony and the Knicks can continue to play at this level, it’s conceivable that they could win out and reach 56 wins for the first time since the 1996-97 season.

Apr 2, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) shoots over Miami Heat power forward Udonis Haslem (40) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

After a first half in which the Knicks struggled to contain Miami’s dribble penetration, the Knicks locked down in the second half and allowed just 32 combined points. Intense trapping and notably crisper rotations stifled Miami’s offense on the perimeter, and the outside looks they created so fluidly in the first half stopped falling. Inside, the Knicks denied the Heat at almost every opportunity, intentionally clobbering anybody within arm’s reach of the basket. On offense, the Knicks relied on a heavy serving of Carmelo Anthony’s own majesty, but Raymond Felton, Kenyon Martin, and J.R. Smith all came up with key contributions in the fourth quarter to build the Knicks lead.

Winners of nine in a row, the Knicks moved a step closer to securing the Atlantic Division and the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

Here’s a look at the individual performances with player report cards:

Carmelo Anthony – 40 minutes, 50 points, 18-26 FG, 7-10 3FG, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Officially the most venomous offensive output we’ve gotten from Anthony in a Knicks uniform. The career-high-tying performance was the first time ‘Melo has reached 50 since coming to the Knicks, and frankly, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Though the performance would’ve been almost too sweet against a fully-armed Heat team, the Knicks needed every one of ‘Melo’s baskets to repress a Heat lineup that recently beat the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio.

The amazing part of Anthony’s performance is not a single point came within the paint, and he only managed eight free throw attempts despite Miami’s physical defense. After initially torching the Heat off the catch, Anthony was forced to create for himself a bit more, but even still, these attempts off the bounce were almost all in the form of pull-up jumpers over draping defenders. That assist tally is also skewed as Knicks not named Carmelo Anthony often failed to capitalize on the open looks Anthony created for them after evading a double team. One, perhaps momentum-turning assist, though, came at the end of the third quarter, as ‘Melo slashed into the lane off the dribble, pulled in the Heat’s defense, and kicked it out to an open Steve Novak, who drained the corner three to beat the buzzer. Simply excellent stuff all around from Anthony tonight.

Final Grade: A+

J.R. Smith – 30 minutes, 14 points, 5-15 FG, 2-3 3FG, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

Smith’s basket-bound ways were oddly halted tonight as he seemed stooped by his inability to break down the Heat off the dribble. The likes of Mike Miller and Ray Allen wouldn’t seem like the combination to defy Smith’s work off the dribble, but they prevented his penetration a good amount, and when Smith did get into the paint, he was blocked by any number of the Heat’s big men. Smith’s jumper wasn’t wholly reliable, either, but his late fourth quarter three put the Knicks up 11 with less than two remaining, and acted as the essential dagger. Not exactly what we’ve gotten used to over the past two weeks, but good enough tonight.

Final Grade: C+

Raymond Felton – 38 minutes, 10 points, 4-9 FG, 9 assists, 1 steal, 4 TOs

Felton struggled mightily in the first half to escape Miami’s traps in the pick-and-roll, and he killed the Knicks with some in-and-out three-pointers off nice ball movement. Furthermore, Felton’s inability to stick with any of Miami’s guards – regardless of age, size, or quickness, killed the Knicks’ perimeter D (though he wasn’t the only offender). In the second half, however, Felton did an admirable job containing Norris Cole on the perimeter, fighting over screens, or scurrying out to shooters on rotations and switches. He also broke down Miami’s pick-and-roll trapping by splitting the defense a number of times, getting to the basket, and setting up teammates. In the fourth quarter, Felton nailed two important step-back jumpers to slowly build the Knicks’ lead, and eventually bury the Heat.

Final Grade: B-

Kenyon Martin – 24 minutes, 9 points, 4-7 FG, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 PFs

Apr 2, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks power forward Kenyon Martin (3) drives to the basket as Miami Heat power forward Chris Andersen (11) defends during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Martin was removed from the starting lineup with Tyson Chandler’s return, but still played around the same amount of time as he’d been seeing as the de facto center. Martin played a part in the physical, blanketing defense in the second half, and he also had some nice finishes – a JAM in Chris Andersen’s face and a baby-hook – to buoy the Knicks offense when it wasn’t going through ‘Melo. As the Knicks get a little healthier, it’ll be interesting to see if Martin remains coming off the bench, or moves to the four in the starting lineup alongside Chandler.

Final Grade: B

Iman Shumpert – 23 minutes, 9 points, 3-5 3FG, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Shumpert didn’t see a ton of time when the Knicks could’ve used a solid perimeter defender, oddly, and he didn’t really play much of a part in the turn-around in the second half. Shump’s contributions were almost solely on the offensive end, and those were solely from downtown, as he canned his first three looks from beyond the arc. Though he didn’t do much after that a three-pointer early in the third quarter, all three of his makes were important in keeping the Knicks in the game and withstanding a Miami run.

Final Grade: C+

Steve Novak – 13 minutes, 3 points, 1-2 FG

Hacked Chris Andersen under the basket, and nailed the aforementioned buzzer-beating three in the third quarter. That was about it, but they were nice second half contributions. He’s now made a three-pointer in each of the last eight games.

Final Grade: C

Chris Copeland – 7 minutes, 3 points, 1-2 FG, 1 rebound

Copeland had a nice and-one baseline drive in the first half, and that was pretty much it. Copeland figures to lose minutes with Chandler back, Martin coming off the bench, and Camby still looming around the bench.

Final Grade: C

Pablo Prigioni – 13 minutes, 3 points, 1-1 FG, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal

Prigioni also struggled early on with Miami’s aggressive pick-and-roll defense, though he contributed to some nice ball movement that led to shots that just didn’t fall. He had a couple of other nice moments drawing charges/offensive fouls, and regaining possession by stealing the ball from Norris Cole after Pablo turned it over, racing down court, ignoring a numbers advantage, and nailing a decidedly badass pull-up three. He didn’t get off the bench again after he was subbed out early in the third quarter.

Final Grade: B

Tyson Chandler – 24 minutes, 1 point, 0-2 FG, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3 TOs

Chandler’s first game back from a bulging disc in his neck was mostly forgettable. He had little elevation when he jumped, and he stumbled and fumbled his way around the basket on offense. On defense, his effect was mostly mitigated by Chris Bosh’s ability to pull him away from the paint and eliminate Chandler’s defensive directing. One violent, come-from-behind swat on a Bosh layup attempt made up for all prior wrong-doings.

Final Grade: C+

Jason Kidd – 27 minutes, 0-2 FG, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

27 minutes is a lot of playing time for a guy that couldn’t hit his shots and couldn’t really stay in front of Miami’s guards, though, like everyone else, he did better in the second half. Some of Kidd’s minutes might have better gone to Prigioni, but as usual, Kidd always has an effect on the offense or defense that doesn’t show up in the box score, and it probably played a part in the Knicks’ ultimate success.

Final Grade: C-

Follow Scott Davis on Twitter: @WScottDavis

Owners of an eight-game winning streak, the longest in the NBA, the Knicks will take on the Miami Heat tonight, the team with the best record in the NBA. However, for the Knicks, this is just one of several key challenges in the final weeks of the regular season.

The Knicks are close to securing the Atlantic Division, and thus, second or third place in the Eastern Conference. However, fourth through seventh place in the East is still very much in the air, and in the coming weeks, the Knicks have the chance to prove themselves against possible playoff opponents. Here’s a breakdown of some of the critical games for the Knicks:

Mar. 3, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) wait for a rebound during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Miami won 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

4/2 @ Miami – Tonight’s showdown with the Heat may actually be the most critical for the Knicks. Though neither team may be at full strength, this game could best symbolize how the Knicks would fare if the two teams meet in the playoffs. The Knicks ripped Miami apart in their first two meetings in November and December, but New York has only recently begun to resemble that team from the beginning of the season, and Miami was suffering slightly from a championship hangover. When the two teams played earlier in March in New York, the Knicks charged out to a big lead, only to have it dwindle away completely as the Heat won the game in the second half.

Miami is undoubtedly back to playing to their full capability, and it seems the Knicks have found their groove as a team not quite as good as what they showed early in the year, but better than their mid-winter malaise. However, the Knicks need this game to prove that those first ten quarters of dominance versus the Heat weren’t a fluke, and that they could really compete (and close games) in a series with Miami.

4/3 @ Atlanta – The Knicks have hardly seen the Atlanta Hawks this season, but they’ll run into them twice in the next three weeks. Their first and only meeting in January came down to the final minute, where Carmelo Anthony was able to put the Knicks ahead with an and-one drive. Back then, the Knicks were also adjusting to the additions of Amar’e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert who were both new to the rotation.

However, Atlanta still poses a threat to the Knicks. They have Jeff Teague, the type of speedy point guard that routinely gives the Knicks problems, and a quick, versatile frontcourt in Josh Smith and Al Horford that could give the Knicks troubles. If Atlanta lands in the sixth or seventh seed, the Knicks could see them. It’s the type of matchup where it’s safe to assume the better team (the Knicks, certainly) would win over seven games. Nonetheless, proving that they could win on the road in Atlanta would be a key indicator as to how the Knicks would fare in a series with the Hawks.

4/11 @ Chicago – The Bulls undoubtedly represent the scariest first-round opponent the Knicks could meet. The Bulls have provided huge problems for the Knicks this season, despite still missing their best player, Derrick Rose. The two teams squared off fairly evenly last season, but this year, the Knicks can’t seem to figure out how to beat the Bulls. In all three prior matchups, the Bulls have held double-digit leads, and on one occasion, managed to get three Knicks ejected, before New York, wildly, almost came back. The physicality of the Bulls and their tenacious defense seems to befuddle and irk the Knicks, and it’s not a problem that’s going away.

Perhaps the lone bright light in each of the three games is that New York was able to stage a comeback to cut the deficit to single digits. The Knicks need mental toughness and near-perfect execution to play these Bulls, but they can compete with them. Taking a game in Chicago could be a huge boost for the Knicks in proving that a series with the Bulls wouldn’t result in a first-round exit.

4/14 vs. Indiana – Revenge! Last time the Knicks played the Pacers, they were thoroughly embarrassed in Indianaas the Pacers had little mercy in showing the Knicks up. Chalk that one up to a post-All-Star break hangover. The Pacers, however, also took a game against the Knicks in December when New York was missing Carmelo Anthony after his little brush-up with Kevin Garnett. In November, the two teams faced off in New York, and the Knicks took that win pretty easily. So, months later, the Knicks owe the Pacers a beating of their own.

The Knicks and the Pacers have gone back and forth as the second best team in the East behind Miami, and besides the Bulls, are thought of as the only two teams that could challenge the Heat. However, it’s unlikely that either team gets to Miami in the playoffs without first knocking the other out. A series between these two could likely go to seven games, but the Knicks need this final matchup to show that they have any chance at advancing past the Pacers.

Both teams took the floor considerably short-handed. The Knicks were missing most of their big men, still without the help of Tyson Chandler and, of course, Kurt Thomas, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Rasheed Wallace. The Celtics were missing Kevin Garnett and Courtney Lee, and still without Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger. What resulted was likely the smallest combination of players that NBA has seen this season. Rarely did a player taller than 6’9″ or 6’10″ even step on the floor for either team – the tallest player likely being Steve Novak at 6’10″, while Chris Copeland, Kenyon Martin, and Jeff Green all stand around 6’9″.

However, short-handedness aside, the Knicks persevered while the Celtics languished. After a tight first quarter, the Knicks used a huge first half from J.R. Smith to take a double-digit lead into halftime. While Boston made some pushes in the second half, New York’s defense was stingy enough at times to prevent Boston’s poor offense from executing to any threatening degree. In turn, the Knicks relied heavily on Smith and Carmelo Anthony to carry the offense, with some helpful contributions coming from the backcourt and from Novak and Martin. Boston never made a serious run, and the Knicks were able to essentially cruise through the later minutes of the fourth quarter and take their fifth win in a row.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances with player report cards.

J.R. Smith – 34 minutes, 32 points, 13-24 FG, 5-5 FT, 7 rebounds, 3 steals

Bravo, Mr. Smith. As mentioned, the Knicks relied heavily on Smith’s contributions tonight, and he came through. From the moment he stepped on the floor, Smith was basket-bound perhaps more than we’ve ever seen him. A bouquet of forays into the paint, mixed with some crossovers, hesitation moves, and off-balance leaners in every direction freed Smith up from the Celtics’ lacking one-on-one defense. A look at the play-by-play shows a whole bevy of “Smith driving layup shot”s and very few “Smith jump shot”s. In the second half, when Smith became a little less driven to attack the basket, it was already too late for Boston; J.R. was feeling it enough to can a whole bunch of tough, contested jumpers late in the shot clock. That night against OKC was special, but this may have been the best offensive performance we’ve seen from Smith.

Final Grade: A+

Carmelo Anthony – 36 minutes, 29 points, 10-30 FG, 2-8 3FG, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals

Arguably the worst post-knee-drain performance from ‘Melo. The post-up game was mostly futile against big, strong defenders like Paul Pierce, Jeff Green, or Brandon Bass, and Anthony looked nonexplosive on offense, particularly on deep jumpers which he continually bricked. A handful of Anthony’s points just came as a result of bullying defenders to the rim where he tipped in misses or drew fouls. His shot selection from deep left a bit to be desired, either shooting too impulsively or looking as if he was thinking far too much about where and when to pull the trigger. Chalk it up to an off night, but in a game where the Knicks led for the better part of three quarters, Anthony shouldn’t have played the most minutes of anyone in orange and blue.

Final Grade: B-

Kenyon Martin – 25 minutes, 9 points, 4-7 FG, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 4 fouls

The Knicks’ current resident big man had another effective outing, almost single-handedly solidifying the center position. Martin doesn’t have the defensive communication of Tyson Chandler, but he does provide some resistance around the basket, and his penchant for simply whacking any drivers tickles me and probably helps the Knicks’ defense a little bit. Most of his points came on dunks and putback slams, but his presence in the pick-and-roll also organizes the Knicks to a degree. When Chandler eventually returns, Martin will probably come off the bench and play a very useful role.

Final Grade: B

Steve Novak – 18 minutes, 9 points, 3-6 FG, 1 rebound, 1 block

Novak continues to struggle to find open looks, but he makes his own life a lot easier when he plays aggressively. That is, when he cuts hard, pump fakes hard, and if a defender goes by him, using an escape dribble to create space, and put up a shot. On his three misses, Novak was hesitant and hurried a shot over a quickly approaching close-out. On his three makes, Novak shot the ball with confidence, and used a good pump fake and dribble to give himself space to shoot the ball. A couple of makes from Novak really opens up the offense that much more for the Knicks.

Final Grade: B

Pablo Prigioni – 30 minutes, 7 points, 3-6 FG, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 TOs

Mar 26, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; New York Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni (9) shoots the ball against the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

“El Mosquito,” as I’m now going to call Pablo, continues to thrive in the starting lineup. Nothing flashy, but a couple of steals, nice passes, and one particular Celtic-momentum-busting three in the third quarter stick out as Pablo’s effect on the game. Also, the Knicks are now 5-0 with Prigs as a starter.

Final Grade: B

Raymond Felton – 32 minutes, 6 points, 3-6 FG, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 TO

As Felton plays more of an off-ball role with Prigioni in the starting lineup, his numbers are dropping, his game stats are becoming quite pedestrian, and his on-court effect is becoming harder to pinpoint. And in a strange way, this more subdued Felton actually seems like the most effective version. Whereas his occasional past shot-heaving and determination to try and take over the offense at critical moments used to stand out perhaps more than some of his solid playmaking, lately Felton has been acting as a secondary playmaker on the floor, and he’s been picking his spots more carefully. In this particular case, I fondly recall a few nice hesitation moves on drives to the basket for some scooping layups, and a few nice assists to shooters. To summarize: Felton is playing well with a diminished role.

Final Grade: B-

Jason Kidd – 23 minutes, 2-3 FG, 5 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal

Don’t worry – it’s not easy for me to accept being upset, either, at the idea of Jason Kidd retiring after this year when it’s discussed during the game broadcast. Kidd and Kenyon Martin, two of my most loathed players in the early and mid-2000s are suddenly two old guys who I recognize have very important rolls on this Knicks team. For instance, a couple of deflections and a steal, and a momentous three-pointer to hold off Boston’s third quarter surge come to mind as Kidd’s imprint on this game.

Final Grade: B

Iman Shumpert – 26 minutes, 2 points, 1-3 FG, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

When J.R. Smith is rolling like he was, and the two-PG lineups are working like they were, there’s not much room for Shumpert to contribute. However, that’s also the case when Woodson decides to stick him on the much bigger, stronger Paul Pierce. Game by game, Shumpert and Woodson are slowly figuring out his place in the offense and on defense when the aggression is there.

Final Grade: C+

Chris Copeland – 13 minutes, 1 points, 0-4 FG, 5 rebounds

Copeland kind of runs like a man trudging through knee-high quick sand. He also got shook badly by Paul Pierce on a baseline drive. While still bedeviled by injuries, the Knicks will need Copeland to fill in the rotation as a big man, but he’s not doing much to earn minutes from Woodson when the playoffs come around and the other big men (hopefully) start returning.

Final Grade: C-

The Knicks moved back into second place in the East with the win and will return to MSG tomorrow to face the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Knicks say Tyson Chandler is questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Celtics.

Chandler has missed the past six games with a bulging disk in his neck and a bone bruise in his left knee.

The Knicks say Chandler’s knee is healed but his neck remains an issue.

Amazingly, the Knicks have gone 4-2 in Chandler’s stead since he went down in the scariest moment of the Knicks’ season against the Denver Nuggets almost two weeks

ago. As Begley mentions, Chandler’s knee has recovered from that incident in Denver, but the bulging disc that has made his neck cranky all year still seems to be an issue.

Even before these missed games, Chandler had been struggling somewhat during the month of March. Through eight games, Chandler had only been averaging 6.1 points on 51% FG, with 8.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks – all below his season averages – and the Knicks had a defensive efficiency of just 101.2 through that stretch.

With Chandler out, the Knicks have actually played pretty well on both ends of the court, thanks in large part to the splendid play of Kenyon Martin who has filled in admirably in Chandler’s absence. They’ve kept opponents under 100 points in five of the last six games (though they’ve played at a snail’s crawl pace, so their defensive efficiency has been quite poor), and have performed ably on offense.

As has been Mike Woodson and the Knicks’ repeated message all season, the team is trying to come together for the playoffs and are solely focused on winning the Atlantic Divsion in the meantime. The Knicks have a back-to-back coming up against Boston on Tuesday and the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. Winning the game against the Celtics is the most important, but with Kevin Garnett out for the Celtics, it may be an OK time to keep Chandler inactive. While it’d be nice to get a big win over the Grizzlies on Wednesday, that game doesn’t have the same standings implications.

If Chandler doesn’t play the next two games, or even Friday against the Bobcats, he could return for a hugely critical stretch starting next Sunday when the Knicks rematch the Celtics, and face two weeks which includes opponents such as the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, and Indiana Pacers.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances:

J.R. Smith – 31 minutes, 20 points, 5-13 FG, 9-10 FT, 5 rebounds, 4 TOs

Smith wasn’t all that efficient from the field, but he rebounded from a woeful game against the Clippers Sunday afternoon. Smith, surprisingly keenly, worked off the dribble to get into the lane and draw contact from the Jazz. His 9 free throws seemed to get him going as thereafter he cut down on some of the silly passes he’d made in the first quarter, and he continued to drive to the hoop. However, his biggest shot came late in the fourth quarter when he nailed a step-back jumper to put the Knicks up five.

Final Grade: B

Raymond Felton – 42 minutes, 19 points, 8-12 FG, 4 assists, 3 steals

Though Felton is still absolutely maddening to watch on defense as he has no clue how to navigate a pick or handle a switch, his efficient night on the other end of the floor was huge for the Knicks. A couple of times, Felton called his own number and worked off the bounce to slink his way to the hoop – one of which was a beautiful split out of a double team and a floater in the lane – or to pull up behind the arc when defenders went under the pick. He also worked some surprising pick-and-roll magic with Kurt Thomas to set up the big man for some easy baskets. Some iffy defense on Mo Williams at times, but the Knicks don’t win this game without Felton’s contributions.

Final Grade: A-

Chris Copeland – 31 minutes, 14 points, 6-15 FG, 6 rebounds, 2 assists

Copeland got the start at power forward and immediately provided everything Knicks fans have clamored for on offense and everything else Mike Woodson was reluctant to play him for. Copeland still manages to drive to the cup like a drunken ballerina and score at odd angles, and at times, his go-to presence in the post and on face-ups opened up the Knicks’ defense. However, a number of these lovely moments were coupled with some “SMH” moments, too. One in particular where he attempted to lead the charge up the court in the final seconds of the third quarter, went straight into a double-team, lost the ball at halfcourt, and made no effort to get it back while Utah heaved a last-second shot (which luckily missed). Copeland is no doubt useful for this injury-bedeviled squad, but at times it’s easy to understand Woodson’s luke warm feelings towards giving the rookie minutes.

Final Grade: B-

Kenyon Martin – 21 minutes, 9 points, 4-6 FG, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block

It’s pretty amazing how seamlessly Martin’s been able to fit in with this squad, especially considering the lack of training and practice time. He has nice presence in the pick-and-roll, can still finish around the basket, and he brings a tenacity on defense that, while not as efficient as Tyson Chandler’s, is a bit more hostile. I grow more fond of one of my former least favorite players with every surprisingly explosive blocked shot, slipped pick, and aggressive dunk.

Final Grade: B+

Iman Shumpert – 17 minutes, 8 points, 3-7 FG, 2 rebounds, 1 assist

Shump’s outside stroke appears to have returned and that’s a great thing for the Knicks. Though his playing time all but evaporated in the second half, in the opening two quarters, Shump drained two back-to-back corner 3s off beautiful ball movement and generally played a part in some sturdy perimeter defense that only gave up 44 points to the Jazz at halftime.

Final Grade: B-

Jason Kidd – 28 minutes, 7 points, 2-5 FG, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal

Kidd has looked far more comfortable coming off the bench lately, despite the still-high minutes he receives. His stroke looks more confident, he’s daring to dribble the ball around the perimeter and actually inside of the arc, too. However, Kidd’s best contributions of the night came on the defensive boards where, more often than reflected in the box score, he tipped out, secured, or stole extra possessions from Utah’s big men. As a Knicks fan, it’s strange to praise Kenyon Martin and Jason Kidd in the same recap.

Final Grade: C+

Kurt Thomas – 27 minutes, 6 points, 3-5 FG, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks

Game ball, sir. A well earned game ball. Kurt Thomas, earlier facing the possible end of his season, provided us with a terrific potential swan song, all the while evoking memories of a young Kurt ballin’ on peach baskets with Dr. James Naismith. Thomas managed to almost entirely lock up Al Jefferson and deter some drivers while on offense, working some magic in the PnR, dishing to open teammates, and providing energy to a team desperately needing it. If Thomas does in fact have a season-ending injury, I’m glad that this was his last game, because truly, it was magnificent.

Final Grade: A

Pablo Prigioni – 20 minutes, 3 points, 1-3 FG, 2 rebounds, 3 assists

Prigioni got his first NBA start tonight and did most of the ball-handling in the first half. He didn’t play much after halftime, but with Kidd and Felton playing well, his services weren’t quite as needed. He did all of typical Prigs things: threw some spicy pocket passes, hit a three-pointer, snuck into the paint and stole some offensive rebounds. It’ll be curious to see if Woodson starts him again for Wednesday’s game.

Final Grade: C+

Steve Novak – 17 minutes, 4 points, 4-5 FT, 2 rebounds

Novak didn’t connect on any of his good looks from downtown, but he *did* steal a pass, dribble all the way down the court, and wait just long enough to be bailed out by a foul from a foolish Utah guard on a surely doomed fastbreak attempt. Cool.

Final Grade: C-

Marcus Camby – 7 minutes, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block

Camby oddly didn’t play after the first half. In his brief stint on the court, though, he looked good, providing the Knicks with some solid interior defense. What this means for future games, I have no idea, because Camby is probably the most unpredictable player on this roster.

The Knicks will fly back to New York for a Wednesday game, surely satisfied with a tough win in a desperate situation.

The above is an exaggeration, of course, but such is the view Knicks fans have had of Woodson through the course of the Knicks’ first 61 games. The truth lies somewhere in-between both radicals; Woodson began the season coaching brilliantly on both ends of the floor, and has lately been doing, quite frankly, a poor job of coaching a team with a number of problems. Some of those problems do not necessarily reflect Woodson’s coaching. Woodson, for instance, has nothing to do with Steve Novak and Jason Kidd missing wide open 3-pointers; he cannot physically force players to communicate on defense or run hard to close out on a shooters. Woodson also can’t help the fact that his team just keeps getting injured.

Or can he?

This is the topic that has had media and the Knicks’ fanbase up in arms since last night’s embarrassing 92-63 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Down double-digits in the second half, showing no real signs of fight, Woodson kept the Knicks’ two indispensable stars, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler, on the floor far longer than he should have. Anthony, visibly laboring in his first game back from a knee injury and providing little effort or help on either end of the court, remained on the court, moving at half-speed, awkwardly, unable to defend David Lee, incapable of punishing smaller defenders like Klay Thompson. Chandler, though he was playing fine and providing a much-needed service for these Knicks, was kept on the floor and later brought back into the game for what reason? A comeback attempt was futile, and it seemed Woodson was simply running up the odometers of his two most important players on the opening game of a tough, important Western Conference swing.

Likewise, one has to wonder if Woodson’s increase of Amar’e Stoudemire’s minutes led to the power forward’s eventual demise. Stoudemire, who was on a very strict, 30-minutes-maximum limit played three straight games of 32 minutes, 31 minutes, and 29 in his last three games before it was announced he’d need to undergo knee debridement for the second time this season. With the increased minutes, Stoudemire played wonderfully in the three games, posting averages of 20 points per game on 53% shooting, with 7.6 rebounds per game, and 1.3 blocks per game. Now the Knicks will likely be without Stoudemire’s services for the remainder of the regular season, and perhaps the playoffs, too. Prior to the announcement that Stoudemire would need surgery, Woodson was asked about breaking the 30-minutes cap on STAT. He simply replied, “oops.”

Other key Knicks’ players are playing extended minutes, too. J.R. Smith is averaging a career-high in minutes; Tyson Chandler is above is career average in minutes per game; a soon-to-be 40-years old Jason Kidd is playing nearly 28 minutes per game. This makes Woodson’s insistence to play the likes of James White or Kurt Thomas over Pablo Prigioni and Chris Copeland puzzling, too. Woodson continually starts James White at the small forward, only to be play a designated, production-less six minutes before inserting Smith. Pablo Prigioni, though usually not a huge factor to the team’s success, has seen his minutes fall off in recent weeks, despite the relief he could bring Kidd. And Chris Copeland, though a non-factor on defense (as could be argued with most of this Knicks’ roster, really), could provide a scoring punch to the team, but Woodson refuses to play him except for in garbage time.

With Stoudemire and Rasheed Wallace out, and Marcus Camby ineffective in small minutes and likely still on the mend, Woodson will be forced to play Kenyon Martin a decent amount of minutes. This, too, will likely lead to health problems for Martin who hasn’t played NBA basketball since last May. Too many minutes, and there is a chance that Martin’s body will wear down in the same fashion as Wallace’s.

As mentioned, some of the Knicks’ problems are not directly Woodson’s fault. Though he installed a poor defensive system that allows way too much switching, Woodson cannot actually make the Knicks stop switching every time players cross paths. The regression of Smith, Felton, Kidd, and even Anthony’s shots are also not Woodson’s fault, as their high early-season percentages were bound to decrease as the season wore on.

However, it’s undeniable that Woodson needs to make adjustments to straighten out his team. As Eastern Conference teams like Miami, Indiana, and Brooklyn have begun to make surges towards the top of the standings, the Knicks’ hold on the #2 seed looks flimsier and flimsier. Heavy minutes, a questionable rotation, and increasingly ineffective game plans have the Knicks looking quite vulnerable to drop a few places in the standings.

I believe Mike Woodson has the ability to turn it around given just a bit of luck, but to do so, he must get out of his own way to help the team.

The Knicks opened the first half playing their best basketball, perhaps, of 2013. They defend with aggression, trapping the Heat’s ball-handlers and blowing up pick-and-rolls with hard hedges; they collapsed on drivers, closed out hard on shooters, and forced the Heat into a bevy of turnovers and sloppy possessions. On offense, led by Carmelo Anthony repeatedly punishing whoever tried to defend him, the Knicks moved the ball crisply, inside and outside, setting up wide open looks from beyond the arc (a good portion of which were canned by a revitalized Jason Kidd), or clear paths to the rim. It was the most exciting, enjoyable half of basketball the Knicks had played in quite some time. They led by 14 at halftime.

And it would last for merely a half. The Heat, as the Knicks should have predicted, flipped the switch in the second half. LeBron James switched onto Carmelo Anthony and locked him up, denying Anthony any clean looks to the basket and effectively disallowing Anthony to thrive at the free throw line as he did in the first half. The Knicks swift ball movement faltered, and suddenly, all of the shots they’d made in the first half stopped falling. On the other end, the Heat pushed the ball to a tempo the Knicks just couldn’t keep up with. LeBron James prodded the Knicks’ defense, parting it on his way to the basket, or scrambling it with skip passes or drive-and-kicks to open shooters and cutters.

In the final two minutes, the game still within a basket, James attacked the basket hard for a lefty layup. After J.R. Smith squandered a possession with an ill-advised three-pointer, Miami got Chris Bosh and open shot at the top of the key, which he sank. Four-point game. On the next Knicks possession, Smith turned the ball over to a lurking James who went full steam ahead, and threw the ball down for a wide-open dunk. Ball-game.

Here’s a look at the individual performances for the Knicks.

Carmelo Anthony – 42 minutes, 32 points, 9-19 FG, 13-14 FT, 2 rebounds, 3 assists

Early on, ‘Melo had that look that he just wouldn’t be stopped. He canned his first four shot attempts, and bullied his way to the basket to live at the free throw line. 24 points on 8 shots in the opening half. However, LeBron James, Anthony’s clealry superior peer, locked Anthony up in the second half. Anthony scored just 8 points on 11 shots in the second half, and stood no chance of stopping James on offense. Not quite the heroic performance it looked to be at the onset.

Final Grade: B

Jason Kidd – 34 minutes, 14 points, 4-5 3FG, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals

Kidd snapped a two-month long drought in dramatic fashion. In the first half, Kidd stepped into and confident sank four three-pointers to ignite the Knicks’ offense and the Garden crowd. Though his offense didn’t sustain in the second half (who expected that it would?), Kidd continually made great plays on both ends, disrupting the Heat’s offense with steals and deflections, while making some great passes and collecting important rebounds. Unfortunately, 34 minutes in Pablo Prigioni’s stead may have very well pooped Kidd out by the end of the game.

Final Grade: A

J.R. Smith – 36 minutes, 13 points, 5-18 FG, 3-14 3FG, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 TOs

His three 3-pointers all felt important. His 11 misses from beyond the arc were devastatingly crucial to the game’s outcome. His decision to ignore Carmelo Anthony, down two, with 1:30 remaining, and take and brick a pull-up 3-pointer was back-breaking. His telegraphed pass – which was picked off by James – on the Knicks’ final Hail-Mary possession was game-sealing. Cool 12 rebounds, though.

Final Grade: C-

Amar’e Stoudemire – 21 minutes, 12 points, 5-7 FG, 2 rebounds, 1 block

Stoudemire began the game in a really rough fashion – turning the ball over, getting stuffed under the hoop, and playing porous defense. However, as the game went on, Stoudemire smoothed himself out, occasionally playing nice help defense, and picking his spots on offense. His brief minutes as feature of the Knicks’ offense earned him back-to-back dunks. Count me in the group that is puzzled by Woodson’s substitution pattern with Stoudemire – every time Stoudemire gets in a groove, he gets yanked.

Final Grade: B-

Tyson Chandler – 34 minutes, 10 points, 4-7 FG, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks

Smaller matchups – such as Chris Bosh – do not usually bode well for Chandler, but he held his own today. (Part of that is because Bosh kinda sucked for three quarters). Chandler seemed a little rushed on the court, often dropping passes on easy feeds, and sometimes helping a little too generously on defense, though for the most part, Chandler anchored the Knicks wonderfully on the end. The no-call block by James on Chandler’s layup attempt in the final minutes was a momentum-changer.

Final Grade: B

Raymond Felton – 31 minutes, 9 points, 3-8 FG, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 4 TOs

The thing where Felton tries to take over the Knicks’ offense in crucial moments of the game isn’t a good look. Down the stretch, Felton’s decision-making was mostly bad, as he failed to get Anthony in the ball, or evade the Heat’s traps on pick-and-rolls. This led to a little too much one-on-one play as Felton tried to take it to the basket and finish himself. As a whole, Felton spent most of the game taking a backseat to Jason Kidd’s command on offense, while doing a commendable job making Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole non-factors. Felton’s turnover off his foot in the final two minutes hurt pretty bad, too.

Final Grade: C

Iman Shumpert – 21 minutes, 3 points, 1-4 FG, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Shumpert’s energy to begin the game was a huge spark. He deflected a good number of passes and dribbles, crashed the glass for rebounds, dove for loose balls, and was a blur up and down the court. Though it doesn’t show up in the stat sheet, his effort was an intangible factor that led to the Knicks’ first half dominance. He faded in the second half, though, and hardly saw any court time, even with Smith misfiring pretty woefully.

Final Grade: C+

Steve Novak – 12 minutes, 0-3 FG, 2 rebounds, 1 assist

Novak’s releasing the ball too quickly, pulling down his follow-through too quickly, and thinking too much. For the most part, I’d rather Novak shoot over closing defenses, try and draw a foul, or pump fake, take two dribbles in, and pull up. For now, he remains a liability on the court.

Final Grade: D

James White – 8 minutes, 0-1 FG, 2 rebounds, 3 fouls, 2 TOs

James White started the game for Jason Kidd. He committed three fouls and a turnover in less than five minutes to open the game. In the second half, he air-balled his first and only shot attempt. This reminded me that I would give Oklahoma City their 2nd round draft pick back for Ronnie Brewer.

Martin has been unable to find a home this season, either asking for too much money during the offseason, or struggling to find any teams willing to bring him aboard mid-year. His last stint in the NBA was with the Los Angeles Clippers last year where he signed on halfway through the season again, and went on to average 5.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block in 22 minutes per game.

Apr. 25, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Los Angeles Clippers power forward Kenyon Martin (2) gestures on the court during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

The Clippers were generally better with Martin off the court, however when he was on the court, they were still better than their opponents in field goal percentage, offensive efficiency, defensive rebounding, steals, and blocks. That Martin was still able to help the Clippers perform better than their opponents, despite missing training camp and half the season, says something about his potential on-court worth.

Many Knicks fans were upset about giving up Ronnie Brewer – a player whose worth may have been important on defense come playoff time – and signing on an even older, injury-prone backup power forward. However, Martin could prove to be more valuable than fans think, especially if he’s in shape.

He’s close and has played with Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith before, meaning the learning curve will be slightly easier. Likewise, at the very least, the Knicks will get a backup forward who is taking the spot of two players who aren’t even playing. Unless Martin actually hurts the team in drastic ways while he plays, he is currently an upgrade over Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace.

Finally, at the very worst, the Knicks only have to deal with him for ten days before his contract is voided and they can cut hm. If Martin can’t bring anything to the team, it will only be for a very short period, and then the Knicks can go and look at other options.

So, with the “first half” of the season over with, the All-Star break slowly fading in the rearview mirror, here’s a look at the top five MVP candidates through the 2012-13 NBA season:

1.) LeBron James – 27.3 ppg, 56.5% FG, 8.2 rpg, 6.9 apg, 1.7 spg, 31.4 PER

Team Record: 36-14

LeBron James has been the best player in the NBA for a number of years now; all other arguments were merely attempts to make a change in the scenery. James has been MVP three of the last four seasons, and now this is where it gets scary: This season, James is shooting the best FG% of his career on the fewest number of shot attempts in his career; he’s averaging a career-high in rebounding and rebound rate; his Usage Rate is the lowest since his second year in the league; his Player Efficiency Rating is at the second highest of his career; and he’s playing on the best team in the Eastern Conference. Astoundingly, James has taken his game to another level and it’s been through a more subtle, subdued approach. He’s cut down on his three-point attempts and long jumpers (he’s also hitting both at a better clip), instead focusing more on attacking the basket where he can’t be denied, and operating a large chunk of Miami’s offense from the post, where he abuses smaller players, and hits his teammates, most often, for passes at the rim or behind the arc. Simply said, nobody is playing at the level LeBron James is.

2.) Kevin Durant – 29.2 ppg, 51.9% FG, 7.4 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.6 spg, 1.2 bpg, 29.2 PER

Team Record: 39-14

If LeBron James is operating at the highest level in the NBA, Kevin Durant is operating on a close second, and likely by himself. It’s a shame that James’s greatness has largely overshadowed the fact that Durant, too, is having the best season of his career and becoming close to being unfairly good. Durant is on pace to become the first player since Larry Bird to lead the league in scoring while shooting 50-40-90 — 50% or over from the field, 40% or over from three-point range, and 90% or over from the free throw line. Durant’s having his best season shooting the ball from all three locations. At only 24 years old, he’s nearly impossible to guard, and it’s becoming even harder now that he has increased offensive versatility (a developed post game) and increased willingness to pass, as evidenced by his career highs in assists per game and assist percentage. If Durant completes the above accomplishment, and the Thunder finish with a better record than the Heat, it might be enough to move Durant into first place in the MVP race.

3.) Tony Parker – 20.8 ppg, 53.6% FG, 3 rpg, 7.6 apg, 24.5 PER

Team Record: 42-12

Unlike Durant and James, Tony Parker isn’t having his best season in quite so many statistical categories, but when evaluating the San Antonio Spurs, it’s pretty clear that the team’s success begins with Parker. Sure, Gregg Popovich may be the finest coach in the league, Tim Duncan has evaded Father Time, the Spurs’ effortlessly integrate new pieces into their system with nary a drop-off, but Parker’s brilliance is perhaps the biggest reason why the Spurs have the best record in the league for the third year in a row. Furthermore, Parker has had to carry the team with Duncan and Manu Ginobili missing a combined 23 games. His scoring and FG% are both near career highs, he’s shooting the three-ball better, getting to the free throw line and making his shots at a good rate, his assists per game are nearly at a career high, and his assist percentage is a borderline ludicrous 40%. Watch a Spurs game and Parker’s value jumps out more than his stats. On offense, Parker just prods and prods until he’s in the lane where he shoots a terrific percentage at the rim, or he can set up his roll-man or kick it out to any number of shooters the Spurs possess. On defense, Parker is still not (and won’t become) a great defender, but he’s capable and his effort is there pretty consistently. Though the Spurs’ greatness is affected by a number of things, one gets the feeling that Parker may now have the keys over Duncan as to how far he can carry the team.

4.) Chris Paul – 16.6 ppg, 48.2% FG, 3.4 rpg, 9.6 apg, 2.6 spg, 26.8 PER

Team Record: 39-17

By most statistics, it would appear that Chris Paul is having a down season. His minutes, scoring, assists, rebounds, steals, and 3FG% are all lower than his career averages. However, similar to Tony Parker, Paul’s worth goes beyond the stats. The Clippers have entered championship contender talk, and while an improved supporting cast certainly deserves mention, Paul may be the lone factor that decides whether the Clippers are actual contenders, or merely a good playoff team. In the nine games that Paul missed in late January and early February, the Clippers went just 3-6 (though some of those were without Blake Griffin). Paul is one of the few players with the ability to seemingly take over a game at any moment. Though he doesn’t look for his shot often, he can score at will, get anywhere on the court with a clever handle and surprising speed and strength, and his teammates greatly benefit from the attention Paul draws when he goes into attack mode. However, missed games, and occasional tendency to operate on cruise control may hurt Paul’s chances at winning MVP.

5.) Carmelo Anthony – 28.6 ppg, 44.7% FG, 6.5 rpg, 2.7 apg, 23.8 PER

Team Record: 32-18

Perhaps it was the Olympic experience, perhaps it was his peer LeBron James winning his first NBA title, but whatever it was, Anthony stormed into the season with a new attitude. Anthony is scoring at a near career best level, shooting the three-pointer far better than at any other point, and defending like he never has before. If the players ranked above him weren’t playing at such a high level, Anthony could be ranked higher based on the immense weight of the Knicks that he carries on his shoulders. Though the Knicks, too, have improved through better coaching and a deeper supporting cast, it seems as though their ultimate fate rests on Anthony’s jumpshot. His scoring eruptions have almost become routine to the point that his five 40-point games this season hardly even stand out. Throw in a previously-unseen willingness to defend and pass (though stats don’t reflect it, the eye test does), and Anthony may be having the best season of his career. Unfortunately for he and the Knicks, it just hasn’t been better than the names listed above him.

Honorable Mentions: Tim Duncan, James Harden, Stephen Curry

Follow Scott Davis on Twitter: @WScottDavis

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Feb 13, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) puts up a layup against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Madison Square Garden. The Raptors won the game 92-88. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

So, just short of a year later, the Knicks sort of rehashed that riveting come-from-behind win. Except while the flaming-bag-of-dog-poop execution was there for the whole 48 minutes, the spirited comeback was not. Instead, on their home floor, the Knicks squandered multiple opportunities, failing to get critical stops when they needed them, missing a litany of supremely make-able shots down the stretch.

Throughout the night, the Knicks’ offense sputtered in a way we haven’t seen this season. While the defense hasn’t been anything to rest their hats on  the Knicks’ offense has remained consistently competent, no matter the opponent. Not tonight. Perhaps with their minds on the six-day All-Star break ahead, and partying with P. Diddy, the Knicks simply missed looks that they normally make. For the game, New York shot 35% from the field, 36% from three-point range, and 71% from the free throw line. Regardless of their defense – it was solid in the first half, but they consented 56 points to the Raps in the second half – there’s very little chance of winning when a team is misfiring so frequently.

The game was wholly ugly and disappointing; I wouldn’t expect much more from the proceeding player report cards:

J.R. Smith – 34 minutes, 26 points, 8-17 FG, 5-10 3FG, 4 rebounds

Smith was the lone Knick to take over seven field goal attempts and make more than 40% of them – who woulda thought? Smith was one of the few bright spots in the Knicks’ offense tonight, canning most of his looks from the outside, but occasionally mixing it up and taking it to the basket. However, on defense, Smith’s fourth quarter lapses proved to be vital. A number of times he was abused off the dribble, allowing DeMar DeRozan and Alan Anderson to get to their preferred spots and put the ball in the basket. A hint for Smith, as it’s become a game-to-game trend: force right-handed shooters to their left.

Final Grade: B

Raymond Felton – 31 minutes, 16 points, 3-9 FG, 10-12 FT, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 4 TOs

Felton did the bulk of his scoring at the line, earning most of his free throws from hard-nosed drives to the rim. Unfortunately for Felton – and the Knicks, actually – he couldn’t get all of those inside looks to drop, missing two critical layups in the final 3:30 of the game. Felton did a decent enough job setting up teammates either off drive-and-kicks or the pick-and-roll, but as noted by the team’s overall FG%, Felton came up empty-handed on a number of assist attempts. Felton’s defensive philosophy continues to baffle, going under screens, switching off guards, but fighting over screens and trying to stick with bigger forwards.

Final Grade: B

Carmelo Anthony – 41 minutes, 12 points, 5-24 FG, 1-6 3FG, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 TOs

I’m regretting Carmelo Anthony making the All-Star team. Honorable (in a sense) as the nomination may be, Anthony could use a rest. Anthony is averaging 40 minutes per game in 2013, and it may be affecting his offense. Or maybe tonight was just one of those nights. Anthony’s shots just didn’t drop from anywhere. He rimmed out jumpers, and found himself smothered when he drove the lane and couldn’t find the opening to put the ball in the basket. The fact that he only drew four FTs on these defender-draped drives is a little suspicious. Either way, please, Melo, don’t do this to us again. Nice job on defense (Rudy Gay, his counterpart most of the night, shot just 4-21) and on the boards, though!

Final Grade: C-

Tyson Chandler – 34 minutes, 10 points, 4-6 FG, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks

Chandler pretty much stayed par for the course tonight; he did his usual Chandler things. He covered up a number of holes on defense, respectably staying in front of guards on switches, affecting attempts at the basket, and even doing some early trapping on pick-and-rolls. On offense, he finished the looks he got. The Knicks strayed from the Felton-Chandler pick-and-roll when it got hot in the fourth because…?

Final Grade: B+

Amar’e Stoudemire – 18 minutes, 10 points, 4-13 FG, 7 rebounds

At one point in the third quarter, Stoudemire leaked out, received an outlet from Anthony, and with one defender back, bricked an open layup, and then air-balled the follow-up attempt. It was that kind of night. It’s a shame that STAT’s most active game on the boards in awhile came on a night when he couldn’t get his shots to drop.

Final Grade: C

Steve Novak – 12 minutes, 9 points, 3-4 3FG, 4 rebounds

Novak was also one of the few bright spots tonight, and that was only for a quarter. Novak came off the bench in the first half and canned all his looks from downtown in the second quarter, looking like the Novak of 2011-12. He also grabbed four rebounds, which is nice, because there were plenty to spare.

Final Grade: C+

Iman Shumpert – 21 minutes, 5 points, 1-3 FG, 7 rebounds, 1 steal

Shumpert’s placement at small forward has done absolutely nothing for him, and it’s about time the experiment ended. My guy feeling is that Shump has been feeling discomfort in his knee (perhaps just regular wear and tear), and it has thrown off his game. He is hesitant on offense, far less aggressive on defense, and generally a non-factor on the court. Perhaps some rest time and a move to a bench role could revitalize him.

Final Grade: C-

Jason Kidd – 32 minutes, 0 points, 0-3 FG, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Kidd has dragged himself into the All-Star break, averaging 3.5 points on 23% shooting from the field. Unlike Shumpert above, whomay need a break and role change, Kidd absolutely needs time off and reduced role. He can’t hit anything outside, he’s lost his step that was helping the Knicks’ offense flow, and putting him on bigger and/or faster guards isn’t helping the cause

Final Grade: C-

Pablo Prigioni – 7 minutes, 0 points, 0-0 FG, 1 rebound, 1 assist

With trade rumors floating around the Knicks and Timberwolves, it’s possible Prigioni may not come back from All-Star break a Knick (if a deal does transpire, which seems like a stretch right now. OK. Breathe. Sorry. I’m OK. Just… I like Pablo). However, at this point, Prigioni doesn’t seem to be included in any major part of the Knicks’ ultimate success. His minutes are dwindling and his production is pretty uneven.

Well, that concludes the “first half” of the season. I can honestly say I hope to see this exact same group of Knicks return next week, hopefully 100% healthy, and see what they can do in the remaining 32 games. No doubt, though, the Knicks go into this break limping pretty noticeably.

On TNT’s pregame broadcast earlier this evening, it was announced that Steve Novak would represent the East in the Footlocker Three-Point Contest, and James White would participate for the East in the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.

This year’s contests will go in a different direction. In each competition, the Eastern and Western Conferences will have three representatives on their “teams”. All six players will compete the opening stages, and for the final stage, one player (based on highest score) will represent each conference to compete head-to-head.

Steve Novak’s teammates in the Three-Point Contest will be Paul George of the Indiana Pacers and Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The West will be represented by Ryan Anderson of the New Orleans Hornets, Matt Bonner of the San Antonio Spurs, and Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors. Novak is second in the bunch in three-point percentage at 44%, behind only Steph Curry.

November 20, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard James White (4) dunks against the New Orleans Hornets during the fourth quarter of a game at the New Orleans Arena. The Knicks defeated the Hornets 102-80. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

James “Flight” White will have solid competition as well. The East will also be represented by Terrence Ross of the Toronto Raptors and Gerald Green of the Indiana Pacers. The West will have Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz, Eric Bledsoe of the Los Angeles Clippers, and Kenneth Faried of the Denver Nuggets. It’s possible that the East has the top three dunkers in the whole competition, and the new format unfortunately eliminates the chances of seeing Green and White go head to head. White, though the oldest of the group, earned the nickname “Flight” with good reason.

All-Star weekend just got a lot more interesting for Knicks fans.

February 6, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards power forward Kevin Seraphin (13) shoots the ball as New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) defends in the second quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Perhaps the outcome of the game could’ve been predicted by New York’s start. The Wizards raced out to a 16-8 lead, taking advantage of the Knicks’ porous defense, where switches and rotations often went without execution or communication. Though the Knicks quickly caught up through some dishing and swishing from Carmelo Anthony and Raymond Felton, the poor start was a sign of things to come. The two teams exchanged blows throughout the first half with Amar’e Stoudemire providing a nice spark off the bench to combine with the Felton-Anthony punch for the Knicks. For the Wizards, John Wall and the hot shooting from Trevor Ariza and Martell Webster provided them with enough power to take a 51-48 lead going into halftime.

The second half was mostly miserable for the Knicks. A slow start to the third quarter found the Knicks down by nine points as they continued to defend poorly. Missing ten of their first eleven attempts from the field didn’t help either. Once again, the Knicks had to dig themselves out of an early hole, still led by Anthony and Stoudemire. The fourth quarter brought more of the same for the Knicks, minus the late resurgence. The collapse was almost entirely on the defensive end where the Knicks couldn’t handle John Wall’s penetration off high pick-and-rolls. If they were able to contain the dribble drive, or even force a miss, the Wizards canned open looks from downtown from the Knicks’ repeated collapses on the pick-and-roll. On offense, the Knicks stagnated and just couldn’t produce enough to get closer than two baskets.

The Wizards stuck two daggers in the forms of a Martell Webster open corner three, and a Trevor Ariza offensive rebound-putback layup. Eventually, the Knicks recognized their futile attempt to close the gap and waved the white flag, falling to 31-16, and ending their win streak.

Here’s a look at the individual performances:

Carmelo Anthony – 44 minutes, 31 points, 10-23 FG, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 TOs

Though he put up another gaudy stat line, Anthony’s offensive attack wasn’t as crisp or well executed as we’ve gotten used to seeing this season. There was a lot of isolatin’, penetratin’, and those one- or two- dribble pull-ups from midrange. He got (and sank) some clean looks from the outside, but forced a few, too. It was, however, nice to see him consistently pass out of double teams, and dropped passes and missed shots robbed him of a few assists. His defense – like the rest of the Knicks – left a lot to be desired.

P.S. – Credit to Nene for catching ‘Melo midair on a reckless drive to the hoop. Anthony was nearly turned upside down as his legs got caught on Nene’s arms, and as he went crashing to the ground, Nene braced his fall, and perhaps saved the Knicks’ season in the process.

Final Grade: B

Amar’e Stoudemire – 28 minutes, 19 points, 6-11 FG, 7-9 FT, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks

Stoudemire provided an immediate boost off the bench in the first half, aggressively going after the Wizards in the post, working off the dribble for a bunch of tough finishes around the rim. His approach changed a bit as the game went on, switching to cutting into open space off the attention the defense gave Anthony, and cleaning up misses and broken plays around the basket. Oddly, Stoudemire may have played the best/most inspired defense on the team, switching aggressively onto pick-and-rolls and making attempts to close out on shooters, not to mention registering the Knicks’ only blocked shots of the game. Then again… there was that play where Stoudemire stood body lengths away from Wall and watched him look around, open, and decide to shoot after three or four seconds. It was that kind of night.

Final Grade: B-

Raymond Felton – 40 minutes, 17 points, 6-13 FG, 3 rebounds, 4 assists

Felton once again began the game with a strong start, taking it to the basket, cleverly evading defenders for easy finishes, and swinging the ball to find the open man. As has been the case all season, however, his hot start didn’t carry over through the whole game. In the second half, Felton seemed invisible, doing little else other than bringing the ball up the court and getting burned by the blur that is John Wall (the latter is excusable, in my opinion). The assist tally is surprisingly low, though that can’t be pinned entirely on Felton as he did a decent enough job of contributing the ball, but teammates didn’t always can the looks he set them up with. It happens.

Final Grade: B

J.R. Smith – 35 points, 13 points, 6-14 FG, 0-4 3FG, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

A considerably quieter outing from Smith than we’re used to seeing. The scoring production seems OK (although 13 points on 14 shots really isn’t very efficient), but Smith just never had a point in this game where he had much  of an affect. Though, besides for Felton, he had the best +/-  on the team with -2. After launching a combined 40 three-point attempts over the previous three games, Smith only attempted four and didn’t hit any of them. Knocking a couple of those down could’ve been hugely helpful in the second half.

Final Grade: C

Tyson Chandler – 36 minutes, 8 points, 3-6 FG, 13 rebounds

Chandler seemed oddly pouty in this game. He had a terrific steal on the perimeter to open the game, raced down court, and was never rewarded for his hustle. To me, things went downhill from there as he was perhaps a bit peeved by the lack of reward. His effort on the boards was nowhere near what he showed the last three games, though 13 boards is nothing to sneeze at. He was relatively ineffective in the pick-and-roll and didn’t do much to orchestrate the Knicks’ lackadaisical D.

Final Grade: C+

Iman Shumpert – 22 minutes, 5 points, 2-8 FG, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

Shumpert’s return to the court has taken the reverse curve of Amar’e Stoudemire’s return cycle. Whereas Stoudemire started off slow and has gained momentum, Shumpert has slipped in recent outings. Woodson’s slotting of Shumpert at the 3 has been wildly ineffective – almost as ineffective as Shumpert’s shot and offensive production playing off the Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks’ pick-and-roll game. Likewise, Woodson (for reasons unbeknown to us) refuses to put Shumpert on the primary offensive backcourt weapon on opposing teams. Perhaps Iman is still adjusting to plying basketball for the first time in nine months, but he’s been sadly underwhelming lately.

Final Grade: C-

Pablo Prigioni – 8 minutes, 3 points, 1-3 FG, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

No Pablo after the first half for some strange reason. He looked decent in the first half, and riding a recently-returned Raymond Felton for 5/6 of the game seems like a bad idea. To be fair, Prigioni had no shot at stopping Wall off the dribble, and he can’t guard bigger guards.

Final Grade: C+

Jason Kidd – 18 minutes, 0 points, 0-4 FG, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

Kidd’s three-point percentage by month this season: November – 48.9%; December – 41.9%; January – 32.7%; February – 20%. Perhaps it is not a coincidence that the Knicks have been starting poorly in first and third quarters – there’s where Kidd sees the bulk of his minutes.

Final Grade: D+

Steve Novak – 10 minutes, 0 points, 0-2 FG, 1 rebound

Novak hasn’t been making a good case for himself to make the Three Point Shootout at All-Star Weekend.

Final Grade: D

It’s hard not to overreact to this loss, and in some cases, it might be justified. The Knicks have the second toughest schedule in the NBA after the All-Star break. Dropping games like this, especially while riding a hot streak, can come back to hurt a team. No choice but to move on now. They play in Minnesota on Friday.

Jan 17, 2013; London, United Kingdom; New York Knicks forward Amar

In his first six games back, Stoudemire played under a 20-minute limit, and took some time to get adjusted. He bricked bunnies at the rim, couldn’t time his rebounds and jumps correctly, and looked even flatter than normal on defense. He averaged 9 points per game on 44% shooting with just 3 rebounds per game.

However, over the previous seven games, Stoudemire is starting to show glimpses of his old self. While he still lacks his normal explosion, a consistent jumper, and a competent sense of what to do on defense, Stoudemire is finishing around the basket much better, fitting into the offense, rebounding at a better rate, and at least giving effort on the defensive end. In the last six games – in which the Knicks are 5-2 – Stoudemire is averaging 15.8 ppg on 64.9% shooting, with 5.4 rpg, while attempting 6.3 free throws per game in just 23.9 minutes per game.

Per 36 minutes, Stoudemire’s numbers look like those of an All-Star forward. His scoring per 36 is up to 20.2 ppg from last year’s 19.2, and his FG% is better as well. He is averaging less rebounds per game and less blocks, but overall, Stoudemire is starting to look like a consistently valuable member of the Knicks’ rotation.

Likewise, as has been discussed, Stoudemire is blending in with his fellow frontcourt co-stars, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler. When the three have shared the court this season (granted, in just under 108 minutes so far – a small sample size), the Knicks are a +31.  According to nbawowy.com, on offense, when the three have played together, each player is shooting above their season average FG% (well, Tyson Chandler is 66%, down from 68% on the season, but hardly anything worth complaining about). As a team, in 120 possessions, the Knicks are shooting 49% from the field and averaging 1.15 points per possession.

Equally as encouraging, Stoudemire, Anthony, and Chandler are blending in defensively. In 120 possessions – again, a small sample size – opponents are shooting just 41.9% from the field and averaging only .94 points per possession.

To put it simply: the Knicks are out-performing opponents on both ends of the floor when Stoudemire, Anthony, and Chandler are playing together. Who could’ve seen this coming a month ago?

Mike Woodson also deserves credit, though. Woodson, so far, has successfully mixed three players that had far more detractors than supporters. Of course, a big difference in Stoudemire’s ability to function between Anthony and Chandler stems from the fact that the Knicks now have Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, and Pablo Prigioni at the helm as opposed to Toney Douglas, Baron Davis, and Mike Bibby. However, Woodson encouraged Stoudemire to seek out Hakeem Olajuwon’s help this summer. Thus far, Olajuwon’s lessons have helped turn Stoudemire into an effective post player (nearly 31% of Stoudemire’s possessions come in the form of post-ups). Many people doubted Stoudemire’s ability to change his stripes after ten years in the league, but he is proving them wrong.

Woodson has also managed Stoudemire’s minutes nicely. He is yet to play over 30 minutes in a game and has yet to start a game. Stoudemire, of course, deserves a ton of credit for accepting a role off the bench (something another power forward is having trouble with), but Woodson seems to have Stoudemire in a perfect rhythm as of late.

Stoudemire has done a near 180-degree turn through the course of January and it still seems as though he has work to do. He likely will still regain a little bit more explosiveness around the basket which will help his rebounding and ability to finish, and he is learning the defensive schemes and rotations. If his improvement on the offensive end in recent weeks is anything to be taken seriously, we should all be excited about having Amar’e Stoudemire back on the court.

January 30, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Amar

The game started off poorly as the Magic’s starting backcourt of Jameer Nelson and J.J. Reddick took turns lighting up the Knicks from all over the court. The Knicks foolishly sent double-teams to Glen Davis (who later left with a foot injury and did not return), resulting in poor rotations and slow close-outs that left Nelson and Reddick open to feast on jumpers. Even when the Knicks stuck to the backcourt tandem, they managed to shake free and connect on shots. Luckily for the Knicks, Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler provided a boost for the Knicks’ equally-as-hot offense. Through the second quarter, the Magic eventually cooled off… to the tune of 55% FG shooting and 46% shooting from downtown.

In the second half, the Knicks took advantage of the short-handed Magic. Reddick and Nelson cooled off while the Knicks, behind some extra offensive punch from Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Chandler, began to wear the Magic down. The defense continued to tighten up (to a degree), while the offense just kept coming. Eventually in the fourth quarter, a series of four straight three-pointers from the Knicks boosted an eight-point lead to an 18-point lead. New York cruised the rest of the way playing mostly their bench bros, and eventually took the win to move to 28-15.

Here’s a look at some individual performances:

Tyson Chandler – 31 minutes, 21 points, 10-11 FG, 7 rebounds, 5 assists,

After a mini-slump over the previous four games, Chandler busted out in the early-going, feasting off the Magic’s weak interior defense and the playmaking of Raymond Felton. Chandler didn’t rebound the ball as well as we’ve been used to this season, nor did he direct traffic and generally tidy up the defense as efficiently as normal, but the Knicks’ defensive dilemmas stemmed far deeper than him. His accuracy around the rim (only one missed attempt and it was a jumper) and some lovely passes made up for it.

Final Grade: A

Carmelo Anthony – 39 minutes, 20 points, 8-17 FG, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block

Anthony put his name in the Knicks’ record books by notching his 30th consecutive game of scoring 20 or more points. ‘Melo was generally quieter tonight, though his stat line might have been a bit more gaudy if not for some poor shot attempts in transition (two awful pull-up threes come to my mind) and some missed shots from teammates. Regardless, a nice line tonight from Anthony and a big old “Welcome!” into the Knicks’ history.

Final Grade: A-

Raymond Felton – 31 minutes, 15 points, 6-13 FG, 3-6 3FG, 9 assists, 1 steal, 0 TOs

Felton continued to look more comfortable back on the court after his month-long absence. He began the game hot, feeding Chandler for an alley-oop in the pick-and-roll, knocking down a couple of floaters (his form looks different/better, by the way), and canning some hoists from the perimeter. Jameer Nelson embarrassed him on the defensive end quite a bit, and Felton didn’t have any more success trying to switch onto Reddick; the defensive struggles seemed to take him out of his groove a little bit. Either way, much like his teammates above him, a nice stat line, and some lovely offensive orchestrating.

Final Grade: B+

Amar’e Stoudemire – 21 minutes, 14 points, 7-7 FG, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks

Mike Woodson continues to monitor Amar’e Stoudemire’s minutes below what Stoudemire is capable of playing, but with the recent results, who’s to complain? Stoudemire was perfect on the offensive end tonight, and was still robbed of four points – got stripped after splitting a double-team, got called for an offensive foul on a pretty spin, post move. Nary an attempt outside the paint for Amar’e, even when sharing the court with Anthony and Chandler. He looks far more comfortable around the basket and finding openings off the ball. His two indisputable highlights: a jam over Gustavo Ayon off a spicy dish from Papa Prigs and a wild, fade-away, contested jumper off the dribble. His defense is still a bit spacy and poorly-positioned, but it, too, looks improved. I like this productive Amar’e. Now if he can boost those rebounding numbers by actually grabbing the ball and not tipping it in the air.

Final Grade: B

J.R. Smith – 35 minutes, 11 points, 4-8 FG, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block

By far Smith’s most quietly efficient game in quite some time. It seems like eons since he last notched 50% shooting from the field and 100% from downtown, but he did so tonight, and quite silently. Throw in some unnoticed (on my part) productivity on the boards and passing the ball, and suddenly I find myself regretting ignoring Smith’s game as a ho-hum performance.

Pablo Prigioni – 16 minutes, 11 points, 4-7 FG, 3-6 FG, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

Prigioni is building on a solid streak of good play, and had (in my opinion) one of his season’s best performances tonight. Prigioni took and

mostly made open looks when they came to him, shot with confidence, found teammates in all sorts of ways (even if the assists don’t reflect it) and generally played some great minutes spelling Felton.

Final Grade: B

Steve Novak – 23 minutes, 8 points, 3-7 FG, 2-6 3FG, 1 rebound, 1 assist

Leaving Novak on the floor than Stoudemire at this point feels like a misuse of minutes, but as Woodson noted earlier this week, the Knicks need to get Novak involved more. His confidence was clearly low early on, and his shots looked rushed and aimed (a bad combination for a pure shooter), but some garbage time buckets might fix that problem.

Final Grade: C

Iman Shumpert – 22 points, 7 points, 3-7FG, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 5 fouls

Shump got a spanking from the Magic’s backcourt tonight, simply said. Reddick torched him on screens and curls, evaded him off the dribble, and when Shump briefly got switched to Nelson (why we didn’t see more of this, nobody knows…), he was unable to stick to him all that well. Shumpert didn’t take advantage of his open looks off the pick-and-roll and Anthony’s general prowess, which seemed to pile onto his overall frustration. A forgettable night, all in all.

Final Grade: C

Chris Copeland – 8 minutes, 3 points, 1-2 FG

Hard to judge these types of stints, but Copeland hit a garbage time three-pointer after a completely unremarkable second quarter appearance, so that’s good.

Final Grade: C

James White – 10 minutes, 2 points, 1-3 FG, 1 rebound

Why Woodson likes to have a place-holder starter (i.e. White, Kurt Thomas, etc.) is beyond me, but White really doesn’t do much on the court. His jumper was flat and he got burned backdoor a couple of times. Truthfully, I’d rather give his minutes to Ronnie Brewer.

Final Grade: C-

Ronnie Brewer – 4 minutes, 1 point, 1-3 FT, 3 rebounds

Brewer is so low on the Knicks’ depth chart, I’m afraid he won’t even get invited to Mike Woodson’s Super Bowl part, or that Dave Hopla has forgotten about the shooting coaching he needs to be giving Ronnie. Brewer was so great in the early-going, I’d love to see him recapture some of that and boost the Knicks’ rotation a bit, even if the space for him is limited.

Final Grade: C-

Incompletes: Jason Kidd (DNP), Rasheed Wallace (DNP), Marcus Camby (DNP)

Follow Scott Davis on Twitter: @WScottDavis

However, since December 15, the Knicks are just 7-9, rapidly losing their lead in the Atlantic Division, slowly losing grip as the #2 seed in the East, as teams like the Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets, and Chicago Bulls creep up the standings. A number of things have plagued the Knicks, including injuries and slow starts, but overall, their recent play has simply been erratic. Night-in and night-out, the Knicks look like a different team. At times, such as yesterday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets, they are defensive, allowing under 90 points; other times, the Knicks look like the fluid offensive team they displayed early in the season; often, they look like neither.

One of the biggest problems has been Mike Woodson’s overall struggle to find a successful, consistent rotations.

The Knicks’ bench has the potential to be potent, as evidenced by the combined 46 points from Stoudemire, Smith, and Novak in their win over Detroit this past Thursday. The combination of Amar’e Stoudemire and J.R. Smith off the bench has put up big scoring numbers for the Knicks, but the results have been mixed. Since Stoudemire’s return, January 1, the Knicks are only 4-5. The Knicks are 4-2 when Stoudemire scores in double-figures. They are also 3-1 this month when Steve Novak makes three or more three-point attempts, and 2-0 this month when he scores in double-figures. Smith has been a consistent force off the bench and is playing huge minutes because of his productivity.However, these big scoring outputs haven’t been there every game, and despite the talent the Knicks have in their second unit, the results haven’t often been wins.

The starting lineup has been as inconsistent as the bench. In this recent slide, Mike Woodson has experimented with a number of different lineups. Jason Kidd, Carmelo Anthony, and Tyson Chandler have been permanent starters, but James White, Iman Shumpert, Ronnie Brewer, Chris Copeland, Marcus Camby, and Kurt Thomas have all taken turns being tossed in and out of the starting lineup.

Though Mike Woodson has done an undoubtedly better job coaching the Knicks than Mike D’Antoni did, under D’Antoni, the Knicks almost always had their most success when he found consistent rotations and lineups to play each game. Though he played a shorter rotation than Woodson, he often had set times when certain players would come in and out of the game, and certain lineups he would play. The key there was consistency. Though injuries have no doubt factored into Woodson’s rotation-shuffling, finding a set rotation might be Woodson’s best option to find these Knicks some rhythm.

Part of the problem has been that certain players have produced at inconsistent levels. Pablo Prigioni and Chris Copeland, both rookies, have struggled to be consistent each night, Ronnie Brewer’s play has taken a drastic nosedive since his early season success, and Woodson’s experiments with James White and Kurt Thomas usually result in very short stints for both players before they’re substituted for regular cogs in the rotation. In this case, it might be better for Woodson to shorten the rotation.

However, another problem lies in the heavy minutes he’s playing key players on the team. Carmelo Anthony has logged 40+ minutes in six of his last eight games, Jason Kidd, at 39-years old, has played 30+ five times this month because of Raymond Felton’s injury and Prigioni’s inconsistency, Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith are both playing near or at career-high levels in minutes. Amar’e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert are not yet ready to play more than 20-30 minutes each, and the rest of the Knicks haven’t warranted heavy playing time. Marcus Camby, Rasheed Wallace, and Raymond Felton don’t appear to be on the horizon, so Woodson will likely keep having to play guys for extended minutes while reaching deep into the bench, despite its limited impact, to spell those players.

Finding solutions for these problems isn’t easy, and Mike Woodson is surely racking his brain to figure out a way to get his team back into any kind of rhythm. For now, injuries have caused the Knicks to play up-and-down, and the problems with the rotations continue.

Jan. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) is congratulated by teammates against the Boston Celtics during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Of course, the Knicks will not just be spending their off days sitting on couches, resting their legs. Part of their time off this week will be spent traveling to London where the Knicks will take part in an NBA showcase, playing the Detroit Pistons. There’s no official word on the Knicks’ travel plans, but they will probably leave for London on Tuesday, practice and prepare on Wednesday, play Thursday, and then perhaps leave England for the U.S on Friday (this itinerary is a complete guess).

However, after they’re done with their London experience, the fact still remains that the Knicks will play just two games from Friday, January 18 to Friday, January 25. Any NBA team would welcome as many days off between games with open arms, but for an older team like the Knicks, it is a mid-season blessing.

The three days off until the Knicks play the Pistons in London can be used to rest various injuries and welcome new members to the rotation. Amar’e Stoudemire – who just received an increase in his minutes cap – can give his knee more time to get back to normal while also practicing with the team; Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni can rest their weary legs from undeniable exhaustion; Carmelo Anthony can now eat a cheeseburger and perhaps help out his own aching limps.

An important development in all of this is Iman Shumpert’s potential return to the court. Shumpert will travel to London with the team, practice, and possibly play in Thursday’s game. Shumpert will not only get a chance to jell with his teammates, but his return to the court will be a welcome sight. Shumpert can boost a backcourt that has been struggling of late, while also providing a boost of defensive intensity on the perimeter that has been lacking. While he’s not a complete point guard, and the offense will likely struggle if he has full control of the reins, Shumpert can still provide some minutes of rest for Kidd and Prigioni who have had to play heavy minutes in Raymond Felton’s stead.

Following Thursday’s game, the Knicks will have another three days off before they play the Nets on Monday, and then another three days off before taking on the Celtics on Thursday. The six days will be enough for the Knicks to at least fit in two practices, and more importantly, getting players healthy. Rasheed Wallace is also supposed to start working out in the next week, so the time off can allow him practice and rehab time to hopefully return to the court soon.

For a team that’s been struggling, the light two weeks ahead could be greatly beneficial for the Knicks to regain their composure.

The offense was messy, supported largely by bail-out J.R. Smith buckets, which provided a third of the Knicks’ offense. With the Pacers denying most opportunities off the pick-and-roll and the Knicks misfiring from the perimeter, Smith spent a good chunk of the time, dribbling the ball all over creation, weaving his way through the defense to find the best looks possible. At times he hit some ridiculous fade-away jumpers (as he is wont to do), others driving the lane for pretty finishes, but with Indiana and the lanky Paul George draped all over him, Smith rarely found room to breathe and get off quality looks.

For the rest of the Knicks, baskets were few and far between. After a trigger-happy first quarter, Chris Copeland hardly saw the court; Tyson Chandler managed some nice finishes, but also blew some easy looks and was rejected on others; Amar’e Stoudemire more-or-less looked out of sorts on jumpers and moves to the basket; Steve Novak and Jason Kidd connected on only 4-14 attempts, pretty much all on the perimeter.

The defense, however, despite how grotesque the Pacers’ offense is anyway, kept the Knicks in the game. There was an over-abundance of switching and miscommunications (particularly with Stoudemire on the floor), but a general dedication to closing out on shooters and hitting the glass helped the Knicks’ cause. Fatigue was the Knicks’ main opponent tonight, though. After allowing only 58 points through three quarters, the Knicks surrendered 23 in the final 12 minutes. It was in the crucial moments of the game, when the Knicks desperately needed stops, that their legs fell flat, failing to run out on shooters, tardy on rotations to provide help at the basket when the perimeter defense was broken down.

An icky game all around, and the player report cards don’t figure to be all too prettier.

J.R. Smith – 40 minutes, 25 points, 10-29 FG, 3 rebounds, 6 assists

The Knicks had few other options but to give Smith the ball and just watch. And by the fourth quarter, Smith actually didn’t seem too pleased with the game plan. After a hot third quarter, in which Smith tallied 12 points, his legs looked flat in the fourth, bricking jumpers and losing the step he’d been using off the dribble to get into the paint and create havoc. His 34% shooting would normally be a critique, but what else could he do with one the NBA’s best perimeter defenders hounding him and virtually all other options cut off? Head-banded, and potentially handicapped by disrupted vision, Smith, donning a Tupac-esque resemblance did what he could to keep the Knicks alive. I salute the effort, Earl. At least we got this.

Final Grade: B-

Tyson Chandler – 38 minutes, 12 points, 5-10 FG, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks

The only other Knick in double figures, Chandler found pretty much all of his field goals off the seldom successful pick-and-roll tonight. When he wasn’t receiving good looks while rolling to the basket, he was disrupted by the length and crowding of the Pacers around the basket. He missed a few easy put-backs and was rejected pretty handily at the rim by Roy Hibbert on a dunk attempt. Chandler also looked exhausted by the fourth quarter, sitting in the paint watching as Ian Mahimi stepped out to the top of the key to hit open jumpers. Chandler’s presence on the boards, however, continues to be astounding as he is now averaging 13.5 rebounds per game over his last seven.

Final Grade: B

Amar’e Stoudemire – 21 minutes, 9 points, 4-11 FG, 8 rebounds, 1 block

I’ll continue to chalk it up to rust as long as Stoudemire still looks like the cheap imitation of his former self. True to his word, Woodson limited STAT’s minutes to 21:31, and it was a hodgepodge of good and bad for him. On offense, Stoudemire’s post-up attempts are still largely ill-fated, either pinning himself under the basket, along the baseline, missing baby hooks, or getting stuffed at the rim. His jumper looks semi-fluid, but hardly accurate (he hit one of six attempts outside the paint tonight). On defense, Stoudemire is still all out of sorts, either missing his man on, failing to switch or assuming switches that aren’t there, or worst of all: running with his back turned to the ball on a fastbreak. He did rebound the ball nicely, though.

Final Grade: C-

Jason Kidd – 31 minutes, 8 points, 3-10 FG, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 TOs

The days are becoming limited where Jason Kidd can start and operate as a team’s primary point guard. Against an aggressive defense like Indiana, Kidd could rarely turn the corner on pick-and-rolls to set up big men or even hit shooters on drive-and-kicks. His defense was serviceable, but his offense was flat. Maybe at this point Jason could donate some of his hand to Raymond Felton to get him back. Right now, no one needs Felton back as badly as Kidd, who at 39-years old, simply cannot keep up this pace.

Final Grade: C

Chris Copeland – 21 minutes, 8 points, 3-9 FG, 6 rebounds, 3 TOs

A number of ugly, awkward post-up and isolation attempts early in the first quarter kind of signaled what was in store for this game. Copeland actually acted as the Knicks’ go-to man to begin the game; a situation I hope we don’t find ourselves in again. After the first quarter, Cope saw his minutes dwindle significantly, and I’m not sure why, but I doubt it affected the game much anyway.

Final Grade: C

Marcus Camby – 19 minutes, 7 points, 3-9 FG, 5 rebounds, 1 block

Arguably the most productive minutes we’d seen from Camby were cut short when he limped to the locker room and was diagnosed with a “sore left foot”. Who knows when we’ll see Marcus again, and it’s a shame because despite low shooting numbers, he was doing nice things on both ends of the floor.

Final Grade: C+

Kurt Thomas – 16 minutes, 4 points, 2-5 FG, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks

In 2013, Kurt Thomas caught a pass at the top of the key, pump-faked, took two dribbles, and pulled up for a midrange jumper, and sank it. He also forced David West, a not-so-far-off All-Star power forward, into some ugly stretches where he turned the ball over, got called for offensive fouls, and missed easy baskets.

Final Grade: C+

Steve Novak – 24 minutes, 3 points, 1-4 FG, 5 rebounds

Wherefore art thou, Novakaine? Granted, the Pacers lock up the three-point line pretty well, but Novak’s once-automatic three-point splashes have almost become a rarity where I find myself once again surprised when he does can one from beyond the arc. Tonight he was more useful on the boards, but it’s becoming a more and more relevant question lately: If he isn’t hitting shots (and Woodson seems to refuse to run plays for him) why is Steve Novak on the floor?

Final Grade: C-

Jan. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) argue on the court and are issued technical fouls during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Boston won 102-96. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony will miss his seventh game of the season, though for the first time, not because of injury. With all of the hullabaloo made over the altercation(s) over the past two days, it’s not surprising that the NBA suspended Anthony. Though no physical harm was actually done, the intentions and projections were pretty clear; Anthony was upset. The NBA has been strict and unwavering in its punishment of any types of altercations in the past – especially when it leaves the court – so Anthony surely got what he had coming to him.

In the meantime, the Knicks will have to face a red hot Indiana Pacers team that has been especially stingy on the defensive end. Normally, this could be an opportunity to let Amar’e Stoudemire spin as the main feature in the Knicks’ offense, but even today, Mike Woodson said Stoudemire’s minutes will be limited because of his extended play on Monday’s game.

J.R. Smith will likely see a boatload of minutes, but with no other truly dominant, self-capable scorers, the Knicks may really have a hard time getting the ball in the basket against the Pacers.

The question still remains, especially no with an impact on the team: were Anthony’s actions justified, or did he take it too far? It would seem this question could largely be determined by the outcome of the game on Thursday night.

January 5, 2013; Orlando FL, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amar

Stoudemire, who until last week had not played a real NBA game (excluding preseason) in nearly seven months, still needs some time to work himself back into shape. Mike Woodson has been managing his minutes off the bench with about 20 per night, dispersing his playing time between minutes with the bench crew and with the starters. Currently, Stoudemire is not fit to be playing huge minutes in a game; his lag time in running up and down the court is noticeable in changes of possession, and he still lacks his usual explosiveness, as noted by his very lower total rebounding percentage – 7.4% and only 4.6 rebounds per 36 minutes – and the five shots he’s had blocked in three games. Stoudemire is simply still very rusty.

However, the question begs to be asked: where will Stoudemire fit when he returns to full health, capable of playing big minutes? As mentioned, thus far, Stoudemire has come off the bench and seen minutes with the bench unit and starting unit. Much of the fan base and many basketball analysts believe Stoudemire is better suited coming off the bench with a pick-and-roll point guard in Pablo Prigioni, two floor-spacers in J.R. Smith and Steve Novak, and a lack of paint-bound big men (Tyson Chandler) and ball-dominant scorers (Carmelo Anthony). Other pundits believe Stoudemire should play in the starting lineup and be forced to jell with Chandler and Anthony, as the Knicks’ ultimate success will be reliant on the Big Three’s ability to coincide.

Interestingly enough, +/- stats indicate that the Knicks’ most effective lineups with Stoudemire have come with a blend of starters and bench players. The top five-man combinations including Stoudemire are as follows:

1. Kidd, Anthony, Chandler, Smith, Stoudemire = +10 in 11 minutes
2. Smith, Novak, Copeland, Prigioni, Stoudemire = +5 in 8 minutes
3. Chandler, Anthony, Smith, Prigioni, Stoudemire = +5 in 8 minutes

It is clear to see that any five-man unit including Stoudemire has not seen a ton of playing time together because Stoudemire has only played three games, and Woodson tends to play a nine- or ten-man rotation which means there are substitutions often, thus not allowing any real longevity to one certain five-man unit. However, by narrowing the Knicks’ +/- stats down to three-man units, the samples become larger, and even more interesting.

The Knicks’ top three-man combinations including Stoudemire have consisted of Stoudemire, Chandler, and Smith with a +15 in about 19 minutes of playing time. The other combination with the same +15 in the same amount of playing time was the grouping of Stoudemire, Chandler, and Anthony. In general, the Knicks’ most productive lineups with Stoudemire have included either Anthony or Chandler, thus hinting at hope of a successful blend of all three players.

With Stoudemire on the court, the Knicks have been affected in different ways. They have become a better rebounding team and passing team with Stoudemire playing, and they’ve shot better from the corner three and the restricted area. However, in total, the Knicks’ have become an overall worse offensive team with Amar’e on the floor, with lower FG%, TS% and on offensive rating of 101.8 with him playing versus 109.9 with him on the bench. The defensive rating, meanwhile, has hardly been affected by his presence.

Working a player like Stoudemire into a team that has been rolling for two months will be difficult. There is new chemistry to be found amongst different combinations of players, and as the statistics show, there are surprising numbers for the Knicks’ coaches to look at to determine where he’ll fit best. For now, the Knicks are 2-1 since Stoudemire has returned, and there is statistical evidence to show (despite the very small sample size) that he can make the Knicks a better team.

Jan. 3, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith (8) high fives center Tyson Chandler (6) after a dunk against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 100-83. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Woodson tweaked the starting lineup, putting Marcus Camby in place of Kurt Thomas at power forward, and the returns weren’t wholly satisfying. The Knicks defended with much greater vigor and conviction than in previous matchups, but struggled to score the ball. The Spurs crowded Carmelo Anthony, forcing Jason Kidd to pull on some contested threes, while Ronnie Brewer tried to create some offense and Tyson Chandler and Camby rolled to the basket with little success.

However, defense reigned mighty in the first half. Neither team ever got on any type of roll on offense, instead only exchanging baskets periodically and battling it out with defensive schemes. Anthony could not get on track; Smith’s jumpshots didn’t fall with the same frequency as they have of late; Amar’e Stoudemire continued to struggle while shaking off the rust; the rest of the Knicks’ contributions were minimal. For the Spurs, their excellent precision and ball movement got them good, open looks from the perimeter, but the Knicks’ defense focused on stopping Tony Parker’s basket-bound ways and otherwise stuffing the paint to deny easy baskets. The Knicks led at halftime 42-40.

In the second half, it was the Knicks whose offense became untracked. Behind some masterful helmsmanship from Pablo Prigioni, Anthony, Smith, and the rest of the gang began to find success stroking it from the perimeter and taking it to the basket. The defense, meanwhile, stayed aggressive, forcing the Spurs east and west around the perimeter, protecting the basket, and cleaning the glass to the tune of a 48-35 rebounding advantage. To open the fourth quarter, the Spurs all but waved the white flag as the Knicks ran off a 15-2 explosion to boost the lead to 82-62. The Knicks cruised to the victory, smiling and dancing all the way.

How about some individual player report cards?

Carmelo Anthony – 36 minutes, 23 points, 9-20 FG, 8 rebounds, 3 assists

‘Melo’s early insistence that he was done trying to score 30 points a night to get a victory has proved false so far this season, but when he made the remarks, this type of night was probably what he imagined. The Spurs rarely granted Anthony any good looks and early on, his field goal percentage reflected it. Though he hit some open threes and had a few successful drives to the basket, there was less posting and toasting, shaking and baking from Anthony for the in this one. His 23 points on 20 shot attempts isn’t all that efficient, but despite the somewhat gaudy stat line, he seemed relatively quiet on this night. However, with his shot only luke warm, there was more focus on finding open teammates (some deliberate STAT-feeding comes to mind, as well as some perimeter ball-swinging) and helping out on the boards. His first half defense, especially sticking with shooters or on close-outs wasn’t terribly satisfying, but luckily, the half-hearted effort didn’t much affect the Knicks tonight.

Final Grade: B+

J.R. Smith – 27 minutes, 20 points, 9-17 FG, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

The above stat line is becoming a regularity for Smith. At one point, Mike Breen remarked that J.R. has previously registered three straight games with 25+ points off the bench for the first time in Knicks’ history. He then continued to say Smith had a long way to go to reach that mark as he notched his seventh points of the night. Little did Mr. Breen know that garbage time was still to come – Smith’s most comfortable habitat.

Yes, J.R. was slightly underwhelming to begin, but as he is wont to do, he blew it up in the fourth quarter when the Knicks’ lead swelled. An array of jumpers off the dribble, cuts to the baskets, and catch-and-shoot three-pointers quickly notched Smith those 20 points in the fourth quarter. Throw in an electrifying, low-lob-devastating-finish on a Prigioni alley-oop, and this had all the makings of a classic Earl Smith fourth quarter feast. Jokes aside, Smith’s effort all over the court is becoming so satisfying to see. Consistent effort on the boards, some delightful dishing in the pick-and-roll, and a chase-down block on Gary Neal, and Smith is earning the extended minutes and usage he’s been receiving in recent weeks.

Final Grade: A-

Tyson Chandler – 31 minutes, 10 points, 3-4 FG, 4-5 FT, 14 rebounds, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block

After a lackluster (and perhaps beat-up) effort against the Portland Trailblazers, Chandler also returned to his normal high-voltage self. Against a Spurs team that can struggle against dominant big men, Chandler gobbled up rebounds, turned away a few basket-attackers, and continued to his offensive efficiency, finishing easy baskets or otherwise drawing fouls at the rim. If not for ill-timed passes on the fastbreak and on attempted alley-oops, Chandler’s point totaly probably could have been higher. The Knicks allowing only 22 combined points from Tim Duncan and Tony Parker surely has something to do with Chandler’s ability to guard both individually or cause discomfort in their usual sets. Throw in four assists (a season high) and Tyson had a nice playtime tonight with his friends!

Final Grade: A-

Steve Novak – 22 minutes, 5-7 FG, 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals

Tonight we caught a glimpse of Steve Novak: Three-Point Specialist and Steve Novak: Three-Point Specialist With the Fastest Hands in New York City! Novak was granted a few open looks from downtown and canned them appropriately, but we also saw some quick trigger launches with fast-closing opponents that Novak still sank. The two steals (one in the passing lanes, one off the dribble) were also awkward, humorous delights. For the most part this season, Novak’s three-point prowess hasn’t lived up last season’s, but these type of efforts go a long way in boosting the Knicks’ offense and hopefully his confidence.

Final Grade: B-

Amar’e Stoudemire – 21 minutes, 10 points, 4-10 FG, 2 rebounds, 1 steal

Stoudemire was granted another rousing ovation when he got off the bench early in the first quarter to replace Marcus Camby, but once again, his play was disappointingly rusty and slightly forced. There were a number of ill-fated post-up attempts, that despite some fancy Olajuwon-esque moves, did not end up with points on the board. Stoudemire’s lack of explosion is still apparent when he’s pinned underneath the basket without any room for a running start. These are all things that will hopefully wear off as Stoudemire gets more burn.What was pleasing was Stoudemire’s clearly-increased focus on defense, actually denying some drives, providing help to guards on pick-and-rolls, and even a few snappy close-outs on jumpers.

Tonight Stoudemire got some extended minutes with the fourth quarter garbage time, we’ll see if he can hang around the 20-minute mark for the next few games and begin to find a more natural rhythm.

Final Grade: C

Pablo Prigioni – 27 minutes, 6 points, 3-9 FG, 9 assists, 3 steals. 1 TO

Prigioni got MSG’s walk-off interview tonight, and rightfully so. Somehow, Prigioni makes 9 assists off the bench seem quiet, but there were a few dazzlers in there. With his steady, crafty hands running the offense, Prigioni not only took part in the Knicks’ late-game offensive eruption, but he also allowed Jason Kidd some extended rest in the second half. The Argentine showed the full repertoire tonight, tossing some lovely ‘oops to Chandler and Smith, squeezing drop-off passes to rolling big men in the pick-and-roll, and throwing some spicy, zippy, one-handed passes to shooters and to cutters. Resting Kidd is optimal going forward, and it seems with extended playing time, Prigioni can allow it if he gets into a nice rhythm on offense. The only disappointing thing about Prigioni is wondering how good he could have been if he’d come to the NBA five to ten years earlier.

Final Grade: B

Jason Kidd – 21 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals

The body of Kidd’s work came in the first half, as Prigioni manned the offense for the better part of the second half. Kidd was fairly quiet during his run on the court, but his work on the defensive end was notable. Kidd did an admirable job denying Tony Parker’s speedy attack off the dribble, and did a decent enough job closing on shooters when he was moved off the ball. The most important thing right now is to try and get Kidd as much rest as possible, because playing a 39-year old 30+ minutes isn’t optimal.

Final Grade: C+

Ronnie Brewer – 16 minutes, 6 points, 2-2 3FG, 2 rebounds

Ronnie Brewer hit two three-pointers tonight for the first time since the game against Charlotte on December 5, according to our friend Bryan Gibberman. Brewer seems to slowly, but surely be climbing out of his slump, but his offense and defense is still not up to par to what you’d expect. Keep working, Ronnie!

Final Grade: C

Chris Copeland – 18 minutes, 3 points, 1-5 FG, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Copeland never got into much of a rhythm tonight. His lone three-pointer came early in his first half stint, and he did little else thereafter. With Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire back, and Steve Novak possibly busting out of a slump, it’s feasible that Copeland’s minutes could dwindle to exclusively garbage time.

Final Grade: C-

Marcus Camby – 15 minutes, 2 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block

Camby in the starting lineup added a nice dimension defensively, but it hurt the Knicks offensively. Though Kurt Thomas is no more an offensive threat, Camby’s presence does little else to assuage the pressure on Carmelo Anthony to carry the offense early on. What he does add, though, is extra rebounding, shot-blocking, potentially extra possessions, and some nice passing from the high post. Most of his pass attempts were broken up, but Camby was certainly looking to find cutters early on in the game from the high post, which could add an interesting dynamic to certain lineups. We’ll see if Woodson continues with Camby as the starting power forward in the future, but it’d be nice to see Camby get some more minutes as the back-up center, instead of playing Chandler for over 30 minutes.

Final Grade: C

Incompletes: James White, Kurt Thomas, Rasheed Wallace

Though fans and analysts alike have bemoaned Felton’s recent struggles (he’s had bone bruises on both hands that were affecting his shooting and passing), there’s no doubt that Felton is the best choice as a starter among the Knicks’ collection of point guards. Felton is younger, quicker, more capable of scoring, and at least competently skilled in passing compared to Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni. However, with Felton now sidelined for the next few weeks, it’s understandable to be concerned if the Knicks can get by without their starting point guard.

Last night Jason Kidd got the start for Felton in Phoenix and had a terrific game, showing shades of his former dominance in his younger days with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists. However, with Kidd, at 39-years old, already logging so many minutes prior to Felton’s injury, can he handle an even bigger role as the starting point guard?

The same thing goes for Pablo Prigioni. While Prigioni is younger (35) and more rested than Kidd – just 13 minutes per game to Kidd’s 30 – this is Prigioni’s first season in the NBA. Though he’s an experienced point guard from a famed career in Spain, to suddenly give Prigioni the reins of the offense as the starting point guard may be like baptism by fire.

There are arguments for both, however. While Kidd has logged tons of miles and minutes in his career, he hasn’t shown any sign of fatigue yet this season, and his presence on the court has continually led to good things for the Knicks. Whether it’s making three-pointers, driving and kicking, making the extra pass, getting a steal or deflection, drawing a foul – the plays Kidd makes almost always benefit the Knicks.

For Prigioni, the case could be made that because he is younger, quicker, and better rested, and with the return of Amar’e Stoudemire possibly just days away, the Argentine rookie could thrive with more minutes and a devastating pick-and-roll partner. Likewise, giving Prigioni more minutes instead of increasing Kidd’s could help preserve Kidd for later on in the season when he presumably will go back to being the number two option next to Felton.

Without Felton, though, there are two immediate concerns: scoring from the point guard position, and defending opposing point guards. Though Felton hasn’t done either particularly efficiently this season (he’s shooting 39% from the field and has a defensive rating of 109), he still is simply more capable of carrying the offensive load and matching up with quicker point guards than either Kidd or Prigioni. For instance, Felton averages 16 points per game, which is double what Kidd averages and even more than Prigioni. Kidd has shown some offensive prowess this season, but it’s unlikely he could score at the same clip. Similarly, are we to imagine Kidd or Prigioni chasing the likes of Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, etc. better than Felton would?

A potential boost of help could come in the form of Iman Shumpert in future weeks. Shumpert, while more of a combo guard than pure point guard, is a better option of running the point for periods of time than J.R. Smith or Carmelo Anthony, and would help scale back on Kidd and Prigioni’s minutes. Shumpert was recently cleared for physical contact, and appears to be on target for a January return. Shumpert would also give the Knicks a defensive lift, negating the worries of having Kidd or Prigioni defend the NBA’s elite at point guard.

The Knicks could also go the way of free agency where a number of cheap, backup point guard options exist. However, this would require cutting one of the players on the already-maxed out Knicks’ roster. It would seem that James White would be the most likely candidate to be cut to make room for a free agent, but with Carmelo Anthony in and out of the lineup, and Ronnie Brewer struggling, White’s been needed as of late to fill up minutes as a defensive help on the wing. It’s been suggested that the Knicks could pursue some help, but at this point it still seems unlikely.

In recent weeks, we’ll see how the Knicks fare without their starting point guard, relying on two aged veterans with savvy point guard skills. Contributions from other players like the Knicks received last night, will no doubt go a long way in helping mend the absence of Felton from the Knicks’ offense.

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Dec. 9, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amar

Sprinkled in between those stretches, however, was some solid basketball, particularly in March after Mike Woodson took over, where Stoudemire averaged 18 points per game on 56% FG, with 8 rebounds per game. The Knicks went 8-2 during that period as Stoudemire played his most productive basketball in an otherwise disappointing season, and blended with Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, and Jeremy Lin. As Stoudemire prepares to return to the court, the Knicks’ staff and fans are clinging to that stretch, hoping Stoudemire can play at a similar level and coincide with this highly successful Knicks team.

As Stoudemire himself, Mike Woodson, and teammates have sounded optimistic about his return, Howard Beck’s recent piece about Stoudemire was contradictory to the positive rhetoric spinning around the Knicks of late. Beck reported that this past summer Stoudemire was offered to nearly every team “for free”, and was nearly traded to Toronto for Andrea Bargnani before James Dolan vetoed the trade. Beck further comments that Stoudemire may be reluctant to accept a diminished role on the Knicks, and an offensive-minded, defensively-lacking, past-his-prime power forward may not fit on this Knicks team.

The concerns about Stoudemire’s fit when he returns is natural. But Beck’s revealing that Stoudemire was offered to any takers this summer does suggest that he’s not viewed as a necessary piece going forward. The Knicks have turned to a small-ball team, with Carmelo Anthony thriving as the centerpiece at power forward; Tyson Chandler has sufficiently gobbled up every scoring opportunity in the paint, slamming down lobs on the pick-and-roll; the defensive-minded nature (though the team’s stats don’t quite reveal the same mentality) is ill-fitting of Stoudemire’s game – all these things suggest that Stoudemire doesn’t have a place anymore on this Knicks team.

However, there’s no doubting that Beck opts for the pessimistic side of things. Though he claims that sources say Stoudemire is a “prideful” man and wouldn’t be thrilled with accepting a role off the bench – if Woodson does in fact put him there – Stoudemire has said he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win. It just depends on who you choose to believe.

Furthermore, there’s no denying that the Knicks could use a second consistent scorer on the team. Though the Knicks haven’t had much trouble scoring the ball, when Carmelo Anthony hasn’t played, the offense has looked disordered. Even the game in Miami where the Knicks poured three-pointers on the Heat in a 20-point win, that type of shooting is not sustainable. Against better defensive teams (the following game in Chicago, for instance), the Knicks couldn’t get clean looks from beyond the arc, and lacked a scorer who could produce without using an excess amount of dribbles (Raymond Felton and J.R. Smith), or without needing a set-up first (Steve Novak, Jason Kidd, Chandler).

Stoudemire has reportedly worked very hard on the post moves he learned with Hakeem Olajuwon this summer, and if he can hit his mid-range jumpers with greater consistency, then he adds a real scoring threat to this Knicks team. A guy who can create for himself, using minimal space on the floor and without needing a play to set him up every time would be beneficial for the team when Anthony is not in.

There’s also the fact that the Knicks possess far greater playmakers on this team than last season. Raymond Felton has historically been an effective partner with Stoudemire; Jason Kidd, one of the all-time great point guards will make it work; Pablo Prigioni has lacked a good pick-and-roll partner to utilize in the second unit, and could do wonders with Stoudemire, especially given the floor spacing with Steve Novak and J.R. Smith.

All of this, of course, is taking the optimistic side of things. Arguments could be made in favor of either point of view, and neither can truly be answered until Stoudemire actually returns in the coming weeks. What’s evident, though, is that Stoudemire’s time to prove himself is this season. The Knicks are committed to Anthony and this current surrounding cast; Stoudemire may be the odd man out. If he’s not willing to play into a team role, it could prove costly to Stoudemire’s future as Knick. Likewise, if Stoudemire plays well, but at the expense of the Knicks’ success, it could be enough to offer him up to other takers, and ship him out for pieces that better fit this current ensemble.

Stoudemire was once considered the savior of the Knicks. Just two Decembers ago, as Tommy Beer points out, Stoudemire was leading the Knicks, dropping 29 points and 9 rebounds per game. Now it’s up to the man called STAT to regain the trust of the organization and prove he’s a critical part of a championship-contending team.

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Nov 27, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin (7) dribbles the ball against the Toronto Raptors in the fourth quarter at the Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Raptors 117-101. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight, Jeremy Lin will return to Madison Square Garden to play basketball, albeit for a different team: the Houston Rockets.

Lin’s departure from the Knicks has been oft- (overly?) discussed since he signed a three-year/$24-million contract with the Rockets in early July. It was widely assumed that Lin would return for the 2012-13 season in a Knicks uniform – and why not? Lin’s stretch of basketball from early February to late March was truly phenomenal. An undrafted point guard from Harvard, cut from two teams at the beginning of the season, at the end of the Knicks’ bench, just waiting for his moment.

That moment came on February 4, when the baldy struggling Knicks, on the third game of a back-to-back-to-back, turned to Lin for a boost off the bench when they found themselves losing at home to the even-worse New Jersey Nets. That’s when Lin took over. 25 points, 7 assists, and a game-saving performance. The next game, against the Utah Jazz, coach Mike D’Antoni turned to him as the starting point guard – another miraculous performance. 28 points, 8 assists in another win, this time without the help of Amar’e Stoudemire (mourning the death of his brother in Florida) or Carmelo Anthony who pulled his groin in the early minutes.

With the Knicks mostly star-less for the next few weeks, Jeremy Lin took over and became the toast of New York, the leader, the savior the Knicks needed to turn their disappointing season around. Over those next 11 games, the true stretch of Linsanity before the team (and Lin to a degree) evened out, the Knicks went 9-2 with Lin leading the way. Lin averaged 23.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 2.6 steals per game during this stretch, breaking NBA records for points and assists in first-time starts.

There were some awe-inspiring performances: 38 points in a victorious showdown versus Kobe Bryant and the Lakers; a come-from-behind win in Minnesota, while out-dueling Ricky Rubio; a game-winner in another come-from-behind victory in Toronto (this still gives me goosebumps); a spectacular performance of point guard play against the Dallas Mavericks.

It could be said that Linsanity ended when the Knicks took on the Heat in Miami. The Heat, having been fed a week’s worth of motivation, trapped, harassed, and otherwise bullied Lin into a lowly performance – 8 points 1-11 shooting, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 8 turnovers.Though it wasn’t the last of Lin’s great games, he came back down to Earth, so to speak, and the Knicks were unable to recapture that same magic thereafter. A losing streak followed, Mike D’Antoni resigned as head coach, Mike Woodson took over, and though the Knicks began their winning ways again, it was a more-team focused approach and Lin saw a dip in playing time and statistics. And then, of course, his last game as a Knick.

The Knicks’ decision not to match Lin this summer was controversial. How could they let a 23-year old sensation walk away without anything in return? In the Knicks’ defense, Lin’s back-loaded offer from the Rockets would have had huge tax repercussions in the new CBA (though it’s been proven that they could have lessened that hit a number of different ways). They also felt somewhat betrayed when Lin supposedly renegotiated his contract with the Rockets for more money. Likewise, there were doubts among the Knicks players as to how well a young point guard could run and direct the team to get them to the championship level they desired.

In Lin’s defense, he’s come out and said since joining the Rockets that he was never offered a contract from the Knicks; in fact, he was told to go out and seek an offer. Likewise, Lin was told multiple times by Mike Woodson that he would be part of the club going forward. Lin even admitted that he never really wanted to leave New York.

Luckily, post-Lin life for the Knicks has been good. New York is atop the Eastern Conference by two games, sitting with one of the franchise’s best ever starts to a season at 18-5. Even while missing key players like Amar’e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert, the Knicks have thrived behind MVP-like play from Carmelo Anthony, continued dominance in the middle from Tyson Chandler, and excellent leadership from Lin’s successors, Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd.

For many Knicks fans, Linsanity ended a long time ago, and they’re glad to have moved on, especially with the way the Knicks have been playing. Furthermore, Lin has struggled in Houston, averaging just 11 points, 6 assists and 39% shooting. Oddly, Lin has struggled in part because of the arrival of James Harden who has dominated the ball – Lin’s preferred method of playing. Much like some of the issues that Lin and Anthony had sharing the ball, Lin needs to find a way to be effective with Harden without dominating the ball on each possession.

Tonight should be a fond reflection for Knicks fans. No, Lin is not on the Knicks, so after the opening tip, there’s no demand to cheer for him. Some resentment towards Lin exists because of the controversy that surrounding his exit; a decision that split the Knicks’ fan base in half.

But when his name is announced, everyone should cheer for Lin, because it’s not about how he left or why he left. It should be to pay homage to a young man who delivered one of the most unlikely, exciting, inspiring periods of basketball. I’ll be applauding from my living room.

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At that time, Carmelo Anthony, and the Knicks at large, had been having an underwhelming season. Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire were out of sync, in an out of games with injuries; the team looked disjointed and inconsistent. The brief glimmer of hope that was Linsanity, sparked by the meteoric rise of Jeremy Lin, had been squashed during the team’s return to Earth and the apparent incompatibility of Lin and Anthony.

Now, months later, D’Antoni’s return to Madison Square Garden as the Los Angeles Lakers head coach offers a chance to see how far the Knicks have come. Since Mike Woodson took over for D’Antoni that day in March, the Knicks have gone 33-12 excluding the playoffs. Carmelo Anthony is playing at an MVP-level, the Knicks’ offense is among the best in the NBA, their defense, while inconsistent, capable of winning them games, their bench is sturdy, their point guard rotation trustworthy; things are good in New York.

In Los Angeles, D’Antoni’s situation mirrors the one he left less than a year ago. The Lakers are severely underwhelming, struggling with a 9-13 record, despite cast of all-worldly NBA talent. However, D’Antoni’s circumstances in LA are also similar to what he left in New York because of the instability. D’Antoni hasn’t gotten a chance to coach the point guard he made MVP in Phoenix, Steve Nash, who’s been injured since early November. Pau Gasol has been absent for the last few games. As Zach Lowe pointed out, the Lakers players are just as much at fault as D’Antoni. Besides injuries and an incomplete bench, D’Antoni also took over early in the season without any training camp to become acquainted with his new roster.

In New York, D’Antoni coached a team that was constantly under construction. Over the four years that D’Antoni coached, he had a total of 58 different players on his roster, and dealt with a major mid-season roster overhaul almost each year. Through the first two years of coaching, the Knicks teams were built around expiring contracts in order to clear cap space for the summer of 2010 and LeBron James. Though the Knicks obviously missed LeBron, in 2010-11, D’Antoni had a team humming along, built around Stoudemire, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, and Wilson Chandler. Then, of course, the Knicks cleared most of the rotation players for Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, and the team basically started from scratch.

Last season, the Knicks finally had a stable roster, but went through many different phases, mainly highlighted by the failed Anthony-as-a-point guard stage to start the season, and then Linsanity. When injuries took Anthony and Stoudemire out of the lineup, the Knicks adjusted, led by Lin. When they returned, there was no cohesion because the groups had never played together. D’Antoni never truly had a stable roster or rotation to work with.

When D’Antoni returns tonight, it will be a pleasant reminder for Knicks fans at just how things have turned around in recent months. But with that said, Knicks fans should not be hostile towards D’Antoni. What they had in four years under D’Antoni was a good coach, who struggled to find consistent success during a turbulent time.

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Dec 11, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) shoots for three over Brooklyn Nets power forward Reggie Evans (30) during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Knicks won 100-97. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

To open the game, the Knicks played like nothing less than hot garbage. Missed layups and rushed jumpers led to sloppy, scrambling defensive rotations and mismatches that the Nets exploited to score easy baskets. Brooklyn rushed out to a 26-9 lead in the early goings, sending Knicks fans into a state of panic.

However, the Knicks fought back. The defense, while still far from solid for most of the night, steadied somewhat and the Knicks stopped switching so much and giving the Nets easy mismatches. On offense, simply said, the brilliance of Carmelo Anthony, with some big shots from J.R. Smith and Jason Kidd, carried the Knicks throughout the game. In the fourth quarter, the two teams exchanged blows, responding to one another with timely basket after timely basket. With less than a minute left, Tyson Chandler tapped out an offensive rebound, which the Knicks recovered, allowing them to set up a play where the ball swung around the perimeter and found Jason Kidd. Kidd knocked down the eventual game-winning three-pointer and drew the foul on Jerry Stackhouse (though he did not complete the four-point play).

On the other end, the Nets missed two chances at tying the game with three-pointers, and the Knicks ran away with what felt like a stolen game. A little analysis on each player with some report cards:

Carmelo Anthony – 44 minutes, 45 points, 15-24 FG, 5-7 3FG, 5 rebounds, 3 assists

Carmelo Anthony’s offensive explosions have become so frequent that this 45-point, game-changing, game-saving outburst almost doesn’t carry the weight it should. As he’s done pretty much all season, Anthony mixed up his looks all night with a splendid array of three-pointers that snapped the net, some face-up, pull-up jumpers off the dribble, and some reckless takes to the basket, that usually dropped, resulted in a tip-in, or some free throws for ‘Melo. Anthony wanted this one bad. His usual competitive, Cheshire Cat grin was replaced with Kobe-like grit teeth and a determination to score the ball, regardless of who stood in his way.

Tonight was also just one of those nights for ‘Melo, though. Some downright silly turn-around, fade-away jumpers over tight defense sank, some ludicrous pull-up threes found the bottom of the net – it was all cash for Anthony. There were some wafts of the dreaded hero ball spliced in with some great offense – a 5-on-4 possession late in the game, which Anthony used to draw a double team, back down his defenders, and take a turn-around jumper from the high post comes to mind – but overall, Anthony was just fantastic. Snaps for ‘Melo, too, for holding his ground on some much bigger folks (Kris Humphries) and quicker folks (Deron Williams) on switches on defense. Though the box score doesn’t reflect, Anthony was active on defense and around the basket.

Any concerns that ‘Melo will struggle playing against small forwards? In two games against the Nets, guarded largely by Gerald Wallace, Anthony is averaging 40 points on 53% shooting.

Final Grade: A+

Jason Kidd – 37 minutes, 18 points, 6-8 3FG, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal

Jason Kidd is the magic man. Jason Kidd is the hero. Jason Kidd continually proves me wrong about the doubts I had when the Knicks signed him this summer. Jason Kidd is the best. Six huge threes sprinkled throughout the game, none bigger than his game-winner with 24 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Kidd, as he is wont to do, threw in some dirty trickery with a sly little leg-kick that drew a foul on Jerry Stackhouse, but Kidd missed the free throw, and I don’t think the play should’ve warranted an offensive foul anyway. It did make the win feel a little dirtier, though.

Six needed rebounds against an aggressive rebounding team. Six assists, and of course, an undeniably positive effect on the pace and control of the offense. Is it fair to say that the Knicks get blown out without ‘Melo, but don’t win the game without Jason Kidd? I think it is. A big gold star and big hug to Jason for sealing up the win.

Final Grade: A

J.R. Smith – 32 minutes, 16 points, 7-15 FG, 4 rebounds, 1 assist

J.R. Smith, we found out after the game, played through back spasms, probably as a result of his oft-floor-bound ways. Or perhaps it was the should’ve-been blocking foul he committed on Gerald Wallace late in the game, when the two went colliding into one another in the back-court. Not entirely sure what did it, but it seemed to actually have a positive effect on Smith who has struggled from the field in recent games. Smith still peppered in some wily, ill-advised, step-back jumpers off the dribble, but there were a fair share of good, clean looks mixed in that Smith knocked down with confidence. Smith seemed more-or-less overwhelmed trying to stop either of the Nets’ All-Star back-court options, but an effort was certainly there.

As the third of only three players to score in double-figures for the Knicks, J.R. picked a good time to come out of his slump. Now let’s get the back healed up, eh, J.R.

Final Grade: B

Tyson Chandler – 31 minutes, 5 points, 2-5 FG, 7 rebounds, 1 steal

Tyson Chandler found himself unusually caught up in the Knicks’ chaotic defensive schemes, and as one would imagine, if the team’s defensive anchor is out of sorts, the whole defense is, too. Even without Brook Lopez, the Nets’ big men, mainly Andray Blatche and Reggie Evans, gave Chandler some trouble, muscling him aside or out-hustling him for rebounds. In the early goings, Chandler also kind of just let Blatche roam freely for baby jumpers and easy baskets around the rim. Two early fouls relegated Chandler to the bench for much of the first half.

In the second half, Chandler straightened himself out to an extent, but still was not his usual impactful self. Against an aggressive, solid rebounding team like the Nets, 7 boards isn’t very much (though he did receive help from others, and the Knicks were only out-rebounded by two). Chandler’s struggles on offense lasted all night, as the Nets’ surprisingly effective collapsing D cut off his usual routes to the rim, and generally stifled him when he tried to finish around the basket. Likewise, if Chandler catches the ball out of dunking range, then he is mostly useless if he can’t draw the foul. Last night, that just didn’t happen.

The best note for Chandler: his last offensive rebound, tip-out off of a miss, gave the Knicks an extra possession that led to Jason Kidd’s game-winner.

Final Grade: C+

Raymond Felton – 31 minutes, 8 points, 3-12 FG, 7 assists, 7 TOs

Felton (in my mind) didn’t seem as bad as his stat line suggests, but it wasn’t a pretty night. His seven turnovers were aggravating in that they came in just silly fashion, like a skip pass from the top of the key that hit Gerald Wallace in the chest. Likewise, his shot selection was pretty good in this one (unlike his last appearance in Brooklyn), but some of those layups and open looks just wouldn’t drop. There was a nice spot-up three in transition, and a step-back jumper over Reggie Evans, though; those were nice.

It is a little concerning that in big games against good point guard, Felton has a tendency to poop the bed.

Final Grade: C

Rasheed Wallace – 14 minutes, 8 points, 3-7 FG, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks

‘Sheed came off the bench and provided some dutiful minutes for a struggling squad that needed his floor-stretching, interior defense, and rebounding. Two deep three pointers off pick-and-pops and a presence around the basket was exactly what the Knicks needed in their comeback second quarter. Given his productivity, it was a little surprising to see him only get 14 minutes, but nonetheless, Wallace was a pleasant surprise. He was +7 in his time on the floor.

Finals Grade: B-

Ronnie Brewer – 12 minutes, o points, 0-4 FG, 1 assist, 1 steal

Brewer struggled as soon as the game opened and he struggled in the little time he saw afterwards. Perhaps something else ails Ronnie, but against the Nets, he was downright putrid, missing his open shots the Nets granted him, and generally failing to contain whoever he was assigned. Using +/- in a single game can be misleading, but this is not the case for Brewer’s -14 in his limited action last night.

Final Grade: C-

Steve Novak – 21 minute, 0-1 FG, 3 rebounds

Novak was more-or-less invisible in his time on the floor. I do remember being generally pleased with his rebounding and defensive efforts, though. The Nets never really granted much room to him on the perimeter, and the Knicks didn’t do much in the way of trying to get him open looks.

Final Grade: C

Pablo Prigioni – 9 minutes, 0-1 FG, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

Everybody’s favorite Argentine Knick hardly saw much time tonight, as Woodson favored Jason Kidd and Ray Felton over Pablo. Prigioni was also mostly silent in his limited action, but was part of a kooky three-point-guard lineup that Woodson experimented with, and it proved to be successful in the second quarter.

Final Grade: C

James White: 6 minutes, 1 rebound

James White came in, perhaps in an attempt to tighten up the screws on the Knicks’ sloppy defense. However, all he really did was lose track of MarShon Brooks, who torched him on a few drives and pull-up jumpers.

Final Grade: Incomplete

The Knicks won a really tight game on the road (though the Barclays crowd seemed more pro-Knicks this time around), and they should be proud of it. They still sit atop the Eastern Conference with a record of 16-5. Next up: the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

Oct 13, 2012; Hartford, CT, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7), guard Raymond Felton (2) and guard Jason Kidd (5) celebrate during the second half of a game against the Boston Celtics at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

“He told me, ‘Let’s play through you,’ ” Kidd said. “Coach wanted to play through Carmelo, but Carmelo was like, ‘No, I want to play through Jason.’ I think that’s the greatest compliment a teammate can get.”

Anthony’s submission to put the offense in the hands of the 39-year-old Kidd is an indication of the trust he has, not only in Kidd, but in Mike Woodson to call the right plays, and in the rest of his teammates to execute them.

But this is not entirely about Anthony – it is about the effect Jason Kidd has had on this Knicks team, as well as his fellow wheel-man, Raymond Felton. Much was made about the Knicks’ decision to let Jeremy Lin go this summer in favor of Kidd and Felton – both of whom were coming off of underwhelming 2011-12 seasons – but so far, the moves have looked great. Felton is having his best season since his previous stint in New York, and Kidd, while seeing decreased minutes, is averaging better numbers than last year with the Mavericks, while also putting up a PER of 19.9 – his highest in nearly ten years.

Tyson Chandler and Steve Novak have both spoken highly of Kidd, saying that the team has full trust in what he’ll do with the ball, and that they play with more confidence as a unit when he’s on the floor. Kidd’s mentoring ways have extended to Felton who, by and large, has been the Knicks’ primary playmaker this year.

Felton spoke frequently this summer of coming in “with a chip on his shoulder.” He admitted as much to David Aldridge recently:

Everybody’s entitled to a bad year, I think … I busted my behind to get myself in shape, and toward the end of the year [in Portland] I think I picked my play up. But there was still a lot of junk talked, a lot of stuff said in that summertime. I definitely wanted to come out and let people know that I’m still here. Ain’t nothing changed. I’m still that point guard that can run a team and can play ball.”

Kidd has been talking with Felton consistently this year, giving him points about how to run the offense. According to Kidd, he told Felton to run the offense like Peyton Manning (Felton’s favorite quarterback) and settle down and make the right play during Felton’s homecoming in Charlotte. The confidence instilled in Felton has spread to other teammates, too.

Tyson Chandler has feasted off Felton’s aggressiveness in the pick-and-roll, currently leading the league in field goal percentage, at a near-historical level of 70.9%. Felton also told Aldridge that he’s directed Chandler to always roll to the basket, because Felton is going to attack the big man, draw attention, and he’ll free up Chandler for easy baskets. Perhaps this mentality can revitalize Amar’e Stoudemire – who Felton found success with in 2010 – when he returns to the lineup in the coming weeks. Likewise, Carmelo Anthony is currently third in the league in scoring at 26.8 ppg (the third highest of his career), and is benefiting from Felton and Kidd’s work with the ball, getting better shots on the floor as evidenced by his sky-rocketed true shooting percentage and effective field goal percentage.

In fact, the oft-discussed chemistry problems between Anthony, Stoudemire, and Chandler could be settled when all three are given the chance to work with Felton and Kidd together for an extended period of time. The Knicks’ Big Three had some success under Mike Woodson last season when they worked with a point guard who had the keys to the offense: the now-departed Jeremy Lin. Though Lin never totally earned the full trust of his teammates as the primary point guard, if the Knicks continue to put faith in Felton and Kidd, the Knicks offense, already the second most efficient in the NBA, could really reach new heights.

It’s all about trust for these Knicks, and if putting the ball in two veteran point guards’ hands, and allowing Anthony and eventually, Stoudemire, to do less, gets the trust of the team, then the Knicks need to keep doing it. Given some more time to all blend together, this New York team might truly become a frightening force in the East.

Dec 5, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith (8) gets congratulations from his teammates as he scores the winning basket with 3.9 seconds left during the game against the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena. Knicks win 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Through much of the game, the Knicks and the Bobcats wrestled back and forth in a seesaw affair. However, with six minutes left to go, the Knicks found themselves down by eight, unable to stop a feisty Bobcats team led by the uber-quick Kemba Walker and his band of rascals. For the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony had gone mysteriously cold; J.R. Smith was unable to throw a rock into the ocean; the defense looked ill-equipped to make enough stops to get back into the game.

But at that six-minute mark, like we’d seen in the win in San Antonio, the Knicks just flipped the switch. Their defense tightened, forcing the Bobcats east and west around the perimeter, unable to get a good look. The Knicks forced five turnovers in those final six minutes. On offense, with Anthony back in the locker room treating a lacerated finger, Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler ran the pick-and-roll to perfection, parting the Bobcats’ defense and getting to the rim to get easy baskets.

On the final play – after a timeout following a weird sequence where the Knicks forced a turnover and  J.R. Smith pulled the ball back on a two-on-one fastbreak with just seconds remaining – the Knicks inbounded the ball to Smith. Smith darted to his left towards the baseline, did his signature step-back jumper, faded away, and swooshed the 18-footer at the buzzer to win the game. Like that, the Knicks started the getaway cars, escaping Charlotte with a 13-4 record and sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference.

Some individual report cards, starting with the man of the hour:

J.R. Smith – 31 minutes, 13 points, 6-16 FG, 1-9 3FG, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers

Smith came into the game trying to forget a dreadful 1-11 shooting performance against the Phoenix Suns this past Sunday. If that game’s off-target marksmanship was triggered by a night out on the town the Saturday beforehand – as Smith has suggested he’s wont to do – then his game tonight looked like he was going out during commercial breaks. Though Smith shot the ball better than 9%, and his looks were generally clean – a variety of looks off the dribble and catch-and-shoots – nothing would fall for him.

To Smith’s credit, his defense rarely waned, and his perimeter defense in that fourth quarter was noticeably stellar. Likewise, his four assists show his willingness to move the ball an off night. A crucial, basket-saving block on an open, rolling Bismack Biyombo in the fourth, and of course, a game-winning, step-back, fade-away 18-footer… well, those help heal the earlier wounds.

Final Grade: B-

Tyson Chandler – 35 minutes, 18 points, 8-10 FG, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Though Chandler’s production slowed down after a stellar first quarter in which he nearly notched a double-double, he was nonetheless vital every minute he was on the floor. Though he didn’t have much success stopping the Bobcats’ speedy, slithery guards at the basket, he generally made mincemeat of the Bobcats’ big men, allowing just 12 combined points on 6-17 shooting from Brendan Haywood, Bismack Biyombo, and Byron Mullens. Though the Knicks were out-rebounded 50-36 (!), Chandler had half of those boards and it’s doubtful New York would have ever had a possession without Tyson’s dominance. On offense, too, Chandler was crucial late in the game, sucking in the Bobcats’ defense with hard rolls to the basket and some forceful finishes, including a few alley-oops and a nice little back-to-the-basket baby hook.

After a few scary weeks where Tyson just didn’t look like his court-roaming monstrous self, he seems to be a full health and energy once again, making a living in the paint on both ends of the floor. The Knicks absolutely do not win this game without a lovely 18-17 performance from Chandler.

Final Grade: A+

Carmelo Anthony – 38 minutes, 23 points, 8-22 FG, 3-7 3FG, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block

Anthony began the game firing on all cylinders, connecting on his first three three-pointers and finding success shimmying off the dribble and finishing around the basket or otherwise drawing fouls. Facing the slower-moving, 7-foot (not seven-footed) Byron Mullens, one would have expected Anthony to begin the game in attack mode, and he responded. Though his typical rebounding prowess was absent (he just didn’t seem to be around the basket much), he made up for it with some truly beautiful dishing out of double teams. When the Bobcats sent an extra defender, Anthony did a wonderful job moving the ball on a variety of kick-outs, swing, and skip passes to find open teammates.

‘Twas a tale of two halves, though, for ‘Melo. In the second half, Anthony rimmed out his other four three-pointers, and in general was only 1-11, while failing to get to the free throw line at all. As we’ve seen, the right combination of these things – along with a surging opponent – tends to make ‘Melo a little grumpy, and there was a noticeable let-up in energy and effort from him after halftime. When he finally got untracked, defending with vigor in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, and after hitting a running bank shot, he got injured. ‘Melo chased down a loose ball and dove into the Knicks bench to save it. Much to chagrin of Clyde Frazier who insists Anthony is too important for such reckless play, ‘Melo left the game with a laceration on his finger, which required six stitches. His status is up in the air for tomorrow night’s game.

Despite a less-than-lovely second half and a somewhat unnecessary injury, that wonderful first half kept the Knicks in the game to begin with.

Final Grade: B+

Raymond Felton – 36 minutes, 17 points, 7-19 FG, 9 assists, 2 rebounds, 0 TOs

Playing in front of his family and a supportive crowd in his former stomping grounds, Felton took the floor with a flipper of a left-hand bundled in protective padding. Felton refused to miss a homecoming because of the bruised bone in his hand, so he took the floor, hoping to play through the pain. In the first half, the results were not good. Raymond looked tentative off the dribble and on defense, and though he shoots righty, the left hand is needed to guide the ball going up on a shot, and Felton just couldn’t bury many of his looks. Felton resorted to dishing to his teammates with some success, but in general the early returns were lacking.

So, what did he do? Felton came out in the second half with his injured left hand unwrapped and had himself a ballgame. To open the third quarter, Felton sank two three-pointers, dished to Chandler on an alley-oop, picked up a loose ball and fed Ronnie Brewer for a fastbreak layup. Felton was borderline heroic to close the game as well, harassing Kemba Walker (who’d been torching Felton all game) and denying him the ball on a critical inbounds play. On the other end, as mentioned, Felton mastered the pick-and-roll when it mattered most, assisting on a Novak three and Chandler dunk, scoring on a floater and driving layup. All the while, his adorable three-year old son slept, missing his dad’s prideful, inspiring play.

Final Grade: B+

Steve Novak – 26 minutes, 9 points, 3-8 3FG, 2 rebounds, 1 assist

Novak continues a tear of games in which he’s shot (if I heard Mike Breen correctly) 17-31 from downtown, not including tonight’s performance. Novak missed a big, open corner three down the stretch, but had previously hit a big one off the elbow on the aforementioned kick-out from Felton. Tonight wasn’t one of those noticeable explosions from Steve, but each of those treys were important. Otherwise, he was pretty quiet, getting burned on a number of plays by the more fleet-footed Bobcats, and not taking a single attempt from inside the arc. Novak started the second half, continuing a trend of Woodson’s.

Side note: I love watching the Knicks swing the ball back and forth in a desperate attempt to get Novak open. This almost always results in him getting the ball, but not being open enough, passing it, and then getting it right back.

Final Grade: C

Ronnie Brewer – 18 minutes, 9 points, 3-8 FG, 2-5 3FG, 5 rebounds, 1 steal

Never has someone looked so precarious possessing the ball on offense as Ronnie Brewer. Wait, I just remembered Jared Jeffries. Besides Jared Jeffries, never has someone looked so precarious possessing the ball on offense as Ronnie Brewer. Yet for the fear that runs through me when Brewer tries to run a fastbreak, or when his elbow plunges out on his awkward shooting release, it’s been effective. 40% shooting from beyond the arc for Brewer (though five attempts is a bit too many). Five rebounds (second most on the team) and some handy defensive work and Brewer played himself a typical game. At times, Woodson’s penchant for playing Smith over Brewer – especially when Smith is off-target – can be maddening, but by some miracle it worked tonight.

Next time out, more smart, lovely cuts, less threes, Ronnie.

Final Grade: C+

Jason Kidd – 25 minutes, 7 points, 2-3 FG, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 0 TOs

Jason Kidd returned to action after missing some games due to back spasms, and didn’t miss a beat. The game just feels so safe in Kidd’s hands. He drilled two three-pointers (though he missed his biggest attempt late in the game) and generally kept the offense moving. On defense, Kidd gets his mittens on everything, and 3 blocks (!!!) has to be league-leading among guards. Like the comfort you feel relaxing at home, Kidd just brings a much safer, confident feeling to the game

Final Grade: B

Rasheed Wallace – 13 minutes, 2 points, 1-5 FG, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

Rasheed Wallace didn’t bark at any refs tonight, he didn’t get ejected, nor did he do much of anything, really. ‘Sheed saw limited action in the second half, but his first half play didn’t warrant it except to give Chandler a breather. Wallace’s refusal to roll to the basket after picks instead of popping out to the three-point line is aggravating. The one time he did roll to the basket, he got an open layup. Believe it or not, though, 3 rebounds ties him for third most on the Knicks tonight.

Final Grade: C-

Pablo Prigioni – 12 minutes, 2 points, 1-1 FG, 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 0 TOs

Pablo hardly saw action in the second half, too, but he generally looked like his Pablo-y Priggly self in the first half. Some noticeably nice entry feeds and dishes on the pick-and-roll, and a lovely Clyde-like theft from Ramon Sessions off the dribble for Prigioni. On a second night of a back-to-back with Felton and Kidd both mending injuries, one has to expect he’ll see more minutes tomorrow night.

Final Grade: C

Final Grade for Reaction to Game-Winner : A+

Kurt Thomas – 5 minutes, 0 points, 0-0 FG, 0 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block

Kurt Thomas started and then he sat. He threw a nice pass from the elbow to a cutting ‘Melo.

That’s it for tonight. A scrappy, exhilarating win made this a happier, kinder, sillier report card. The Knicks now sit alone in first place in the Eastern Conference, and will go to Miami to face the second place Heat tomorrow night.