Not only did they draw the unlucky card of having to play The Miami Heat (probably the favorite to win it all), but they were also taken out of the running of pulling off an upset when their players began to drop like flies.

Iman Shumpert was supposed to be locking down our perimeter defense, instead he locked himself into a brace after tearing his ACL. That left a big hole in the roster, and drastically damaged this team’s chances to contain Lebron/D-Wade.

I don’t have to tell you about who got injured in Game 2, or rather shortly after Game 2. Let’s just say a certain 6-10 power forward happened to get a slight cut after softly brushing his hand against a glass case surrounding a fire extinguisher. After he sat out Game 3 (who knows if we would have won if he hadn’t), he came back in Game 4 with a 20-10 performance.

In Game 4, the Knicks took another hit when Baron Davis tore practically every ligament in his knee. He went down for 12 months due to fully tearing his MCL, ACL, and partially his patella tendon.

Even though the Knicks won this game, the injury may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. The roster could not handle starting Mike Bibby, which as a result zapped their bench of anything beyond Steve Novak and J.R. Smith.

Game 5 came around, and the Knicks did not have enough left to get back-to-back wins against Lebron and the Lebron-ettes.

But. The playoffs are over. The misery of blowout after blowout has passed. We have reached the offseason.

Some people see obstacles like re-signing key free agents (J.R. Smith, Jeremy Lin, Steve Novak, etc), the coaching situation (Phil Jackson v.s. Mike Woodson), and if the Carmelo-Amar’e-Tyson trio can work out.

The Knicks have played poorly when both Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony are on the floor.(Al Bello/Getty Images)

I don’t see obstacles. Instead I see a new hope.

As far as free agency goes, I am confident we will retain J-Lin, Landry Fields, Jared Jefferies, and hopefully Steve Novak. We don’t have much cap room, and that’s the way it is folks, so get used to it. We should have faith in the front office that found Iman Shumpert, Novak, and Lin. The Knicks have found many hidden gems in the past two years, and I see that as our approach moving forward.

The argument between Phil Jackson and Mike Woodson is a dumb one. It’s Phil Jackson. It will always be Phil Jackson, because he is the best. However, it is irrelevant, because PJ is most likely not going to make himself available.

Mike Woodson has done a phenomenal job with this team, and did an even better job while he was with the Atlanta Hawks. We are in good hands.

Finally, the issue that may matter most. Can Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire play well together. My simple answer is yes. ‘Melo is a superstar, and he feels the pressure. He knows that people don’t think he can do it. He knows that people won’t put him in the Lebron/Kobe/Wade category, and I think he is going to try to prove them wrong.

Mike Woodson has already begun to talk about what he thinks his two stars need to improve on. He challenged ‘Melo’s conditioning, and his ability to work on specific skills in the off season. I think that assists, and improving in the pick-and-roll could be included in that list. As for Amar’e, Woodson wants him to work on his low-post moves.

That would be the best thing for STAT. It would be helpful for this team to have a low post threat. Maybe he could work with Hakeem the dream? It seemed to work out well for Lebron and Kobe.

Of course if Phil Jackson does end up coming here it will be a different story. The Triangle offense. Phil Jackson did it with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, so why not ‘Melo?

I disagree with reports that this roster doesn’t fit well within the triangle. On the contrary it fits very well. Jeremy Lin and Iman Shumpert are the big guards needed in order to maintain good perimeter defense and to run the team. Carmelo Anthony can fill the role of scorer from the wings or post as Kobe Bryant did. Amar’e Stoudemire is still skilled enough to fulfill a Pau Gasol type role, as he would be able to shoot his mid range jumper and go down low.

This team can work. They took the next step by winning their first playoff game in 11 years. Now it’s time for the next chapter in Knicks history.

Apr 30, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the second half of game two in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs the Miami Heat at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The focus tonight will undoubtedly be on Carmelo Anthony and his move back to the power forward spot where he had so much success in April. Because Stoudemire will miss tonight with the laceration on his hand, the Knicks will go small, thus putting Anthony back in a position he thrived at in the weeks leading up to the playoffs.

A big part of that potential move for the Knicks, however, will hinge on whether or not Chris Bosh plays tonight. His wife just had a baby (Congrats, Boshes) and he flew down to Miami to join her. It is unknown whether or not he will rejoin the team tonight. On one hand, Bosh’s absence would seemingly give the Knicks an upper-hand, making a small team even smaller, and eliminating the third scoring option for the Heat. However, losing Bosh would also effectively eliminate the Knicks and Anthony’s mismatch as LeBron James would surely be moved to the four to match-up with ‘Melo.

Likewise, while some fans gleefully celebrated over the absence of Stoudemire and re-embraced Power Forward ‘Melo II, this move also even further diminishes the Knicks bench. Once thought of as their greatest strength (perhaps prematurely coined Mobb Deep), the Knicks will move either J.R. Smith or Steve Novak into the starting lineup to fill in for Stoudemire’s absence. This leaves Mike Bibby, Jared Jeffries, and perhaps Josh Harrellson to come off the bench – a pretty weak crew.

Nearly everything will hinge on Carmelo Anthony’s performance tonight. It seems fathomable that he could replicate his success on offense tonight (he had 42 points against the Heat three weeks ago), but he will also be the focal point of the Heat’s defense. While there is tremendous amounts of pressure on Anthony to carry the offense, Baron Davis, Landry Fields, Tyson Chandler, Smith, and Novak will also need to contribute scoring if the Knicks have any chance to beat Miami tonight.

Things have fallen to a near hopeless level because of Miami’s two crushing victories to open the playoffs, but it’s only a two-game deficit and the Knicks have an eager crowd awaiting them at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are currently flirting with a dubious distinction, so there is even more pressure to win tonight. Steal Game 3, and the Knicks have one more at home, with the possibility of Amar’e returning. Steal Game 4 as well and we’ll have a series.

Tonight is very important.

Here are the three main issues: They have been torn apart by Lebron James and Dwyane Wade in the paint, and have not been able to play the elite defense that got them back into playoff contention. The ball movement has become almost non-existent, because Carmelo Anthony can’t trust anyone to score if he passes. And finally, Steve Novak’s touches have gone way down, and it is posing an issue from a bench scoring point of view.

In order to stop LJ and Flash, Tyson Chandler must be at 100% health, or pretty damn close. Everyone saw how Tyson shut Lebron down in the Finals last June, so I am confident he can contain them. 

The problem is that when Lebron and D-Wade kick out of the paint it is normally to an open Mike Miller or Shane Battier for a 3-pointer. In order to limit these sorts of sequences Mike Woodson has to tighten up his defensive rotations, and make sure they close out on shooters.

If we make The Heat try to beat us with Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers then we will have a serious chance at protecting our home court, and tying the series at 2-2.

Carmelo needs to play the way he played when Amar’e Stoudemire was injured for 13 games. Good news! He won’t have much of choice since STAT went and cut his hand open, and will miss Game 3. That gives ‘Melo the space to go into the post and work his magic, or swing it around to his shooters (J.R. and Novak). Also with STAT out ‘Melo will play power forward; a position that helped lead to his Player of the Month Award in April.

STAT being out may fix ‘Melo, but it won’t fix the supporting cast. In fact, the bench will be even less deep (an area that was supposed to be a big positive for The Knicks) with J.R. Smith likely starting.

That leaves only Jared Jefferies (limited due to injury), Mike Bibby, and Steve Novak as decent role players. Without a reliable second scorer this team becomes too Carmelo-centric, which is super easy to defend. Once the Heat figure him out like they did in the second half yesterday, Coach Woody will need to find a way to use the double teams on ‘Melo to get the ball to an open shooter.

That’s where Steve Novak comes in. This guy is hotter than the sun from beyond the arc, but the Heat have done a great job freezing him out.

Coach Woody needs to figure out how to get him open whether it’s running down screens or trying to use him in a pick-and-pop type play. Novak can be the type of player who puts the game just out of reach, or gets you right back in it.

It seems like The Knicks do well enough in the first half, but fizzle in the second. That will be the moment to utilize Novak, which will in turn spread the floor for ‘Melo to work his magic. If Novak hits 3-4 three pointers, then his job will be finished.

Most of these changes fall on Mike Woodson, who is not only playing for a chance at a championship, but also the head coaching job. If he can take the team he turned into an 18-6 caliber squad, and duplicate that success in the Playoffs, it will likely lead to a nice extension (that is if Phil Jackson is not made available…).

Apr 22, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire (1) talks with small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Knicks won 113-112. Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-US PRESSWIRE

Yes, Iman Shumpert is out. Baron Davis’s back is still very much an issue. Tyson Chandler’s fever has dropped, but he’s still recovering from the flu. Toney Douglas and Mike Bibby will play major minutes. Gulp.

But the Knicks need to focus on who they have on the court and what they can do to make those players better. This starts with the offense.

With Davis unhealthy and Shumpert out for the season, you have to figure the ball will be in Carmelo Anthony’s hands a lot more. That is, if they can get him the ball. In Game 1, the Heat played Anthony very physically, pushing him out onto the perimeter and fronting every one of his catches. This led to precious seconds on the shot clock ticking away while the ball-handlers waited for Melo to get position, and then try and toss the ball over the anticipating Heat defenders’ hands.

Mike Woodson needs to be more creative in getting ‘Melo the ball. The Heat are very aggressive with their pick-and-roll defense, so using Anthony as the screener might not be as effective to get him better looks. However, the Knicks could, at the very least, set some down screens for him, or set some off-ball screens and run Anthony on a curl to get him a clean pass.

Likewise, the Knicks absolutely need Amar’e Stoudemire to be more aggressive. It’s baffling that neither Mike D’Antoni or Woodson ever run a ‘Melo-Amar’e pick-and-roll with any consistency, but it may be effective if the Knicks go small without Tyson Chandler in the game, or if they surround Anthony and Stoudemire with shooters like Steve Novak and J.R. Smith.

By using Anthony as the ball-hander and Stoudemire as the screener, the Heat either have to pick their poison – stopping Anthony’s drive or denying Amar’e's roll – or switch, in which case Anthony would have a larger, slower defender on him.

The primary ball-handlers will figure to be Davis (in limited action), Anthony, Bibby, Douglas, and Smith. Some of them have shown the wherewithal to run a pick-and-roll, but in the halfcourt, the Heat either switch on screens, or hedge aggressively which essentially denies any actions in the play.

Stoudemire is at his most effective in a fast-paced offense (see: Phoenix Suns 2002-2009 or New York Knicks 2010). If the Knicks push the ball off misses, and race up the court, they can run a more effective pick-and-roll with Stoudemire before the Heat’s defense can set and prepare itself.

Getting both Anthony and Stoudemire active in the Knicks offense will force the Heat to commit to either one. This will open up the floor for the rest of the Knicks.

And, of course, an offense is only effective if a team can hold onto the ball. Miami is too fast, athletic, explosive to be given opportunities to run in the fast break. If the Knicks continue to turn the ball over (27 in Game 1!!), they really won’t have a chance to beat Miami.

The defense is another issue. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are going to beat you. They’ll get their points on drives and jumpers alike; you really can’t stop them. However, the Knicks frustration mounted in the second quarter of Game 1 and that frustration usually led to silly, pointless fouls, built the momentum for the Heat. Guard the Big 3 the best you can, and just force them into a tough shot – there’s a chance they’ll miss it. What the Knicks don’t want to do is bail Miami out with fouls.

With each passing game in a series, the next game always feels like the most important. However, tonight could be the most important for the Knicks in terms of swinging the whole series. If somehow, some way, the Knicks could steal Game 2 in Miami tonight, they’ll head back to New York with a tied series and raucous Garden crowd awaiting their heroes.

The game will be on at 7 on TNT. Tyson Chandler and Baron Davis will both start, Landry Fields will start in place of Iman Shumpert. Let’s go Knicks!

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

Losing Shumpert only added injury to insult (to flip the script) as the Heat were in the midst of a 30-plus point blowout over the Knicks.

Shumpert is largely considered the Knicks’ best wing defender, and had been playing an increased role recently, spending some time handling the ball and running the offense. Only recently had he been gaining national attention for his lockdown perimeter defense, but Shumpert had consistently been one of the Knicks best defenders from the start of the season. Mike Woodson once went as far as to call Shumpert a game-changer on defense.

Now, with the Knicks missing their best perimeter defender and one of their best ball-handlers, the outlook in the Heat series seems even dimmer. Shumpert had been given the task of guarding Dwyane Wade, and while no one shuts down Wade, Shumpert definitely had the skills to make life difficult for him – regardless of what numbers say, Tom Haberstroh.

The six-to-eight-month timeline for Shumpert could take him to October when training camp will begin, or to December, in the midst of the season. He dealt with knee struggles earlier in the season as well, which is obviously a worry on the Knicks’ minds. Shumpert is a highly talented player, but much of his game is predicated on his speed and elite athleticism – he measured a 42″ vertical at the draft combine.

But to anyone who watched Shumpert play this season, there’s no doubting that he’s going to come back strong next year. One of the few guys whose effort could never be questioned, Shumpert received unanimous praise and well-wishes on Twitter last night from writers and players alike, all saying Shumpert is one of the hardest-working, best individuals on and off the court.

From one of his biggest fans, I too wish Iman a speedy recovery. He’ll be missed.

When Juwan Howard is on the court for The Heat, you know that the game might as well be over. This game was a wake up call to New Yorkers everywhere who were tricked by the wonderful play of The Knicks in April. When facing true playoff competition it is clear this team is far from a championship contender.

After the first quarter, no one wearing a Knicks’ uniform showed up to play and it showed as the Knicks dropped Game 1 to the Miami Heat 100-67.

Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire proved to everyone that they still can’t play together productively. ‘Melo was one-for-nine at one point early in the game, and finished with only 11 points.

He never got the ball where he likes it (in the post), and instead had to come all the way out to the perimeter only to badly miss most of his attempts. Anthony finished the game with an awful +/- stat of -35.

STAT did not do much better, but his biggest problem was that he grabbed only 5 rebounds, which is absolutely unacceptable for a 6-10 power forward.

The New York bench is supposed to be the X-factor in this series. Steve Novak was the only player who actually fulfilled his role by making both of his 3-pointers. Although J.R. Smith scored 17 points, he hurt the Knicks more than he helped them due to his four turnovers, and inability to take less than 50 dribbles per possession.

Jared Jefferies’ health seems like it will prove to be an issue in this series, as he only played 8 minutes while he was supposed to be available for 15. If Jeffries can’ provide serious defensive help, Mike Woodson may have to take a look at rookie Josh Harrellson who played well in garbage time.

The news only got worse for the Knicks when Iman Shumpert collapsed on his knee without any contact. He had to be carried off the court by his teammates, and was reportedly taken from the arena to a local hospital for an MRI. Shumpert is the teams best wing defender, and his matchup with Wade is key if the Knicks have any chance of containing him. It is unclear as of now if he will be returning for Game 2. Look to see Landry Fields return to his starting position at shooting guard if that is the case.

Tyson Chandler had been battling the flu before today’s game, but might as well have sat out. He barely showed up on the boards, and did not score a point, as the leader in field goal percentage (.679), finished 0-of-3 from the floor.

Finally, you have to give credit where credit is due. Lebron James, one of the NBA’s finest actors, should be recieving his academy award nomination in the mail shortly because he sure can flop. Twice he got fouls called on him by pretending there was much more contact then there was in reality. Tyson Chandler got called for a Flagrant I after King James ran around the court whining about his neck hurting.

All kidding aside, Lebron played great tonight, and if he can keep this up may shed his reputation of failing to show up when it counts. He finished with 32 points and four steals.

The Knicks need to show up with better offensive execution in Game 2 if they want to have a chance to bring this series to seven.

The pressure lies with Anthony. Let’s see if he shows up.

Does Coach Mike D'Antoni think Danilo Gallinari can get any better? See below. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

What are Amar’e Stoudemire’s expectations for the season?  Probably the same as many Knick fans.  ESPNNewYork reports:

Stoudemire said he thinks this season it is the playoffs or failure.  “Anything less than [the playoffs] would not be a success.”

[...] Not making the playoffs could cost Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni and president Donnie Walsh their jobs.

[Stoudemire also said,] “my dedication is to the city of New York. I came here when the Knicks were down and out. I think the Knicks fans feel the exact same way about me. I think they have my back.”

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You may not be able to tell from the looks on the Raptors' bench, but Toronto won the game. (source: Yardbarker.com)

Toronto annihilated the Knicks last night 131-113 (if we were playing Mastermind we’d say at least the Knicks’ score got all the same correct #s as Toronto, but just in the wrong order).  In the first half, the Raptors shot 70%.  No, not from the free-throw line, but from the field where you’re supposedly allowed to play defense.  The Canadian fans were excited, so why the depressed looks on the bench?  While Toronto needed this final win to get into the playoffs as the eighth seed, they also needed something else: the Chicago Bulls to lose their simultaneous game against the Charlotte Bobcats.  The Bulls didn’t play their part, instead winning and thus hanging onto their last-minute theft of that final playoff spot.

More depressing to the people of Toronto is that perhaps this helped further the death knell of Raptors’ all-time-scoring-and-rebounding-leader Chris Bosh’s stay north of the border.  The man is on record as having said he wants to be surrounded by enough talent to make his team a contender.  It’s pretty clear that Toronto ain’t nowhere near that.

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