After defeating the veteran squad of the Boston Celtics 4-2 in round one, the New York Knicks will take on a totally different animal in the young and hungry Indiana Pacers in round two.

May 3, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George (24) takes the ball down the court against the Atlanta Hawks in the second half of game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Pacers won 81-73. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

The Pacers are led by one of the NBA’s up and coming stars, 2013 Most Improved Player Paul George, who was the leading scorer (19 PPG), assist man (5 APG), and rebounder (9 RPG) for the Pacers in their round one victory over the Atlanta Hawks..

The Knicks got out of round one, but it wasn’t easy.

After going up 3-0 they lost two straight but finished the Celtics off in Game 6. In the deciding game, the Knicks were up 26 but then the Celtics went on a 20-0 run faster than you can go on a bathroom break. I know it got me worried even though they won since now I know the Knicks are vulnerable to a big scoring run.

If Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jeff Green, and Avery Bradley can ignite a run like that, how will the younger and more athletic Paul George, Roy Hibbert, David West, and George Hill do?

Coming into the postseason, Knicks fans expectations were to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers are one of the better teams in the league and the Knicks will have to earn it. Carmelo Anthony says he is 100 percent but it seems like his shoulder is a little banged up.

J.R. Smith has to start driving and not settling for jump shots. Tyson Chandler looks like he is back to 100 percent; being very active on both sides of the floor meanwhile Raymond Felton is playing his best ball of the season. Iman Shumpert was the Game 6 MVP and hopefully it translates to success in the second round.

Game 1 is huge and can likely determine how the series will go.

Can the Knicks defend their home court or can the Pacers steal Game 1 in Madison Square Garden? Here’s everything you need to know:

When: Sunday May 5th at 3:30 PM EST

Where: Madison Square Garden in New York City

Watch: ABC

Betting Line: New York Knicks (-5.5)

When Knicks have the ball: NYK 87.7 PPG (13th in Playoffs), 89.3 PA (5th in playoffs)

When Pacers have the ball: IND 89.3 PPG (12th in Playoffs). Knicks 82.3 PA (1st in playoffs)

May 3, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) drives the ball against Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett (5) in game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. The New York Knicks defeated the Celtics 88-80. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Key Matchup: Raymond Felton vs. George Hill

Felton had a field day against the Celtics, who lack a true point guard. He averaged 17 points and five assists in the first round and was the only consistent Knicks in the six games against the Celtics. George Hill is an above average point guard who will give Felton a totally different look he was used to in round one.

Felton will also be guarding him, which will be different than what he did against the Celtics, where he guarded Paul Pierce most of the time. Felton makes the offense very smooth and doesn’t stop the ball. Felton will have to continue his great play if the Knicks are going to advance.

The Pacers are one of the only teams that truly play like a team. You would say that George is their biggest name player but he isn’t no ‘Melo. However George has a great chance to make his name a household one if he can shine against the Knicks on the national stage.

The Pacers had four players in double digit scoring in the first round against the Hawks: George (18.7), West (16.3), Hill (15.2), and Hibbert (14.7).

Shumpert will be called upon to guard Paul George. Shumpert shined in Game 6 and showed his defensive presence along with his development as an offensive player. He will have to nag George and make the other Pacers beat the Knicks. Carmelo and Smith have to get back to attacking the rim and not be afraid of the Pacers bigs. Chandler and Hibbert should be a battle as Chandler is a great post defender and Hibbert is one of the better offensive centers in the league.

Game 1 will be a battle and after seeing the Knicks almost collapse in Game 6, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried. I think the Knicks take a deep breath and will play better since I feel like a lot of pressure if off them. They had the pressure of being the first Knicks team in over a decade to win a playoff series along with the pressure of not choking to the Celtics. I think the Knicks go back to playing the basketball that Mike Woodson has coached them how to play.

Prediction: Knicks 94, Pacers 88

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.

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Give Raymond Felton credit for answering the call.

Apr 28, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) drives to the hoop against the Boston Celtics during game four of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

With Smith, the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year and Knicks No. 2 scoring option, out of the lineup serving a one-game suspension, the Knicks needed someone to step up and help replace Smith’s 16.1 point per game he has averaged so far in the postseason.

Felton did his best to step up and become the Knicks No. 2 option, scoring 27 points on 10-for-21 shooting.

Despite the loss, Felton was pretty good on the afternoon, as he continued to get deep into the paint against the Celtics’ defense. The Knicks needed someone to step up and make shots, and Felton delivered.

When the Knicks made their big third quarter comeback, Felton was at his best. He not only made a lot of big shots, but he was also active defensively and on the glass. Felton was aggressive the entire game and it nearly paid off with a Knicks sweep.

He’s had a good playoffs so far, averaging 17.8 points and 5.3 assists through four games.

If you are looking for who the Knicks X-factor is for a lengthy playoff run, it very well could be Felton.

He’s off to a very good start. If he can continue his high level of play, the Knicks will continue to be a very tough team to beat.

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Apr 23, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) controls the ball against the Boston Celtics during the first quarter of game two of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

There’s not too much to knock the Knicks on in this one as they went on to beat the Celtics 87-71 to take a 2-0 series lead. There were different parts of the game that saw a new Knick step up and leave their mark on the game, either on the offensive or defensive end.

In the first half, good ball movement wasn’t really there but some timely shots kept them in the game. This game could go down as one of the Knicks’ best all season when you take into consideration their third quarter dominance and overall second-half defense, allowing the Celtics to put up only 23 total points in the half.

Carmelo Anthony

Great games have become the norm for Carmelo lately. Another game grinded out with 30+ points. He’s scoring from anywhere right now including the free throw line and doesn’t seem to be slowing down as he shoulders the load night after night. His rebounds and assists aren’t really up to par, but there’s little care about that, as there should be, as he continues to take over games with his scoring.

Grade: A+

Raymond Felton

Felton has really been coming on strong lately and he followed up his solid Game 1 effort with a very, very good Game 2 effort. Felton would probably be better off passing a little more (only two assists compared to his 15 shots), but it’s hard to take anything away from an 8-15 shooting night with 16 points and 7 rebounds, with no turnovers to boot.

Grade: A-

J.R. Smith

It was a streaky game for the freshly announced Sixth Man of the Year, but he gave the Knicks a couple of boosts that were enough to change the complexion of the game and also finished a very respectable 7-15.  After entering early on when Iman Shumpert picked up a couple of quick fouls, Smith quickly hit his first few shots and sealed the first quarter with a long buzzer-beater from downtown.

Grade: A-

Tyson Chandler

Tyson has fell off dramatically offensively, but the Knicks don’t really look for his scoring anyway. His defensive presence has to be taken into account much more than any of the counting stats he’s been putting up, which is not much as he only put in 3 points with 5 boards tonight, but did have a +21 +/- differential while keeping Jeff Green and Kevin Garnett in check. Chandler also seems to be limited, seeing only 22 minutes and not rebounding as much as he used to, but with the emergence of Kenyon Martin and his recent injury issues, limiting him isn’t a bad thing.

Grade: B

Kenyon Martin

Apr 23, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Boston Celtics forward Brandon Bass (30) is fouled by New York Knicks forward Kenyon Martin (3) in front of guard Jason Kidd (5) during the fourth quarter of game two of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The intensity Martin has brought so far has been extremely valuable to the Knicks. They probably wouldn’t be the second seed without him and he is looking to be the aggressive body in the frontcourt that the Knicks desperately needed when Amar’e Stoudemire went down again.  His 11 rebounds with four blocks tonight was his stamp on the game and it seemed like there was a stretch in the 4th quarter where he defensively single-handedly made it impossible for the Celtics to make up any kind of ground.

Grade: A

Role Players

Kenyon Martin is technically included in the group of Knicks “role players” as well, but the same can be said for most of the team right now outside of the big couple of scorers. Pablo Prigioni (started), Iman Shumpert (started), and Jason Kidd all saw around 20 minutes, but none get enough run or time with the ball in their hands to do much as per usual.  The plus side is that most don’t make mistakes and Kidd and Prigioni are smart, very good ball distributors that can be trusted.

Grade: B-

For that to happen a lot of things have to go right and several Knicks players will have to step up at both ends of the floor.

Apr 20, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce (34) looks to pass the ball as New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) defends during the fourth quarter of game one of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 85-78. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

But perhaps no player will be called upon to come through more than Raymond Felton.

Offensively the Knicks would like something similar to what Felton gave them in Game 1, scoring 13 points, dishing out six assists and grabbing four rebounds to go along with two steals and a block. Even though Felton didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, if he can give the Knicks a line like that every game the remainder of the postseason, I’m sure Mike Woodson and company will be happy with him at the offensive end of the floor.

But for the Knicks to make this a quick series, Felton must answer the challenge defensively.

With Pablo Prigioni expected to return to the lineup for Game 2, Iman Shumpert will draw the primary assignment on Jeff Green, which leaves Felton on Paul Pierce. Felton keeping Pierce in check now becomes a big part of this series.

Pierce, the Celtics’ top offensive threat, could have his way against Felton. The North Carolina product is six inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter than the 10-time All-Star. Pierce led the Celtics in scoring at 18.6 points per game during the regular season and had 21 points on 6-for-15 shooting in Game 1 when he was guarded most of the game by Shumpert.

But Felton started guarding Pierce late in the game and did a commendable job limiting the looks that Pierce got.

Guarding Pierce is nothing new for Felton as he drew the assignment on the future Hall of Famer in the Knicks final two regular season games against Boston.

Felton struggled mightily all season staying with point guards around the league as he just doesn’t have the speed to stay with most quick guards. But the matchup against most 2-guards and even some smaller 3′s is more fitting for Felton, especially if Prigioni is on the floor handling the opposition’s point guard.

Defense is likely to win his series and Felton has a tough task ahead of him.

He will likely need help at times, but has to find a way to slow Pierce down without needing too much help. If the Knicks have to constantly double team Pierce, it is going to leave open shooters on the perimeter and that’s something the Knicks don’t necessarily want either.

Shumpert is going to have his hands full checking Green, but given his reputation as a perimeter defender I’m fairly confident that he can at the minimum keep Green from going off in this series.

That then puts the pressure on Felton to do the same to Pierce.

If he is successful, this could turn into a quick series.

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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

What I’m talking about is Knicks point guard Raymond Felton shooting his mouth off with some comments pointed at Heat point guard Mario Chalmers.

Mar 25, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Heat point guard Mario Chalmers (15) celebrates after hitting a three point jump shot during the fourth quarter at Amway Center. Miami defeated Orlando 108-94. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-USA TODAY Sports

If you missed it, Felton said the following to ESPN New York last Thursday when describing Chalmers as a weakness on the Heat roster:

“I’m not saying that’s a weak point [for the Heat] because [Mario] Chalmers has been great for Miami. He’s won a championship there and he’s a solid point guard,” Felton said. “But I think that’s one of the weaknesses of their team. Not saying that Chalmers is a bad player, because he’s not. He’s great. He’s won a championship. A lot of point guards in this league can’t say that. He has that. But if you look at LeBron, Bosh and D-Wade and then you look at Chalmers, you’re like, ‘OK, this is maybe where their weakness is at.”

Now the comments aren’t so bad and maybe have a little bit of truth to them, but you have to consider the source.

Before Felton criticizes any other guard in the NBA, or gives any team that the Knicks could face in the playoffs some bulletin board material, he should first look in the mirror.

Felton played a major role in the Knicks struggles for close to three months.

He has shot the ball poorly, taken poor care of the basketball and has failed miserably to get the Knicks smoothly into their offensive sets. That’s not to mention the fact that he has been torched by every point guard in the NBA defensively.

Only when Felton was moved off the ball and replaced at the lead guard spot by Pablo Prigioni did the Knicks start to take off again.

Felton has a decent stat line, averaging 14.4 points and 5.5 assists per game, but that rates him as a below average point guard in this league. Chalmers on the other hand is a much more efficient point guard who shoots a better percentage from the floor and takes much better care of the basketball. He’s also hit more big shots and won more big games in his career then Felton could even dream of making.

To date, Felton has accomplished nothing in his basketball career compared to Chalmers.

Is Felton a better player than Chalmers?

Yes, but he has to show it consistently, which to this point in his career he has been unable to do.

What Felton needs to do is spend more time figuring out how to help this team win in the playoffs and worry a little less about other teams guard play.

With the way he has defended opposing point guards this season, it’s almost shocking that he would say anything at all, much less say that the Knicks have an advantage over any guard tandem in the league. This is the same Knicks team led by Felton that has allowed an NBA worst 21.2 points and a 45.3 shooting percentage to opposing point guards.

“I know him pretty well,” Chalmers told the Palm Beach Post. “I’m a little shocked about that comment.”

So when Felton starts to perform at a higher level, his opinion may matter more. But with the up-and-down season that he has had, he should learn to keep his mouth shut and not provide potential playoff teams with ammunition.

If he would look in the mirror before talking, he would realize that he has been as big of a weakness to the Knicks as he perceives Chalmers is to the Heat.

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That being said, the Knicks are not out of the pressure cooker by any means. They currently are sitting just above the Indiana Pacers for the 2nd seed in the East, which is a position they desperately want, as it allows them to avoid the Heat until the  Conference Finals. In order to claim that 2nd seed as their own, the Knicks will need everything Felton gave them early on in the season and possibly more.

Felton’s time(s) as a Knick have coincided with the best play of his career. His first stop here in 2010 almost earned him an All-Star nod with career high averages of 17.1 points and 9.0 assists. After his poor showing last season (he was overweight and over Portland), he returned to the Knicks and led the charge early on. The Knicks were getting it done partially due to their improved ball movement and three point shooting. Felton’s play in the backcourt alongside veteran Jason Kidd helped to bring that style of play to the forefront. 

The Knicks are currently ranked 29th in the league in assists, averaging only 19.3 a game. In tonight’s win against the Celtics, The Knicks had just 11! Felton (who had 3 assists tonight) needs to try to do a better job of keeping the ball moving and initiating ball movement on offense. It is going to be far too easy for opposing defenses in the playoffs to handle ‘Melo isolations every time the Knicks bring the ball up the court.

In the last 10 games, Felton is averaging an unacceptable 4.3 assists per game. Individual stats are not the end all be all, but getting those assists closer to his career average of 6.6 will help the Knicks keep defenses on their toes and help to return them to the elite level of play from the beginning of the season.

Felton must also score consistently and attack the basket in order to bring the team to the next level. He has a tendency to occasionally disappear in some games or turn into a long jump shooter while in other games attack the basket and get to the free throw line. The reason his aggresive execution helps the team is twofold. One, it allows for him to get easy points on the board using one of his best but under utilized skillsets, and two, it opens up the floor for the three-point shooters. The Knicks have lived and died by the three-point shot this season. At the beginning of the season, the shots were going in and some credit can be attributed to Felton opening up the floor with his drive-and-dish game.

Recently, the point guard’s scoring has been down. In the last 10 games, he is averaging 11.8 points. With Amar’e Stoudemire out with a knee injury, Felton is the 3rd scoring option on the team after Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith. It is important that he score the ball and that he do so with efficiency.A three pronged attack consisting of Felton, Smith, and Anthony surrounded by three point shooters and anchored defensively by Tyson Chandler will be very hard to beat in the early rounds of the Playoffs. This requires, however, that Felton take on the responsibility and return to the level of play he has previously shown this year.

The team needs defense, playmaking, and scoring, but most of all they need effort and intensity. If Felton can deliver, then it bodes well for the Knicks heading into the Playoffs.

With that being said, there has been one guy that improves the Knicks in both areas, but until recently didn’t have a major role in Mike Woodson’s rotation and  that’s Pablo Prigioni.

Mar 18, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; New York Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni (9) dribbles toward the basket during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

The veteran Argentine point guard has had his moments early in his first NBA season, but often showed the look of a guy who deserved more minutes from Woodson, especially when you consider the fact that Raymond Felton has turned in inconsistent offensive performances and has struggled defensively with every point guard in the NBA.

The numbers don’t lie. The Knicks have slipped to 29th in the NBA in assists at only 19.4 per game and are among the worst teams in the NBA when it comes to defending opposing point guards, allowing 21.5, a 45.9 shooting percentage and a 37.8 three-point percentage.

Injuries forced Woodson to tinker with his lineup once again and he may have found something that worked by moving Prigioni into the starting lineup.

Since Woodson made the switch, the Knicks have gone 4-0, due large in part that the ball moves more with him on the floor and they have done a better job at not allowing the opposition point guard to score at will. The past four games, with Prigioni in the starting lineup those point guards have combined to average only 9.5 points per game. That is a recipe for winning basketball games.

Prigioni played only 20 minutes in his first two starts, but was effective, then got only 10 minutes of run against the Raptors on Friday. But Woodson finally gave Prigioni 28 minutes on Saturday and the results were great. He dished out six assists and played his usual tenacious defense.

The Knicks need more of that, but Prigioni has to be on the floor enough to make an impact.

Before his recent four starts, Prigioni had averaged only 15 minutes per game, but looking at his per 36 minute numbers, he deserved much more playing time. Prigioni has averaged 7.8 assists and 2.2 steals per 36 minutes and is shooting close to 45 percent from the floor. Those numbers make him the Knicks best assist guy and puts him only behind Jason Kidd in terms of steals.

He hasn’t received enough time because of Felton and Kidd, but maybe it is time that Woodson re-evaluates the depth chart and how he dishes out minutes to his guards.

In addition, the Knicks score more points per possession, and allow fewer per possession when Prigioni is on the floor. The most telling number is defensively where they allow more than five fewer points per possession when Prigioni is on the floor.

Another telling sign is that the Knicks other players see their performance go up when they play with Prigioni.

When Tyson Chandler and Prigioni play together, the Knicks have an outstanding 19.5 net rating in 256 minutes. As for the Knicks top two scorers, both Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith have been more effective this season when playing with Prigioni. Even Felton has been great playing with the Argentine, even though it has been only 96 minutes. The offense has been better, but so has Felton’s defense, as 2-guards can’t get around Felton as easily as point guards have all season long.

The bottom line is that Prigioni needs to be on the floor.

He makes the Knicks a better team and the other players on the floor better as well. That’s a good point guard’s job. However to play Prigioni more, it likely means less time for Kidd and Iman Shumpert, but so be it. You have to play the guys getting the job done and that’s Prigioni, not to mention he has outperformed both Kidd and Shumpert this season.

It’s about Woodson attempting to fix the Knicks biggest weaknesses- ball movement and defense.

Playing Prigioni more offers up a quick fix.

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To say that this five-game west coast trip, which concludes Monday night in Utah, has been brutal would be an understatement.

Playing without Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler and Amar’e Stoudemire the Knicks lineup is a joke right now and couldn’t hang with a talented Clippers team. With J.R. Smith the main scoring option, naturally the Knicks shot only 35.8 percent from the floor as a team. New York made only 29 shots from the floor, but 12 of them came from behind the arc.

March 17, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) shoots a basket against the defense of Los Angeles Clippers power forward Lamar Odom (7) during the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Unfortunately they allowed the Clippers to shoot 45.8 percent for the game, which along with getting outrebounded 51-39 proved to be their downfall.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how each Knicks player graded out during another awful loss.

Raymond Felton (16 points, 7-of-15 shooting, 9 assists, 3 rebounds)

Felton’s line is decent, but he was a non-factor for most of the game. He started very slow and built his stats up when it was far too late. Defensively he struggled once again, although to his credit it was against Chris Paul, but the trend continues where the Knicks don’t get anything valuable from their point guard. Felton logged 41 minutes and the Knicks didn’t get enough out of him. Grade: C-

Iman Shumpert (5 points, 2-of-6 shooting, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal)

It was another frustrating day for Shump as he played only 17 minutes and had very little impact on the game. It would have been nice to see him on Paul during crunch time, but Mike Woodson continues to show little faith in the second-year guard in crunch time. Grade: C-

Chris Copeland (13 points, 5-of-11 shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 assists)

Cope drilled three of his four attempts from downtown and shot 45 percent from the field, finishing with 13 points. He got 26 minutes in his third consecutive start and played well at the offensive end of the floor, but continues to be brutal defensively. He’s part of the reason the Knicks got crushed on the glass as it almost seems illogical that a 6’8″ forward can’t rebound. Add that in with the bad fouls he continues to make and you see the holes in his game. But his offense is worth having him on the floor with the Knicks so shorthanded. Grade C+

Kurt Thomas (2 points, 1-of-5 shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal)

Thomas scored only two points in his 16 minutes but did a decent job on the Clippers bigs, even though it looked like he tweaked something in his leg in the second half.  Grade: B-

Kenyon Martin (4 points, 2-of-6 shooting, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block)

Because of the injuries, K-Mart is playing way too many minutes as he logged 28 more on Sunday. He struggled offensively, but he is there to play defense and rebound, where he was decent against the Clippers as the combination of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan combined for only 20 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Grade: B-

Steve Novak (9 points, 3-of-3 shooting, 2 rebounds, 1 steal)

Novak managed to get three triples to fall and was the only Knick to log a positive plus-minus, at plus-nine. Grade: B

March 17, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) controls the ball against the defense of New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) during the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Camby (1 point, 0-of-6 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal)

The 38-year-old didn’t bring much to the table on a day he was needed to help out with the Clippers size.  He failed to make a field goal and finished with one point, four boards and no blocks in 22 minutes. Grade: D

Jason Kidd (11 points, 4-of-7 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals)

Kidd made some shots for a change, including 3-of-5 attempts from three-point range. But when Kidd finishes with only one assist in 25 minutes, which means he hasn’t been very effective. Grade: C

Pablo Prigioni (2 points, 1-of-2 shooting, 1 assist, 1 rebound)

Prigioni continues to fall out of Woodson’s rotation as he didn’t get into the game until the second half, but he and Kidd played pretty well together. Grade: C

J.R. Smith (17 points, 4-of-20 shooting, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal)

Smith had a team-high 17 points, but don’t let that fool you into thinking he played well as the Knicks sixth man did not. He was a miserable 4-for-20 from the floor, which included making only 1-of-7 shots from behind the arc. He also was lousy defensively when he drew the assignment of guarding Paul. With the Knicks as banged up as they are, Smith is the primary scoring option and that’s bad news for the Knicks as he tries to do too much when the Knicks are healthy. When they are injured he tries to do even more. A performance like this at both ends of the floor is simply unacceptable.  Grade: F

Tyson Chandler: DNP (strained neck)

James White: DNP (coach’s decision)

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When the Knicks were at their best early in the season, so was Felton. He kept everyone involved and took excellent care of the basketball. The North Carolina product held the keys to the car and he had the Knicks’ offense running like a well-oiled machine.

March 6, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) reacts after a basket in the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace. New York won 87-77. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

However as the Knicks have struggled, so has Felton and he has turned into a part, though not a major part, of everything that is wrong with the Knicks’ offense right now.

The bottom line is that the ball isn’t moving. Felton’s assists are way down and he’s turning the ball over at an alarming rate. That’s simply not a recipe for winning basketball.

Let’s compare Felton’s performance month-by-month.

To begin the season in November, the Knicks went 11-4 during the month, largely due in part to the fact that Felton was a catalyst for the offense. Everyone was contributing and his numbers showed that by averaging 14.6 points, 6.7 assists and only 2.5 turnovers per game.

There were similar results in December as the Knicks went 10-5 during the month. Felton continued to play well, averaging 17.2 points, 5.8 assists and 2.2 turnovers per game.

But then he got hurt and missed 12 games with a broken pinkie and the Knicks’ offense hasn’t been the same since.

Even when Felton returned for the last three games in the month of January, the offense changed. It’s now based primarily on isolation and less on moving the ball and relying on Felton to make decisions and move the basketball.

In the month of February the Knicks went only 6-5 and Felton’s assists per game dropped to 4.9 while turning the ball over 2.5 times per game.

Now we get to the even more disturbing month of March when the assists have plummeted to 4.4 per game and the turnovers have skyrocketed to 3.5 per game. As a result the Knicks have gone just 4-4.

Felton has had only one game this month with more than four assists (10 at Cleveland March 4) and has four or more turnovers in four of the eight games, including a whopping seven against the Pistons on March 6.

That’s unacceptable from your point guard, so is the fact that Felton has only four games this season in which he has recorded double-digit assists.

To Felton’s credit, he is shooting 48.3 percent from the floor this month, clearly his best month of the season, but Felton is here to do more than just score and he isn’t right now.

His play has gotten worse and the Knicks have suffered because of it.

There are a couple reasons for the struggles.

One is because Mike Woodson has allowed this offense to run primarily on isolation. There is very little motion and movement in the offense and it takes away from Felton’s strength- the ability to penetrate and kick.

The other is the fact that Felton is playing with a lot of people who struggle scoring the basketball.

In the starting lineup, James White and Iman Shumpert aren’t good options offensively as they have both struggled from the floor. The Knicks aren’t going to dump the ball down to Tyson Chandler very often, so that means giving the ball to Carmelo Anthony and standing around and watching what ‘Melo does.

Then there have been the likes of J.R. Smith, Jason Kidd and Steve Novak.

Novak and Kidd have struggled from the floor and when Smith touches the ball it is another situation of standing around and watching him force up too many shots.

Felton had good chemistry with Amar’e Stoudemire, but now that he is out, there are very little other options for him to create for, which is why Felton is shooting more than creating.

There is also the inability of Woodson to go back to the pick-and-roll, where Felton excels, particularly with Chandler.

Chandler averaged close to seven field goal attempts for the first three months of the season, which is around the number where he should be at. But he is down to 4.4 attempts this month which is also unacceptable.

Felton has struggled for sure as the turnovers especially need to come back down, but it is more of a case of the system has changed on him.

No longer does he have the keys to the car.

If the Knicks are to have success the final month of the season, they need to get back to what worked. They have slipped to 29th in the NBA in assists, which means the ball is simply not moving.

It all starts with Felton.

Woodson has to put his point guard in better positions to have success or it will be another early summer.

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However while the turnovers have been increasing at an alarming rate, there is another issue just as alarming, one that could prove costly in a seven-game series- defending the oppositions point guards.

When the season began, the first word out of every single player and coaches mouths was defense. Well that hasn’t exactly been the case even though the Knicks are ninth in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing 96.0 points per game. However a better telling sign would be the fact that the Knicks are only 15th in the league in defensive efficiency, allowing 103.0 points per 100 possessions.

March 6, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons point guard Rodney Stuckey (3) moves the ball on New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) in the fourth quarter at The Palace. New York won 87-77. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

That’s not good and a big reason for that has to be the Knicks point guards.

The ability to defend the perimeter has certainly been an issue this season for the Knicks, but an even bigger problem has been the Knicks point guards inability to contain opposing point guards.

In Wednesday’s victory over the Detroit Pistons, Jose Calderon became just the latest in a long string of opposing point guards to torch the Knicks with a 10 point, 16 assist effort.

It has become the Knicks biggest problem defensively.

Just look at what opposing point guards have done to the Knicks this season:

PPG- 22.1 points per game (29th in NBA)

APG- 7.8 assists per game (fourth)

RPG-  4.9 rebounds per game (22nd)

FG%- 46.9 percent  from the floor (last)

3-PT%- 39.5 percent from behind the arc (29th)

PER- 22.8 (2nd)

That alone illustrates that opposing point guards are feasting on the Knicks. The only good sign there is that they are only dishing out 7.8 assists per game, but that number is low because they are scoring at will. as much as Raymond Felton means to the Knicks offense, he is not defending well to say the least. It’s not just him though as you have to throw Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni in there when they spell Felton.

Prigioni does defend rather well most of the time, so I would hate to see how much worse the numbers would be without the 14.4 minutes that Prigioni plays per night.

Things have even been worse as of late.

In the last five games, in which they faced the likes of Calderon, Kyrie Irving, Mario Chalmers, John Wall and  Stephen Curry, the Knicks are hands down the worst in the NBA.

Jan 11, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Chicago Bulls point guard Nate Robinson (2) drives past New York Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni (9) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Those five point guards (and their backups) have combined to average 28.4 PPG (last), while shooting a ridiculous 52 percent (last) from the floor and  an even worse 54.8 percent (last) from behind the arc.

Of course that stretch included Curry’s super human performance at the Garden, but it is still a problem nonetheless.

Let’s take it back to the past 10 games.

Add in the likes of  Jrue Holiday, Kyle Lowry (twice), Chris Paul and George Hill and during the past 10 games and the Knicks have allowed 26.6 points per game (next to last) from the point guard position, while allowing them to shoot a combined 52.7 percent (last) from the floor and 52.3 percent (last) from behind the arc.

If that isn’t a major problem, then I don’t know what is.

The bottom line is that it is something that needs addressed and must be fixed before the playoffs begin.

If  the playoffs started today, the list of opposing point guards would read: Brandon Jennings, Avery Bradley, Derrick Rose, Jeff Teague, Deron Williams, Hill and Chalmers.

Most of those guys on that list can do some major damage throughout the course of a playoff series.

If the Knicks can’t figure out how to defend the guy with the ball in his hands, it will be hard to envision them making a lengthy postseason run.

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The Knicks turned the ball over 11 times in the first quarter alone, en route to 20 on the night. But the Knicks shot the ball very well early on and led by as many as 15 points in the second quarter, although that lead was trimmed to just six at the half.

Ultimately it turned out to be an 87-77 victory, although Detroit’s Greg Monroe was also out of the lineup, otherwise this could have been a different story.

March 6, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) moves the ball on Detroit Pistons center Viacheslav Kravtsov (55) in the second quarter at The Palace. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Knicks eventually cooled off from the floor and shot only 41.3 percent from the floor on the night (31-for-75), including a 37.1 percent (13-for-35) performance from behind the arc. Without Monroe though, the Knicks held a 48-36 rebounding edge, including pulling down 14 offensive rebounds, which played a big role in the win.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how each Knicks player graded out in the victory.

Raymond Felton (26 points, 10-of-15 shooting, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 7 turnovers)

Felton had an up-and-down night. He scored 26 points, including 12 in the third quarter, which the Knicks needed badly. But he also took very poor care of the basketball, turning it over seven times through three quarters, which simply can’t happen. In addition, he had almost twice as many miscues as assists. But he knocked down some big shots and the Knicks wouldn’t have won without him. Grade: B

Iman Shumpert (9 points, 3-of-6 shooting, 6 rebounds, 2 assists)

Shump got off to a good start for the second consecutive game, knocking down a trio of three-pointers to score nine of the Knicks first 12 points, and grabbed six rebounds in the first half. But he was unheard from in the second half and finished with a team-worst minus-10 rating. Grade: C+

James White (0 points, 0 shot attempts, 3 assists)

White played only eight minutes, which makes you wonder why he starts, but did dish out three dimes in that span. Otherwise, as usual, the Knicks starting lineup didn’t have much impact. Grade: C-

Kurt Thomas (0 points, 0-of-1  shooting, 2 rebounds)

Thomas got the starting nod and played a total of four minutes. He grabbed two rebounds in that span, but also turned the ball over twice. Grade: D

Tyson Chandler (2 points, 1-of-3 shooting, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks)

Chandler scored only two points and got only three shot attempts, which is unacceptable against a smaller Pistons’ frontcourt. But was productive on the glass  and despite both Jason Maxiell and Jonas Jerebko scoring in double figures, Chandler was good on the interior, especially with some great help defense late in the game. Grade: B

Amar’e Stoudemire (22 points, 8-of-12 shooting, 9 rebounds)

Stoudemire was outstanding once again and came out of the gates on fire, scoring 17 first half points. I would have liked to see him get more looks in the second half, but it was another outstanding and more importantly another very efficient game for STAT. Grade: A+

J.R. Smith (20 points, 7-of-22 shooting, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals)

This is getting old, watching Smith throw up a ton of bricks, mostly because of questionable shot selection. But he knocked down three big triples in the fourth quarter and filled up the stat sheet in other areas. But shooting 31.8 percent for the  game can’t be excused, especially considering the  amount of bad shot attempts that Smith forced up. Grade: B-

March 6, 2013; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) passes the ball on Detroit Pistons point guard Brandon Knight (7) in the second quarter at The Palace. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Steve Novak (o points, 0-of-5 shooting, 2 rebounds)

Novak, who knocked down some big shots Monday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers, did not Wednesday night against the Pistons. Novak missed on all five of his attempts and that can’t happen. Grade: F

Jason Kidd (6 points, 2-of-7 shooting, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals)

Kidd scored only six points and didn’t shoot well, but he dished out six dimes, grabbed five rebounds and recorded three steals in 32 minutes off the bench. He also finished with a team-high plus-24 rating. Grade: B+

Marcus Camby (2 points, 0-of-1 shooting, 1 rebound)

Camby played only six minutes and didn’t do much, but he seemed active and didn’t do anything to cost the team when he was on the floor. Grade: C

Pablo Prigioni (0 points, 0-of-3 shooting, 3  assists, 2 rebounds)

Prigioni seems to always alternate good game then not-so-good game. He was good against Cleveland, which means he wasn’t great in 17 minutes against the Pistons. He didn’t do much, but did dish out a few assists and played decent defense. Grade: C

Kenyon Martin: DNP (Coach’s Decision)

Chris Copeland: DNP (Coach’s Decision)

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As things pertain to the New York Knicks, we have seen a story of two different teams so far on the season.

First there was the dominant team that defended, moved the ball and shot very well on almost a game-by-game basis.

Feb. 10, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) dribbles the ball against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Clippers won 102-88. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Then we have the Knicks team we have seen as of late.

The team that doesn’t defend well, relies mostly on isolation and doesn’t shoot the rock particularly great on most nights.

The results for the most part have been very good as the Knicks at 32-18 sit second in the eastern Conference, only

With that being said, let’s take a look back on the first half of the season and hand out individual grades to everyone on the Knicks roster.

Raymond Felton (38 GP, 14.9 PPG, 6.3 APG, 3.9 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 40.4 FG%, 35.8 3P%, 15.3 PER)

Felton saves his best for when he wears a Knicks uniform. He has been the engine that has made the Knicks offense and to say they were a different team without him would be an understatement. The numbers are nice but the shooting percentages have been going down and the turnovers have been going up, which are both concerns. But overall it was a nice first half for Felton. Grade: B

Iman Shumpert (13 GP, 5.3 PPG, 1.5 APG, 3.4 RPG, 0.7 SPG, 33.8 FG%, 41.4 3P%, 10.2 PER)

Everyone felt that as soon as Shump returned from injury the Knicks perimeter defense would fall into place, but that hasn’t been the case. Shumpert looks a step slow, which is probably to be expected coming off knee surgery. It’s also concerning how awful he has been shooting the rock (33.8 percent). It’s hard to give Shump an accurate grade due to the fact that he has only played 13 games, but he hasn’t been the shot in the arm that Knicks fans hoped he would. His grade is giving him the benefit of the doubt as it should be a little worse. Grade: C-

Jason Kidd (45 GP, 7.2 PPG, 3.6 APG, 4.0 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 39.3 FG%, 38.8 3P%, 14.9 PER)

Kidd started the season great and while he has tailed off as of late in terms of production, he has still been very good. Much of what Kidd does on the floor doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. While Kidd has been a leader and does all of the little things a team needs, his shooting percentages have plummeted the past 20 games, which is a big red flag. Grade: B

Carmelo Anthony (43 GP, 28.6 PPG, 2.7 APG, 6.5 RPG, 0.8 SPG, 44.7 FG%, 40.5 3p%, 23.8 PER)

‘Melo is an MVP candidate and that should say it all. He has shown at times that he is all about winning, playing team basketball at both ends of the floor, which shows he understands what it means to lead. Yet there has been times when we have seen “”MeloBall” cost the Knicks games. Overall though, Anthony has answered all of the questions about him during the first half of the season. Grade: A

Tyson Chandler (50 GP, 11.4 PPG, 1.0 APG, 11.1 RPG, 0.6 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 67.3 FG%, 20.4 PER)

Chandler was supposed to have some help defending the paint this season, but that hasn’t happened. He has made his first All-Star team and has been simply outstanding at both ends of the floor, which no other Knicks player can claim. We all know about the impact that Chandler has had on the Knicks’ defense, but he leads the NBA in field goal percentage by a wide margin. If he got a few more touches per game, he would easily be averaging a double-double at this point. Grade: A+

Feb 13, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Amar

Amar’e Stoudemire (20 GP, 13.6 PPG, 0.5 APG, 4.8 RPG, 0.4 SPG, 0.75 BPG, 55.9 FG%, 22.1 PER)

What role will STAT have when he comes back? Will Stoudemire be able to handle coming off the bench? Those are the questions that Stoudemire has answered with a resounding YES! It’s only been 20 games, but STAT is looking outstanding coming off the Knicks’ bench. He still struggles defensively, but he has been nothing short of great. In addition he has a PER of 22 coming off the bench playing a little over 22 minutes. That’s not easy to do. Grade: A

J.R. Smith (50 GP, 16.2 PPG, 2.8 APG, 5.0 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 40.0 FG%, 34.0 3P%, 15.5 PER)

Smith has had his moments where he has proven to be a legitimate second scoring option and has helped carry the offense at times when Anthony was out with injuries. But for every game winning shot or solid offensive performance, there have been games where he has shot the Knicks out of a possible win. Smith has been good, but he is not efficient and his shooting percentages are brutal. But he has done so much more to help this team so far than score the ball, which show’s Smith’s true value. Grade: B-

Steve Novak (49 GP, 6.9 PPG, 0.5 APG, 1.9 RPG, 42.3 FG%, 44.7 3P%, 11.4 PER)

Novak is once again shooting an outstanding percentage from behind the arc, but he is only getting off a little more than four shots per game. That’s down from the six three-pointers he averaged per game during the season’s first month. There are reasons why Novak isn’t getting many looks and some of it has to do with the Knicks being unselfish. But if Novak isn’t banging three’s, he has little other value. Grade: C

James White (34 GP, 1.8 PPG, 45.6 FG%, 33.3 3p%, 8.3 PER)

White hasn’t done much but is a nice depth piece who is shooting a good percentage from the floor. Grade: D+

Chris Copeland (32 GP, 6.3 PPG, 0.3 APG, 1.3 RPG, 47.5 FG%, 37.1 3p%, 16.2 PER)

Dec 6, 2012; Miami FL, USA; New York Knicks forward Rasheed Wallace (36) during the second half against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Copeland has done some very good things this year, mostly when it comes to scoring. But he is another guy that offers very little value in any other area, especially defensively. Grade: C

Rasheed Wallace (20 GP, 7.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 0.65 SPG, 0.75 BPG, 38.8 FG%, 32.4 3P%, 16.9 PER)

Wallace being out of the lineup has hurt the Knicks much more than anyone thought it would when he was originally signed. He shooting percentages leave a lot to be desired, but his communication on the defensive end of the floor was a big part of the Knicks early season success. Grade: B-

Ronnie Brewer (45 GP, 3.7 PPG, 0.9 APG, 2.2 RPG, 0.8 SPG, 36.8 G%, 31.0 3P%, 10.3 PER)

Brewer got off to a good start but has hit rock bottom as of late. He has struggled mightily offensively and hasn’t lived up to his reputation as a great perimeter defender. Grade: D-

Pablo Prigioni (49 GP, 3.4 PPG, 2.9 APG, 1.6 RPG, 0.9 SPG, 46.0 FG%, 40.6 3P%, 13.2 PER)

The 35-year old rookie has had his moments this season. He brings it defensively and keeps his teammates involved. He may be the most unselfish player on the roster. Sometimes he is too unselfish as Prigioni shoots a good percentage from the floor but rarely looks to shoot the ball. The only knock on Prigioni has been consistency as he has trouble putting together back-to-back solid efforts. Grade: C

Marcus Camby (14 GP, 2.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 0.8 BPG, 36.4 FG%, 10.6 PER)

It’s hard to call someone more of a disappointment than Brewer, but Camby has been exactly that. The Knicks needed him to be a solid backup to Chandler and he just hasn’t been healthy enough to contribute. When he has been healthy, other than four starts, he has had difficulty breaking into Mike Woodson’s rotation, averaging only 10 minutes per contest. He is making well over $3 million this season to provide a lot more than three rebounds per night. Grade: F

Kurt Thomas (30 GP, 2.4 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 55.9 FG%, 14.9 PER)

In his little bit of playing time per game, Thomas gives the Knicks some defense and rebounding and then takes a seat. He knows his role and does his job when called upon, including shooting over 55 percent from the floor. Grade: C

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Feb. 10, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) goes up for a shot as Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) and point guard Chauncey Billups (1) defend during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Clippers won 102-88. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Raymond Felton

It was a solid overall game for Felton, who hit half of his 18 shots for 20 points, also adding 5 assists and 2 steals. Even though he performed well, the 18 shots is a few too many for Felton to be taking nightly as he’s not getting Amar’e Stoudemire (9 shots) or Tyson Chandler (3 shots) involved enough. Nonetheless, those things are able to be fixed and any time you can shoot efficiently with a handful assists from the point, it’s hard to discount the effort.

Grade: B+

Jason Kidd

Kidd was not on his game in this one. With the 33 and change minutes in which he was on the floor, he recorded just one assist while knocking down only 1 shot out of his 4 attempts as well.  It’s going to be tougher for him to be totally facilitating the offense with Felton and Shumpert now back, but with those type of minutes, he needs to show some more consistently. He wasn’t able to get much going and his 3 steals is the only thing keeping him from an F.

Grade: D

J.R. Smith

Smith’s poor shooting was probably the biggest detriment to the Knicks in this game. Going just 1-9 from the field with a -18 differential in the game, the hole he created with his misses were just too much to overcome. It’s not a terrible thing for J.R. to shoot only 9 times since he’s under 40% FG on the season in his 15 attempts per game, but when he can only muster together one make out of those, it becomes a terrible thing.

Grade: F

Carmelo Anthony

Feb. 10, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) looks to pass around Los Angeles Clippers small forward Grant Hill (33) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Clippers won 102-88. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Carmelo Anthony was classic Carmelo Anthony, dropping 40+ points for the 5^th time this season in a game where he personally couldn’t have done much more. He was extremely efficient, hitting 14-26 FG and 9-9 FT for 42 points including 5-11 from down town and also added on 8 boards. Unfortunately, his effort came without a reward, as it wasn’t enough to make up for the majority of the Knicks subpar performance.

Grade: A

Amar’e Stoudemire

Amar’e was basically a non-factor in this one and wasn’t very impressive in his minutes. His -19 differential was even worse than that of J.R. Smith, and Stat didn’t do much to make up for his 3 turnovers and lack of interior presence. He was all right in the shots he took, going 4-9, but he never seemed like he was having any impact on the game and needs to find a way to get more involved.

Grade: C-

Tyson Chandler

Although he didn’t do much offensively, it wasn’t wholly his fault that the opportunities weren’t there for him as he went 3-3 for just 6 points.  It’s discouraging that he never even got to the free throw line as you’d like to see him become more of an aggressive offensive threat in the paint.  He joined Blake Griffin as the only other player in the game to get double digit rebounds (11) which is a plus, but again, the lack of offensive balance for the Knicks is still an issue.

Grade: C+

Iman Shumpert

Shumpert was another Knick that was basically a non-factor this game. He only played a hair over 20 minutes and didn’t do anything in that time really, shooting just 1-4 and producing basically nothing else in terms of offensive or defensive stats. Jamal Crawford went off for 27 points as well as the Knicks continue to get burned by guards, something they absolutely need to improve on.

Grade: D

Feb. 10, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) goes up for a shot against the New York Knicks during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Clippers won 102-88. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Role Players

The Knicks bench was sadly highlighted by the combined 15 points from Smith and Stoudemire, while the rest of the bench barely saw any game action and were ghosts on the court when they did. There were only 26 total points scored from everyone besides Anthony and Felton along with very minimal contribution in any other facets, which is just unacceptable. As a team, the Knicks looked horrible and the Clippers were just too much for Felton and Anthony to conquer all on their own over a full game.

Grade: F

The Knicks big win, coupled with the Miami Heat’s loss to the Indiana Pacers leave the Knicks just one game behind the defending champs in the Eastern Conference.

February 1, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Raymond Felton (2) lays it in against the Milwaukee Bucks during the fourth quarter of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

With that being said, let’s take a look at how each Knicks’ player graded out in their 96-86 win over the Bucks.

Raymond Felton (14 points, 5-of-8 shooting, 8 assists, 2 rebounds)

The Knicks floor general looked as good as he has since coming back from injury. He knocked down two of his three attempts from behind the arc and his plus-15 mark showed how well he played. He banged up his pinkie finger late in the game which is a concern, but otherwise Felton was in total control all night. His eight assist was the third consecutive game he had dished out at least eight dimes. Grade: A-

Jason Kidd (3 points, 1-of-5 shooting, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal)

Kidd didn’t have his usual impact on the game and was on the bench for most of the Knicks’ comeback. All five off his attempts were from behind the arc and he only knocked down one, but overall Kidd didn’t do much in his 24 minutes. Grade: D+

Iman Shumpert (7 points, 3-of-7 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist)

Shumpert didn’t really have much of an impact in his 19 minutes on the floor, but did knock down a corner three and grab a few rebounds. Grade: C

Carmelo Anthony (25 points, 7-of-22 shooting, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 7 turnovers)

It wasn’t a good shooting night for Anthony but he did what it took to win, including keeping his teammates involved, rebounding and getting to the free-throw line, where ‘Melo knocked down 8-of-12 attempts. He saved his best scoring of the night when the Knicks needed him the most, scoring 10 points in the third quarter. It wasn’t his best night but still a solid performance. The seven turnovers are concerning though. Grade: B

Tyson Chandler (9 points, 4-of-6 shooting, 20 rebounds, 2 blocks)

Chandler absolutely owned the pain Friday night against a big Bucks team. Of his 20 rebounds, eight came at the offensive end giving the Knicks a ton of second possessions. Overall, just another dominant night for the first-time All-Star. Grade: A+

Amar’e Stoudemire (17 points, 5-of-10 shooting, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block)

Another solid game off the bench for Stoudemire, who looks more and more like he is embracing his role. I will take 17 and seven off the bench every night and be happy. Grade: A

J.R. Smith (17 points, 6-of-14 shooting, 5 rebounds, 1 steal)

Smith chucked up 13 shots from behind the arc in 36 minutes. He did make five of them though as the Knicks look like they will live and die with Smith’s streaky shooting. Grade: B

Pablo Prigioni (0 points, 1 assist)

Prigioni didn’t do much in his 11 minutes, but he was able to spell the starting guards and despite not showing up on the stat sheet he didn’t have a bad night. Grade: C

Steve Novak (3 points, 1-of-3 shooting)

Novak did knock down a three in limited minutes, but didn’t have much of an impact. He is a guy who if he is not getting shots, could see his minutes decrease if the Knicks are winning games. Grade: D

The Knicks starting lineup tonight in Philadelphia will be as follows:

PG – Raymond Felton – 15.8 PPG, 6.3 APG

SG  – Jason Kidd – 8.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.0 APG

SF – Iman Shumpert – 6.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG (Only played 3 games, 20 MIN a game)

PF – Carmelo Anthony – 29.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG

C – Tyson Chandler – 12.1 PPG, 10.9 RPG

Knicks nation is ecstatic to have Felton back in the lineup, as the Knicks were 20-8 with him in the starting lineup and 6-6 without him. It’s hard for any team to consistently win without their floor general playing, so Knicks fans weren’t panicking too much with the Knicks recent play.

It will be very interesting to see what Mike Woodson is going to do with his rotation. He basically has two point guards, a shooting guard, a small forward who can pay the stretch four, and a pure center in his starting lineup. I have no problem with this lineup, with two defensive players, one guard and one big man, on the court at the same time, along with offensive playmakers in Carmelo and Felton. Kidd is a do-it-all player so it’s hard to take him out of the lineup, as he started 35 out of the 36 games he’s played in.

J.R. Smith and Pablo Prigioni should still see their playing time when the starters need rest, along with a rejuvenated Amar’e Stoudemire off the bench. Woodson should try to get Amar’e and Felton on the court as much as possible since it’s no secret they feed well off each other. Felton and STAT haven’t played together in nearly two years, since the 2011 All-Stat break in February 2011. It will be very interesting to see if or when Woodson puts Stoudemire in the starting lineup with Felton since he has come alive in these last couple games.

If Amar’e finally gets his first start of the season, who will come off the bench? It will come down to either Shumpert or Kidd and it seems like Woodson loves Shumpert in the starting lineup, wasting no time putting him in there as soon as he was healthy to play. A bench of Jason Kidd, J.R Smith, Pablo Prigioni, Steve Novak, Chris Copeland, and a healthy Marcus Camby isn’t too bad.

As the Knicks starting getting to full strength, Mike Woodson will have to make big decisions on his lineup and rotation. We would all love to see everyone healthy from here on out so we can start seeing defining roles and minutes, along with continuity (thanks Clyde).

Felton is a big part of the Knicks present and hopefully future success, and Knicks fans couldn’t be happier to have him back.

Dec. 21, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) goes up for a shot as Chicago Bulls point guard Nate Robinson (2) defends during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Bulls won 110-106. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

That day, the Knicks fell to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers 100-94. Not only did they lose the game, but they also lost their starting point guard Raymond Felton to a fractured pinkie.

Felton has missed 11 games before Thursday, and the Knicks have gone 5-6 in his absence.

Knicks fans and analysts around the league have become skeptical of New York because of this recent slide, including their home loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday. The Knicks went from third in the power rankings to ninth over the past couple of weeks without Felton, and many are scared they will not be able to make a legitimate playoff run.

Felton, almost a month since his injury, is very close to returning and is anticipated to be in the lineup as soon as Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Have no fear Knick fans! Our starting point guard is almost back!

This bad stretch of games is just a simple case of an injury plagued team. It is not an easy task to suddenly continue to win games without your starting point guard, especially one that averaged 15.8 points and 6.3 assists per game prior to his injury.

With Felton back, the Knicks offense will be back to normal. New York averaged over 102 points per game with Felton (only 98 without). With him back, Jason Kidd will be able to get much more rest and more effective playing time, especially with the return of Iman Shumpert.

Along with this, you can also expect not only Tyson Chandler, but Amar’e Stoudemire to be much more effective on offense. Chandler has shot only 63 percent from the floor without his starting point guard (where he was around 70 percent with him), and Stoudemire and Felton had great success together in the 2010-2011 season, when Amar’e was a serious MVP contender.

Felton’s ability to slash and penetrate defenses will open up easy looks (and dunks) for whoever may be on the floor with him. Let’s not forget that Felton led a Knicks team to a 20 point blowout of the Miami Heat without Carmelo Anthony!

He is the unsung hero of this Knicks team and you can expect the Knicks to become a serious contender again with him back and healthy.

While Chris Copeland has been starting at the 3, the real difference maker could be the insertion of Iman Shumpert (returning from a torn ACL) as the starting shooting guard. Felton played mostly coupled with Jason Kidd in the backcourt, which resulted in great guard play, and some would say was the key to the hot start by the New York Knicks this season. But with Felton’s return does Kidd go to the bench? Is Shumpert moved to small forward? And most importantly, how would any move effect the quality of the team’s play?

Felton is having his best season since the last time he was in New York, averaging 15.8 PPG, 6.3 APG, 1.2 SPG, and 2.3 TPG, on 40% shooting from the field. While his shooting numbers are a tad low, his production has maintained crucial to the Knicks success. Also, Felton is the team leader in assists, and pushes the ball up the court faster than the aging Jason Kidd. The offense has stalled early on in games, and Felton’s penetration may assist in getting easy shots for his teammates to help get them going.

So it’s clear that Felton will be the starting point guard, but who does that mean gets bumped from the starting lineup? My bet is on Jason Kidd. Kidd was not signed to play a starter’s minutes, and he is well aware of that. Mike Woodson has made it clear that it is not healthy for Kidd to be playing the 30+ minutes he has logged since Felton has been out, and a solution to this problem would be bringing him off the bench.

Another option would be moving Copeland to the bench, Shumpert to the 3, and Kidd to shooting guard. No matter what happens I envision Shump staying in the lineup. He has the talent to start, and his defensive drive is adored by Coach Woodson. This lineup would allow for Carmelo Anthony to stay at power forward, and allow the stellar backcourt of Kidd and Felton to continue their run. The downside could be the smaller lineup, and that it would not help reduce Jason Kidd’s minutes directly.

There is a third potential lineup, but I would call it the least likely of them all: Felton, Shumpert, ‘Melo, STAT, and Tyson Chandler could all share the floor at tip-off. On paper, this is the strongest lineup the team can put out on the floor, but there are several significant drawbacks. First, the jury is still out on the true effectiveness of Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony sharing the floor. They have yet to prove that they can win consistently. Another issue is that Tyson Chandler plays the main roll-man on this team, and when STAT and he are on the same floor they can end up crowding the paint. Also, ‘Melo has shown that he is most dominant as a stretch 4. The sample size is large enough to prove that is where he consistently plays at an MVP level.

Felton’s return will not hurt the team, but it could complicate things. While they are desperate for his penetration and speed, the team’s depth may become a problem (what a nice problem to have, right?). However, the problems will most likely come at the end of games–not the beginning.

Jason Kidd has the playmaking skills needed for end of game decisions. Iman Shumpert has the shut down defensive abilities that can create the stops needed in the last few minutes. J.R. Smith, the Knicks’ resident sixth man, has that x factor that can make him so dangerous offensively when the team needs him most. Not to mention the value of Carmelo, STAT, and Tyson. So who plays at the end of games? That is for Mike Woodson to decide, and with so many options, it is certainly not a position I’m envious of.

December 23, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Raymond Felton (2) chases down a loose ball during the third quarter of an NBA game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

However, that may not happen as Felton has yet to be cleared for contact by the Knicks medical staff.

Felton took part in a film session and conditioning drills during Sunday’s practice, but has yet to be cleared for any basketball activities, meaning his return could be pushed back at least a week.

Right now, the Knicks can’t wait until Felton returns as they need their starting point guard back in a big way.

Since Felton’s last game on Christmas Day against the Lakers, the Knicks have gone only 5-7.

With Iman Shumpert back healthy, Knicks fans are anxiously waiting to see the team’s backcourt healthy and playing together for the first time all season.

In other Knicks’ injury news, Marcus Camby (foot) looks to be about two weeks away from getting back into the lineup, while there is still no timetable on the return of Rasheed Wallace (foot).

“He’s still rehabbing. That’s about it,” Knicks head coach Mike Woodson told ESPN’s Jared Zwerling. about Wallace.

Hopefully sooner rather than later the Knicks will be completely healthy for the first time all season and we will get to see how deep this team really is.

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December 23, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Raymond Felton (2) chases down a loose ball during the third quarter of an NBA game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Point guard Raymond Felton, out since he fractured his pinkie on Christmas Day, told reporters in London that he is targeting a return to the lineup on January 26 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

“They’re not letting me play when we first get back (to New York),” he said on Wednesday (via ESPN’s Jared Zwerling). “I am trying to get them to have me play in Boston (on Jan. 24), but it looks like Philly in Philly. We don’t know if it’s totally healed. We need one more X-ray, but it’s pretty much healed.”

However while Felton is anxious to get back on the floor, don’t be so sure that his target date is a sure thing.

Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson said that his recovery could take a little more time as his original timetable was 4-6 weeks.

Woodson did note that Felton was on schedule with that timetable and it would just be a wait and see approach.

The Knicks starting point guard did participate in non-contact drills as the Knicks practiced in London on Wednesday.

Before he was injured, Felton was averaging 15.8 points and 6.3 assists per game. The Knicks have gone only 4-5 without their starting point guard in the lineup, so his return will be welcomed.

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While Jason Kidd looked fantastic Saturday night in the win over Orlando, the Knicks were at their best with Kidd at the 2 and Raymond Felton manning the point guard spot.

December 23, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Raymond Felton (2) chases down a loose ball during the third quarter of an NBA game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

That may happen again sooner rather than later as Felton told Newsday’s Al Iannazzone that he hopes to be back later in the month.

The Knicks fly to London on January 14 and Felton told Iannazzone that he is targetting Boston on Jan. 24 or Philadelphia on Jan. 26.

“Once my bone heals, it’s probably up to my comfort,” he said. “Hopefully the bone will heal before we leave for London,” Felton told Iannazzone. “”Probably not Brooklyn [Jan. 21] from what me and Doc talked about. So either that Boston or maybe that Philly game.”

That’s good news and even better news that Felton’s injured pinkie didn’t require surgery. If it had, he would be looking at 8-12 weeks because it would have required pins and screws to be inserted into his hand.

The important thing is that Felton gets healthy. If he comes back less than 100 percent and has problems shooting the basketball then he really is doing the team no good.

When he first injured the pinkie on Christmas Day against the Lakers, Felton was also playing with bone bruises in each hand which cause his field goal percentage to drop from 41.8 percent in November to 37.7 percent in December.

Even a bigger drop occured in Felton’s three-point shooting, which sank from 40.3 percent in November to 29.6 percent in December.

But if the Knicks get Felton back healthy around the same time they get guard Iman Shumpert back, then this team could become real dangerous, real quick.

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A big reason for the current struggles is that the point guard play has not been as good as it was early in the season.

Jan 1, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Pablo Prigioni (9) drives around Portland Trail Blazers center J.J. Hickson (21) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Portland won 105-100. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

It started with the recent skid of starter Raymond Felton, whose shooting was affected by not only bruises to both hands, but a fractured pinkie finger as well.

The injuries have forced Felton to the sidelines for 4-6 weeks and the Knicks have felt his loss in a big way.

Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni have taken over and to less-than-spectacular results.

Kidd was spectacular in the win against the Phoenix Suns, but the point guard play has been a big reason for the Knicks last two defeats against the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers.

Felton was averaging 15.8 points and 6.3 assists before being shelved. That was a big part of the Knicks success and production that needs replaced.

Against the Kings, Kidd scored 16 points and dished out seven assists. Right on par with what Felton was doing, but he turned the ball over five times and made only 4-of-11 attempts from behind the arc. Prigioni didn’t score but dished out nine assists. However the duo combined to turn the ball over seven times and that can’t happen.

However they got worse against the Blazers as the duo combined to make only 1-of-8 attempts from the floor and combined for only six assists.

They simply have to produce more during this stretch without Felton.

Kidd is a stat sheet stuffer and that will be needed the next few weeks.

But Mike Woodson must be quicker to get him off athletic point guards if Kidd can’t guard them.

He brings all the intangibles in the world, but has struggled the past two games guarding more athletic point guards in Sacramento’s Isaiah Thomas and Portland’s Damian Lillard.

Defensively there is a concern but Prigioni is a more than capable defender, so he may see increased minutes in the upcoming weeks.

But beginning Thursday, Kidd must find his jump shot again, because it hasn’t been there the past two games.

What we’ve learned is that Felton is more important to the Knicks than probably anyone believed.

But the Knicks are in capable hands with Kidd and Prigioni.

They just have to start playing at a higher level.

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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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December 23, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Raymond Felton (2) chases down a loose ball during the third quarter of an NBA game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Woodson has prided himself on his team’s defense but in the latest three Knicks losses, his team has given up an average of 106 points. You’re not going to win many games giving up over 100 points in this league. Hopefully this isn’t the Knicks going back to their old ways but I don’t think that’s the case. It’s hard to come out and execute perfectly every game. A very good sign for Woodson is that the Knicks have only lost two games in a row once this season and that was over a month ago. Bouncing back after loses is what makes good teams great. A team that doesn’t lose two in a year is very hard to knock out in the playoffs.

Another reason the Knicks are in this slump is the play of Raymond Felton. Any Knicks fan who has been watching these games has noticed Felton’s increase in shots. Felton is not a scoring point guard, it’s not what he was brought here to do but he is putting up field goal attempts like he is Russell Westbrook or Kyrie Irving. His shot attempts in latest three Knicks losses: 21, 18, and 19. Out of these 58 shots, Felton has hit 21, shooting a terrible 36 percent from the field. Felton needs to be more efficient and smart for the Knicks offense to click.

A third reason why the Knicks are slumping right now is the foul trouble their players are getting into. On Christmas Day against the Lakers the starting unit accounted for 15 fouls with a foul out by Tyson Chandler. The bench accounted for 10 more including four from J.R. Smith who plays starter minutes. Against the Bulls the Knicks once again had 25 team personal fouls and had another foul out, this time by Smith. These fouls make it hard on Woodson’s planned rotation and put the opposing team on the free throw line way too much. The Bulls and Lakers both got to the free-throw line 33 times.

A final reason why the Knicks have been losing is that they can’t contain the opponent’s team’s superstar. It’s very hard to stop Kobe Bryant but he once again torched the Knicks with 34 points on Christmas. Four other Lakers had double digit points, all with big names: Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash, and Metta World Peace who dropped 20 on the Knicks. These players are going to get their points no matter what but the Knicks couldn’t stop any of them. Against the Bulls their star player Luol Deng scored 29 points. Jeremy Lin had 22 and James Harden added 28 when the Rockets handed the Knicks their first loss at the Garden this year. Carmelo always rises to the occasion but the Knicks can’t have superstars doing whatever they want to their defense if they want to go far in the playoffs.

The Knicks should be fine but they aren’t a perfect team. Their weaknesses are emerging and it will be Woodson’s job to fix them. The Knicks are in a prime position to succeed this season and there will be speed bumps along the way. You can’t judge any team until after the All-Star break and especially until Amar’e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert are fully in the rotation.

This time it is point guard Raymond Felton and it could be a big blow to the Knicks lineup.

December 23, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Raymond Felton (2) chases down a loose ball during the third quarter of an NBA game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Woodson’s starting point guard was playing with bone bruises in both hands, but had to miss the Phoenix game Wednesday night with an injury to his pinkie finger. That injury has turned out to be a fractured pinkie and will require surgery that could keep Felton out of the Knicks’ lineup for 4-6 weeks.

The New York Post’s Marc Berman reported:

Raymond Felton, the team’s starting point guard, said last night he has a fracture in his right pinkie, discovered following an X-ray. He added he will likely need surgery and be out four to six weeks…

…Felton will fly to New York tomorrow and see a hand specialist to confirm the next course of action, a Knicks official said.

‘I may need surgery,’ Felton said. ‘I got to do what’s best for my hand so I can get back and help this team.’

The hand injuries have affected Felton’s play as of late in a big way. His shooting percentage has dropped to 39.5 percent, but he was still averaging 15.8 points, 6.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Those numbers will be missed, as will the way Felton has taken care of the basketball this season, averaging just slightly over two turnovers per contest.

It’s all but certain that Jason Kidd will slide over to man the point in Felton’s absence.

In his first start at the lead guard spot against the Suns, Kidd scored 23 points, dished out eight assists and grabbed six rebounds.

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Both Carmelo Anthony and Raymond Felton have been ruled out for Wednesday’s tilt against the Phoenix Suns.

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

Both players got hurt during the Knicks’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day. Anthony hyperextended his left knee when Marcus Camby fell on to him in the second quarter and Felton sprained his right pinkie finger in the third quarter when he and Steve Nash dove for a loose ball.

The Knicks are listing both players as day-to-day.

In addition, backup center Rasheed Wallace (sore left foot) will not play Wednesday.

This is Felton’s, who also has bone bruises on both hands, first missed game of the season; it’s Anthony’s fifth and Wallace’s ninth missed game because of injury. For Wallace, it is seven consecutive games now in street clothes.

Jason Kidd will move to the point guard and James White will be making his first start of the season. In 20 games, White is averaging 1.6 points in only six minutes per game.

Ronnie Brewer, Kurt Thomas and Tyson Chandler are also in the Knicks’ starting lineup vs. the Suns.

December 23, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks guard Raymond Felton (2) chases down a loose ball during the third quarter of an NBA game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

That’s mostly due to injury as Felton has been playing with bone bruises in both of his hands.

However while that hasn’t kept Felton out of the lineup, another hand injury just may.

Felton sprained his left pinkie yesterday in the third quarter of the Knicks’ 100-94 loss to the Lakers during a scramble with the Lakers’ Steve Nash for a loose ball.

However it’s this pinky injury that could force Felton to the sidelines Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns, which may be a good thing.

The hand injuries have clearly affected Felton’s play as of late.

He was brutal from the floor once again against the Lakers, finishing with 10 points on 5-of-19 shooting from the field in 35 minutes.

Because of the recent shooting slump, Felton’s field goal percentage has dipped to 39.5 percent and despite taking very good care of the basketball overall, he couldn’t get Carmelo Anthony the basketball in the fourth quarter yesterday against the Lakers.

If the Knicks are going to have long-term success, Felton is going to have to play a big role. If he is running out there injured and shooting the Knicks out of hot streaks and games, it doesn’t make much sense for him to be out there.

With games against the Suns and the Kings on the road remaining before the calendar switches to 2013, it makes sense to give Felton a week to heal up.

Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni should be just fine for a couple of games.

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Dec. 21, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) shoots over Chicago Bulls shooting guard Kirk Hinrich (12) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Bulls won 110-106. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

He had a point to prove and through a quarter of the season he proved all the doubters wrong to the point that Knicks’ fans stopped saying the name Jeremy Lin every day for a while.

But given Felton’s recent performances, that seems like a very long time ago and not just a couple of weeks.

Felton is struggling shooting the ball big time and it is hurting the team at the moment. He just can’t get the ball to drop.

Sure he finished with 21 points Friday night against the Chicago Bulls, but he made only 9-of-21 shots in the Knicks’ four-point loss, starting the game 3-of-12 from the floor.

Wednesday night, Felton wasn’t much better, making only 4-of-15 attempts in a win against the Nets.

In his last 11 games, Felton has shot over 45 percent from the floor only twice.  The good news is that he is still averaging 18.1 points per game during that span, but the bad news is that he is shooting only 38 percent from the floor and only 32 percent from behind the arc.

That’s compared to shooting 42 percent from the floor in November and 40 percent from behind the arc.

His shooting problems can likely be attributed to having bone bruises in each hand, which can’t be easy to shoot the rock pain free.

The good news is that Felton is still running the Knicks’ offense at a high level and taking care of the basketball extraordinarily. But he has to start getting that shooting touch back.

The Knicks simply can’t have him shooting them out of games.

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That is certainly impressive enough, but it has been the way the Knicks have been doing it all season that has been the most impressive part- light’s out shooting and taking care of the basketball.

Dec. 13, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) dribbles the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 116-107. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Against the Lakers, the Knicks knocked down 12 shots from behind the arc, right at their average per game. They also committed only six turnovers the entire night, which is well below their 10.6 average per game.

Through 22 games of the season, the Knicks have hit more three-pointers than they have committed turnovers, something the crew at TNT mentioned has never been done before.

So far the Knicks have drained 264 shots from behind the arc and have committed only 226 turnovers as a team, ranking No. 1 in the NBA in both categories.

Having Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd playing together is a big part of that.

They take care of the basketball and are outstanding decision makers. They are always making the right pass to an open shooter or the guy with the hot hand. With Felton and Kidd in the backcourt together, the ball isn’t going to be thrown around and things aren’t going to be forced.

Add to that the barrage of shooters that Mike Woodson runs out on a nightly basis, there is always a guy getting an open shot from behind the arc.

The Knicks are shooting 45.1 percent from the floor, but they are shooting 41.2 percent from behind the arc, which is the third best mark in the league. This coming from a team that shot only 33.6 percent from long-range (21st) a season ago and committed the second most turnovers in the league.

Who knows if this can keep up, but a quarter of the way through the season, it certainly has been a recipe for winning.

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They made another one Thursday night when Carmelo Anthony’s scorching hot start helped spoil Mike D’Antoni’s return to the Big Apple with a 116-107 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

With the win, the Knicks stayed unbeaten on the season at Madison Square Garden, but it came with a price as Carmelo Anthony left the game in the third quarter with a sprained ankle.

But after a season-high 41 points in the fourth quarter, the Knicks cruised to victory, improving to 17-5 on the season.

Here’s a look at the individual grades each Knicks’ player received in our daily report card.

Dec. 13, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (12) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 116-107. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Game Stats

Field Goal Percentage: 53.2 %( 42-of-79)

Opponent’s Field Goal Percentage: 41.7% (35-of-84)

Three Point Percentage: 48.0% (12-of-25)

Opponent’s Three Point Percentage: 32.4% (12-of-37)

Free Throw Percentage: 66.7% (20-of-30)

Opponent’s Free Throw Percentage: 86.2% (25-of-29)

Assists: 25-13 (Knicks +12)

Rebounds: 44-33 (Knicks -11)

Points in the paint: 38-32 (Knicks -6)

Individual Grades:

Raymond Felton: (19 points, 9-of-26 shooting, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 turnover, 1 steal)

Felton abused Chris Duhon and the other Lakers’ point guards with his quickness. He was consistently able to penetrate the middle and when the Lakers’ secondary defenders came to help, Felton’s kickout passes kept their defense scrambling. He didn’t have a great night shooting the ball, but was able to shoulder some of the load once Anthony left the game. In addition he took great care of the ball, dropping eight dimes and coughing it up only once. Grade: B+

Jason Kidd: (5 points, 1-of-2 shooting, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals)

Kidd made only one shot on the night, but as usual found a way to make a huge impact in the game. He was a big part in the ball continuously moving and always made the right pass to find the hot hand, which on this night was easy because everyone was hot. He’s also the leader out there on the floor that prevented the Knicks from relaxing after a slow start. Nine rebounds and five assists were tremendous, but Kidd’s contributions go way further than anything on the stat sheet. Grade: A-

Ronnie Brewer: (6 points, 3-of-6 shooting, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block)

Brewer scored just six points and failed to hit either of his open three-point looks, which isn’t the end of the world for him, but his main job is to play defense and allowed Metta World Peace to drop 23 points. That’s not going to earn him high marks for this game: Grade: D+

Dec. 13, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) gestures on the court as Los Angeles Lakers small forward Metta World Peace (15) follows during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Carmelo Anthony: (30 points, 10-of-15 shooting, 3 rebounds, 1 steal)

Anthony exploded out of the gate and scored 22 of the Knicks 41 first-quarter points, just two shy of the team record shared by Willis Reed and Allan Houston.  His 30 points came on a very efficient 10-of-15 shooting in only 23 minutes and had he not gone down with an ankle injury, the Garden crowed could have seen something special. Game-by-game, Anthony is transforming himself from a “me-first” player to a legitimate leader and MVP candidate. Grade: A+

Tyson Chandler: (18 points, 5-of-5 shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks)

Chandler finished with 18 points, only four rebounds and missed six free-throws on the night, but he’s another guy who you have to look deeper into the box score for. His interior defense was brilliant last night. Chandler was often out there by himself to control the paint as Mike Woodson often had the floor spread with shooters, but he turned away penetration all night and was outstanding rotating to help. Dwight Howard may have out produced Chandler on the stat sheet, but Chandler had by far the more meaningful game: Grade: A

J.R. Smith: (18 points, 7-of-14 shooting, 3 rebounds, 2 assists)

Foul trouble limited Smith’s minutes, but he joined in on the party by scoring 18 points and more importantly, did so by shooting 50 percent from the floor. Grade: B+

Steve Novak: (12 points, 4-of-5 shooting, 3 rebounds, 4 assists)

Novak did what Novak is supposed to do- drain three’s. He knocked down four on the night and even dished out four assists while grabbing three rebounds. When Novak is on the floor he simply can’t be left alone, which makes it very difficult for the opposition to play good team defense. Grade: A-

Rasheed Wallace: (8 points, 3-of-5 shooting, 3 rebounds, 1 steal)

‘Sheed chipped in eight points, but more importantly his strength and his length at the defensive end gave Howard some fits. Grade: B+

Pablo Prigioni: (0 points, 0-of-0 shooting, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals)

Prigioni didn’t attempt a shot in 12 minutes, but he was active defensively. That’s what he is there for. Grade: B

James White: (0 points, 0-of-0 shooting, 1 assist)

White played only four minutes and didn’t get to do much while he was out there. Grade: Incomplete

Chris Copeland: DNP Coach’s Decision

Kurt Thomas: DNP Coach’s Decision

Marcus Camby: DNP Sore Left Foot

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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.

It’s funny though that when you are winning, no one seems to care how old you are.

Dec 8, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) being defended by Chicago Bulls shooting guard Marco Belinelli (8) during the second half at the United Center. The Bulls won 93-85. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

The Knicks 14-5 start to the regular season has been due in large part to that age that everyone seemed to criticize before the season.

However there are causes for concern and it has to do with that age.

We aren’t even a quarter of the way through the season yet and the Knicks elderly bodies seem to be breaking down. Hopefully for their sake it won’t become a trend.

Amar’e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert have yet to play this season and the like of Marcus Camby (foot), Jason Kidd (back), Raymond Felton (hand) and Carmelo Anthony (finger) have all been banged up at one time or another.

Felton has been playing through pain in his hand since Wednesday, but Kidd was forced to miss four games and ‘Melo now two straight. That is something that Knicks’ head coach Mike Woodson hopes doesn’t continue.

Injuries are part of an NBA season, but you don’t want to see it get out of control.

When the Knicks have their full complement of players, they are scary good and will get even scarier when STAT and Shump get healthy.

When your winning, all is good and no one seems to care, but injuries can deflate a team very quick. This Knicks team probably beats Brooklyn if Kidd is playing and probably beats Chicago if ‘Melo were in the lineup. Not that I have any complaints with 14-5, but a 16-3 team would be something right now.

However even when they are winning, it is going to become a chore for Woodson to monitor the health of his players, especially the older ones.

You definitely don’t want to have to play the “what-if” game, wishing guys were healthy.

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With a bunch of new additions to the personnel and the promising notion of 82 games under Mike Woodson’s defensive tutelage, things were looking up in the Big Apple, but I don’t think anyone planned on them having the best record in the Eastern Conference (as of Dec. 8).

Dec 5, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) prepares to shoot a foul shot during the game against the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Success in the win column almost always comes with good statistics from its players.  In the case of Fantasy Basketball, if you have owned many of the Knicks players, chances are you’re reaping the benefits.  While there a few slight “Fantasy disappointments”, most of the guys playing their home games at Madison Square Garden have been blowing up the stat sheet.

Carmelo Anthony: Many thought his otherworldly 2.9 3-pointers made per game during the 2012 London Olympics was solely based on the competition, but his success Across the Pond has translated to the NBA this season.  He is now making a career-high 2.4 3’s per game, a full trey per game more than his previous best in the 2010-11 season with Denver and New York.

Even with the uptick in shots made as well as shots taken, his percentages haven’t suffered, as he is also shooting at an all-time high of 44 percent from 3-point land.  He is back to his old scoring ways and now sits at third in the NBA in PPG, only trailing Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant.  While his scoring may take a slight hit when Amar’e Stoudemire comes back from his season-long absence, other parts of his game, like his rebounding, may improve.

Raymond Felton: GM Glen Grunwald is looking like a genius right now.  In a controversial move this summer, the Knicks’ front office man decided it was in the best interest of the team to not match the offer sheet the Houston Rockets had made for sensation Jeremy Lin.  This move was followed by lots of skepticism.

I was one of the supporters of this move, but the proof still had to lie on the court. Well truth be told.  Raymond Felton was brought over from Portland in a sign-and-trade to help alleviate the loss of “Linsanity” and he has done a remarkable job running the point for this team.  His best year came when he was a one-and-done in New York in 2010-11 and he is doing it again for them this time around.   He has provided the Knicks backcourt with solid leadership and relatively mistake-free basketball.  The Knicks are better with him than with Lin.

For the all the doubters let’s compare this year’s key statistics (both have averaged 33 min/g):

Felton : 15.2 PPG, 6.9 AST, 42% FG, 2.2 TO/G

Lin:         10.5 PPG, 6.4 AST, 38% FG, 2.8 TO/G

His FG% has always been something to be desired, but still remains consistent.  The 68 percent free throw shooting is obviously something his owners can’t be happy with, but he is making up for it with a career high 1.8 3’s per game.  Continue to ride this guy as Stoudemire’s return will only increase his assists.

Tyson Chandler: The reigning Defensive Player of the Year has not slowed down one bit, but his offense had been the big surprise of the season so far.  He has always been a FG% machine, but this year’s 77 percent shooting clip is that of the record books.  He finished the month of November shooting 70.9 percent, the second time in his career he had topped 70% while taking at least 75 shots.  Only one other player in NBA history has accomplished that- Wilt Chamberlain (who did it 7 times).  His points per game and FT% are also on pace for career highs.  While his blocks and rebounds are down from last season, he is another Knick that will benefit in specific categories once Stoudemire hits the court again.

J.R. Smith: While dubbed a “sixth man”, albeit his 33 min/per, he has arguably contributed the most to this team’s success so far.  He has come off the bench to spark their second unit, chipping in stats in every offensive and defensive category.  Fantasy owners can live with the 41 percent shooting as long as he continues to deliver in all the other relevant categories.  He is a roto league dream averaging 13.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 3’s per game.  Shooting 88% from the charity stripe is a nice bonus as well.

Jason Kidd: Seemingly resurrected from the dead, the former Cal standout is having himself a rebirth year.  Woodson has been playing him primarily at shooting guard and that has seemed to fit their offense perfectly.  He has lived and died by the 3 this year.  He is shooting over 50 percent on the year from long range which has translated to 1.8 3’s made per game.

On the other end of the spectrum he has only attempted 12, yes 12, 2-point field goals the ENTIRE season.  Because of such a disparity his overall scoring is capped, but for all-around statistics you can do way worse on the waiver wire (47% owned ESPN, 57% Yahoo!).  His role as a shooting guard has made his assists take a nose dive, but 3.2 per game is still a nice asset to have for a plug-in guy and his 3.2 boards are very nice for a guard.  He’s also fifth in the league in steals (2.1/game) and shooting 94% from the free throw line.  Grab this guy now, as an injury to any of the other Knicks backcourt guys could free up a ton of minutes for him.

Rasheed Wallace: Averaging 7 points, 4 rebounds and a 3 per game.  Not bad for a guy who hasn’t played in two years.  And he’s already gotten his first ejection!

Steve Novak: Doing what Stevie does best, hitting the 3-ball.  He got off to a slow start hitting only 14 of them in his first 8 games, but had poured it on of late, draining 26 long balls in the last 9 games.  He’ll get you nothing in terms of other categories, but can single-handedly win you the 3-pointers category in any given week.  Snag him off the waiver wire now and you can “Discount Double-Check” him off your Christmas list. (24% owned ESPN, 23% Yahoo!)

Marcus Camby: He has to be one of the lone disappointments for the Knicks so far.  Drafted by many Fantasy owners as a sure-fire double-digit rebound guy, he has only played in 6 games so far.  He had fallen out of the rotation for Coach Woodson and is now dealing with plantar fasciitis, an injury that is very difficult to fully recover from mid-season.

Felton suffered a bone bruise and contusion in his left hand late in Sunday’s win against the Phoenix Suns.

Nov. 25, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) dribbles the ball against the Detroit Pistons during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 121-100. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

“It’s going to be tough, but I’m going to play,” Felton told ESPN’s Ian Begley.

Even if Felton can go, I would still expect to see more of Pablo Prigioni against Charlotte, especially with the Miami Heat coming up Thursday night.

However the news could get even better as there is a chance Jason Kidd could return as well.

Kidd has missed the last four games with back spasms and could play against Charlotte although there is a good possibility he doesn’t start.

Knicks’ coach Mike Woodson called Kidd “probable” (per Begley) and wants to see how the 39-year-old feels on Wednesday morning, presumably after the morning shootaround in Charlotte.

It’s very good news on both guys as there was a chance that Prigioni would be the only healthy point guard heading into back-to-back games. If both Felton and Kidd do play, it will be the first time the Knicks have had their three-headed monster back at point guard in 10 days.

The Kicks went 3-1 without Kidd, mostly because Prigioni stepped in and filled in nicely as the No. 2 point guard, having big games against both Milwaukee and Washington.

Because of their three capable point guards, the Knicks have committed the fewest turnovers in the NBA and it will be nice to have them all healthy and in the lineup once again.

Finally on the injury front, there’s Marcus Camby, who missed practice on Tuesday with a sore left foot. He did fly to Charlotte, but is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Bobcats.

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Dec 2, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) drives around Phoenix Suns shooting guard P.J. Tucker (17) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 106-99. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

New York jumped out by as many as 20 in this one and held off a late Suns charge to stay perfect at Madison Square Garden on the season.

The Knicks got the win despite playing without both Jason Kidd (back) and Marcus Camby (foot) and watched Raymond Felton injured his hand late, but no matter the combinations, the Knicks keep clicking.

Here’s a look at how each Knick graded out in the win.

Game Stats: 

Field Goal Percentage- 44.4% (40-of-90)

Opponents Field Goal Percentage- 48.8 (39-of-80)

Three-point Percentage- 41.4% (12-of-29)

Opponents Three-point Percentage- 34.8 (8-of-23)

Free-throw Percentage- 82.4% (14-of-17)

Opponents Free-throw Percentage- 68.4% (13-of-19)

Rebounds- 45-43 (Knicks, -2)

Points in the paint- 38-30 (Knicks, -8)

Individual Grades:

Raymond Felton: (23 points, 10-of-17 shooting, seven assists, three rebounds) Felton was brilliant running the Knicks’ offense. He was good from the floor and knocked down 3-of-6 shots from behind the arc. The most impressive part was that he didn’t turn the ball over in a team-high 39 minutes. Grade: A-

Ronnie Brewer: (eight points, 3-of-8 shooting, four rebounds, two steals): Brewer wasn’t bad. He knocked down a few shots and did a decent job defensively. But Phoenix crept back into the game several times and shot almost 49 percent from the floor. The Knicks better defenders have to step up and defend better. Grade C+

Carmelo Anthony: (34 points, 11-of-27 shooting, four rebounds, two assists, one block): ‘Melo was great as usual, but he wasn’t as efficient from the floor and I would like to see the rebound and assist numbers go up, but regardless it was a typical MVP-type performance. Grade: A-

Dec 2, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Phoenix Suns point guard Sebastian Telfair (31) drives past New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 106-99. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Kurt Thomas: (two points, 1-of-3 shooting, six rebounds) Thomas played 19 minutes and did a good job on the glass. He also did a good job on Luis Scola and Michael Beasley. Grade: B-

Tyson Chandler: (15 points, 6-of-8 shooting, 13 rebounds, two blocks): Chandler has been great lately. He’s shooting a high percentage from the floor and has been more involved offensively. In addition, this one of his better performances crashing the glass all season. Grade: A-

Rasheed Wallace: (one minute played) Two technicals in one minute just doesn’t cut it. He can’t hang his teammates out to dry like that.  Grade: F

Steve Novak: (12 points, 4-of-10 shooting) Novak did what Novak does- drain three’s. He hit four more big ones on Sunday. Grade: B

Chris Copeland: (eight points, 4-of-5 shooting, three rebounds, two assists, one  steal, one block) Because of the Wallace ejection, Copeland got 10 minutes of playing time and filled the stat sheet. Some decent performances of late could earn Copeland some more playing time. Grade: B+

Pablo Prigioni: (no points, 0-1 shooting, one rebound, one steal) Prigioni wasn’t nearly as effective as he was against the Bucks and received only nine minutes of playing time and turned the ball over three times in that span. Not his best day. Grade: D+

J.R. Smith: (four points, 1-of-11 shooting, five rebounds, four assists) It keeps getting uglier and uglier for Smith, but he made an impact rebounding and passing the ball. Grade: C-

Jason Kidd: DNP (back spasms)

Marcus Camby: DNP (sore left foot)

James White: DNP (Coach’s Decision)

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Dec 2, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) drives past Phoenix Suns point guard Goran Dragic (1) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 106-99. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Felton hurt his hand while trying to split a double team in the fourth quarter and told ESPN’s Ian Begley that the pain was concentrated in his thumb, which was visibly swollen after the game.

“It’s swollen right now,” Felton said. “It’s a lot of pain, but we’ll see what happens.”

He underwent an MRI Sunday evening to determine the extent of the injury and probably got lucky that the results didn’t come back much worse.

The good news is that the injury is to Felton’s non-shooting hand, so it’s possible that if the swelling goes down that he could maybe tape it up and play on Wednesday.

With Jason Kidd still out of the lineup with back spasms, it leaves Pablo Prigioni as the only healthy point guard currently on the Knicks roster.

The hand injury didn’t affect Felton on Sunday, as he finished with 23 points, seven assists and three rebounds in 39 minutes of play.

If he is forced to miss any amount of time, he will be missed as he is averaging 14.6 points and 6.7 assists while shooting 41 percent from the floor and 40 percent from behind the arc on the season.

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Nov. 26, 2012; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and Brooklyn Nets small forward Gerald Wallace (45) battle for the ball during the second half at the Barclays Center. Nets won in overtime 96-89. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Anthony scored 35 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, but was only 10-of-16 at the free throw line, including four costly misses in the fourth quarter that could have led to a win.

Tyson Chandler finished with 28 points and 10 boards, but no other Knicks player finished in double figures.

Raymond Felton was abysmal shooting the ball, finishing just 3-of-19 from the field, but the Knicks had to stick with him with fellow point guard Jason Kidd out with back spasms.

But the story was once again awful shot selection and bad decision making down the stretch.

The Nets were up five with four minutes to play in regulation, but the Knicks ran off eight straight to take an 84-81 lead with 1:40 left.

But they wouldn’t score again in regulation.

Felton was the only one to shoot the ball over a 1:20 stretch, missing three jumpers and being called for traveling.

After Brook Lopez tied it with a free throw with 24 seconds remaining, Anthony took a contested and rushed jumper with the clock winding down.

Chandler gave the Knicks the quick lead in overtime with an uncontested dunk, but that was it for the Knicks.

The Nets answered with eight straight points, taking the lead for good at 89-86 on Jerry Stackhouse’s 3-pointer with 3:31 remaining before three straight points from Gerald Wallace, who finished with 16.

When the Knicks had the ball in overtime it was nothing but isolation plays for ‘Melo and Felton.

From the 1:40 mark of the fourth quarter and overtime, the duo combined to go 0-for-9 from the floor with most of the shots of the bad shot variety.

Lopez led the Nets with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Deron Williams had 16 points and 14 assists. Stackhouse also finished in double-figures with 14, including four big three’s that were daggers.

Both teams are now 9-4 on the season.

The Knicks will be back in action Wednesday when they hit the road to take on the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Nov 21, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin (7) drives past Chicago Bulls shooting guard Richard Hamilton (32) during the first quarter at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-US PRESSWIRE

What was dubbed “Linsanity” was something truly special and the type of thing that sports fans don’t get the opportunity to witness very often.

But that was then and this is now and it the road back to sanity has been quite the roller coaster for both the Knicks and Lin.

The Knicks wet in a different direction in the offseason at point guard with the likes of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni and in the span of a few weeks, Lin went from a potential franchise point guard in the Big Apple to donning Houston Rockets red.

As the Knicks prepare to get their first look at Lin as an opponent Friday night, it looks like they made the right decision allowing the fan-favorite to leave as a restricted free agent.

It’s funny how things like that work out.

The Knicks currently sit with the best record in the NBA (8-2), while the entire national luster has worn off of the once shining star as Lin has taken the turn from potential superstar back to average point guard.

Coming off a win Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls, the Rockets come in to Friday night’s matchup at 5-7 and Lin has had his moments, but overall he’s been nothing more than an average guard. Through 12 games, Lin boasts averages of 10.0 points, 6.3 assists and 4.4 rebounds. He’s also averaged 1.93 steals, cut back on his turnovers (2.63) and is playing to a PER of only 12.0.

Those aren’t bad numbers by any stretch, but they aren’t the numbers that would have been needed from Lin for $25 million in New York.

That was clearly a dollar figure the Kicks couldn’t have invested in an unproven commodity.

Instead, they got Felton much cheaper and with him has come averages of 15.7 points and 6.9 assists per game. He has taken much better care of the basketball, averaging 2.3 turnovers per game and is posting a PER of 18.5.

Felton is a better decision maker and gets the ball moving well in the Knicks’ offense, something no one was sure if Lin could do or not.

In addition, he’s shooting the ball much better than Lin. Felton is shooting 43.8 percent from the floor and 42.2 percent from behind the arc, which are very respectable numbers. Li on the other hand is shooting a paltry 33.3 percent from the floor and only 22 percent from 3-point land.

That was another concern with Lin in a Knicks uniform and he’s proven so far to be a below average shooter.

As these two teams prepare to meet Friday night, there will be plenty of attention around Lin facing his former team, but while it will be blown way out of proportion, it really shouldn’t.

This much is clear, the Knicks made the right decision are much better off because of it. With Lin at the helm instead of Felton, this team wouldn’t be sitting at 8-2 right now.

It’s almost sad to see Lin go from “Linsanity” back to sanity, but it’s something all Knicks’ fans had to expect would happen sooner rather than later anyway.

It was a great story while it lasted, but for the Knicks it’s not about great stories, it is about winning and for Felton and the Knicks, there’s no better way to prove that than to get the best of Lin Friday night.

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As a team, the Knicks are taking outstanding care of the basketball and the proof is in the pudding.

Nov 21, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; New York Knicks guard Raymond Felton (2) shoots against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

After Tuesday’s victory against the New Orleans Hornets, in which they coughed up the rock only 10 times, it marked the sixth time already in the young season that these Knicks have committed 10 or less turnovers in a game.

By comparison, they accomplished that feat a grand total of five times all of last season.

What has been the difference?

It’s easy to point to the fact that the Knicks are a veteran team now, but especially in the backcourt where having not one, but two great ball handlers and decision makers in Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd has made all the difference in the world.

The reason the Knicks are 8-1 is they aren’t coughing up the ball and allowing teams to get easy baskets in transition, which given how good their half-court defense has become, makes all the difference in the world.

But let’s look at Felton in particular and how good he has become.

Certainly his scoring has been a bonus and he’s been in great shape and focused on winning, but his decision making has been outstanding.

Through nine games, Felton has coughed it up only 19 times (2.1 per game). His season high was only four against Philadelphia the second game of the season. On two other occasions he turned it over three times. That means in six of the Knicks games, Felton has coughed it up two times or less.

You can’t ask for anything more than that.

Just to compare, former Knicks’ point guard Jeremy Lin already has 29 turnovers on the season (2.65 per game).

It’s an area that Lin has improved slightly in, but even considering that fact, chances are slim-and-none that he would be able to run this Knicks’ offense with the precision that Felton has done so far and it’s even more of a stretch to think the Knicks would be sitting at 8-1 right now had they decided to match Lin’s contract instead of pulling off the sign-and-trade for Felton.

That’s not a knock on Lin. That’s just illustrating exactly how good Felton has been.

Taking care of the basketball has been the main reason that the Knicks have accomplished what they have so far.

Of course they turned it over 14 times (Felton, 4) and lost to the Mavericks, but you can see how much better the Knicks have become in terms of taking care of  the basketball.

If this keeps up, it will be exciting to see how good this team can really be.

That was the case Thursday night in San Antonio as the Knicks erased a 12-point deficit during the final seven minutes and shot their way to a 104-100 victory, remaining undefeated on the season.

Nov 2, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jason Kidd (5) takes a free throw during the third quarter against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 104-84. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

One of those veterans who stepped up was Jason Kidd, who knocked down three shots from behind the arc in the Knicks 25-11 run to close out the game.

Carmelo Anthony had only nine points, his worst offensive game of the season, but the likes of Kidd and Raymond Felton stepped up to carry the Knicks’ offense. Felton led the Knicks with 25, while Kidd had 14, nine in the fourth quarter.

The two teams went back-and-forth at a frantic pace as neither team really had more than a two possession lead for almost three quarters.

But late in the third, the tide started to swing San Antonio’s way after three straight possessions of what I like to call old Knicks basketball. The ball stopped moving entirely as J.R. Smith forced a jumper on an isolation play. Then ‘Melo did the same, followed by another force by Smith and a Ronnie Brewer missed layup. San Antonio turned all of that into points the other way and opened up a four point lead at the end of three.

Then Tiago Splitter started playing like a young Tim Duncan as the Knicks had no answer for the Brazilian. Splitter scored the Spurs first 13 points of the fourth quarter to give the Spurs an 89-77 advantage.

But then the Knicks started moving the ball again and more importantly they started knocking down shots.

Felton made a layup and Kidd hit a pair of three’s to cut the lead to four. Then after the Spurs scored the next five, Felton made another layup and Tyson Chandler converted a traditional three-point play. Felton made another layup to make it a one-point game.

After Tony Parker knocked down a pair of free-throws with just under three minutes remaining, Smith hit a jumper to cut it back to one and drilled a triple with under two minutes left to give the Knicks a 97-95 lead. Kidd added an insurance three-ball on the next trip down the floor and the Knicks closed things out to win their sixth in a row.

Lost in the shuffle of the Knicks comeback was the performance of the defense during the final seven minutes. After the Spurs got up 12, they made only three of their final 13 shot attempts.

In addition to the big nights from Felton and Kidd; Smith (17), Chandler (13) and Rasheed Wallace (10) also finished in double figures.

Six Spurs finished in double figures, led by Parker with 19.

The Knicks road trip continues tomorrow night when they travel to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies, who have won seven straight games.

Notes: The Knicks shot 45.9 percent from the floor and made 11-of-25 (44 percent) attempts from behind the arc…San Antonio shot  43.7 percent from the  floor, but made only 8-of-23 attempts from behind the arc (27.6 percent)… Anthony had 12 rebounds while Chandler had 11…Felton led the team in assists with seven…The Knicks turned the ball over only seven times on the night…One negative note, the Knicks shot only 65.2 percent from the charity stripe.

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Nov 05, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts to a call during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wachovia Center. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

It’s hard to believe it’s been that long since a Knicks team has won their first three games of the season, but it’s been that long since a Knicks team could defend like this one.

The Sixers actually jumped out to a 9-0 lead as the Knicks were slow with their defensive rotations. The Knicks also missed their first five shots, jacking up shots, running an offense void of ball movement.

But Raymond Felton and Carmelo Anthony took over midway through the first quarter and the Knicks never looked back. The duo combined for 25 points in the first half, with Anthony bullying his way into the paint just as he did Sunday.

‘Melo finished the half with 15 points on 5-for-12 shooting, while Felton had 10 points and six assists and knocked down a pair of threes.

New York erased that early deficit and led 25-21 after the first quarter and used a strong second quarter to take a 56-48 halftime lead.

The Knicks shot 47.1 percent in the half and allowed the Sixers to shoot only 37.1 percent.

At first glance it was a combination of good Knicks’ defense and poor Sixers offense as Philadelphia guard Nick Young was so out of control at times he made J.R. Smith look like a smart player.

The Knicks outscored the Sixers by 13 in the third quarter and cruised down the stretch to victory.

A couple things remained the same as the first two games of the season.

The first being the Knicks effort on the defensive end of the floor. After allowing only 84 points in each of their first two games, they allowed only 88 tonight and limited the Sixers on only 33.7 percent shooting and forced 13 turnovers.

On the other hand, the Knicks took good care of the ball (seven turnovers) and because of that they moved the rock well and created a ton of open shots.

But the key was that they knocked down those shots, connecting on a 46.4 percent clip. In addition they shot well from behind the arc (40.6 percent) and were a perfect 19-for-19 from the charity stripe.

Anthony, who didn’t play much in the second half led the team with 21 but as has been the case so far this season, he had a lot of help.

Six other Knicks finished in double figures: J.R. Smith (17), Felton (16), Tyson Chandler (14), Ronnie Brewer (13), Pablo Prigioni (11) and Rasheed Wallace (10).

Brewer had a double-double, leading the team with 10 rebounds, while Felton led the way with eight assists.

In addition, Felton did a much better job on Sixers’ point guard Jrue Holiday then he did Sunday. Holiday led the Sixers with 17 points and eight assists, but was held to only 4-of-12 shooting.

After playing on back-to-back nights, the Knicks have a break until Friday when they host the Dallas Mavericks.

BOX SCORE

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New York brings out the best in Felton. Back in 2010, Felton averaged 17.1 points and 9.0 assists in 54 games with the Knicks. With other teams, he averaged 12.8 points and 6.5 assists per game. Felton does his best work in New York, and there are plenty of reasons why.

Something about New York brings out the best in Raymond Felton. Credit: Joe Camporeale-US PRESSWIRE

The Knicks give Felton a chance to win. In 2010, he was surrounded by talented players. And he has even more talented players around him now. Felton has Carmelo Anthony, one of the most prolific scorers in the league, next to him. He has great pick-and-roll targets in Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler. He has wing players like J.R. Smith, Jason Kidd and Steve Novak who can really shoot the ball. The Knicks are a point guard’s dream.

While teams are paying attention to his teammates, Felton can call his own number. He can drive to the basket or shoot from long range. Felton can score, and he will get more open looks this season than ever before.

Playing in New York is different than playing in Charlotte or Portland. Madison Square Garden is one of the greatest sports venues in the world. Some players can’t handle the pressure of playing in New York, but Felton thrives on it.

Felton loves playing in New York. You can see it on the court. Felton is in great shape. He is determined, focused and energetic. This is not the same player who underperformed with the Portland Trail Blazers last season. Felton is having fun again, and this may be his best season yet.

Edwin Torres was born in New York City. He has been a Knicks fan since the early 1980s. He has visited Madison Square Garden on many occasions to watch the Knicks and his favorite player, Patrick Ewing. For more articles, follow him on Twitter @FlipPoker.

Sources:
NBA – Statistics – Yahoo! Sports

Nov 4, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (left) and Philadelphia 76ers forward Lavoy Allen (50) battle for positioning during a free throw attempt during the second half at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks won the game 100-84. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-US PRESSWIRE

A good start is exactly what the Knicks need this season after coming out of the gate poorly a season ago. Winning three in a row, two of which against an Atlantic Division rival to start the season could be just what the doctor ordered.

Here’s a look at everything you need to know about tonight’s Atlantic Division clash.

When: Monday, November 5 at 7:00 p.m. EST

Where: Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA.

Watch: MSG, CSN, NBA League Pass

Records: New York Knicks (2-0), Philadelphia 76ers (1-1)

Betting Line: Philadelphia (-4)

Injuries (via CBSSports.com)

Knicks

• Marcus Camby (calf), questionable
• Iman Shumpert (knee), out
• Amar’e Stoudemire (knee), out

Sixers

• Kwame Brown (calf), probable
• Andrew Bynum (knee), doubtful
• Jason Richardson (ankle), questionable

Keys for the Knicks to win

1. Continue to Shoot Well- The Knicks are 30-for-63 from behind the arc in two games. They should continue to get open looks and need to keep knocking shots down.

2. Score in the Paint- Without Andrew Bynum in the lineup, the Knicks need to take advantage of the Sixers small lineup. Mike Woodson has been going small as well, but the Knicks need to take advantage and score at will in the paint.

3. Defense, Defense, Defense- The effort on the defensive end has been great through two games as the Knicks have allowed only 84 points in the first two games. If that keeps up, this team will win a lot of games. The Sixers turned the ball over 18 times on Sunday, with six of those belonging to point guard Jrue Holiday.

Nov 2, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) sends a pass during the third quarter against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 104-84. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Key Matchup

Raymond Felton vs. Holiday

Speaking of Holiday, the Knicks must do another good job of pressuring him and forcing him into mistakes with the ball.

Despite the Knicks win on Sunday, Holiday was a bright spot for the Sixers, scoring 27 points and dishing out seven assists on 61.1-percent shooting, knocking down five of his six three-point attempts.

The Knicks must make it tougher on the Sixers’ point guard this time around.

That job will primarily fall on Felton.

Speaking of Felton, he did shoot 50 percent from the floor Sunday afternoon but had only 11 points and one assist. If Felton puts up solid numbers, it could be three straight wins for the Knicks.

Prediction: The past five games between the two teams at the Wells Fargo Center have been decided by five points or less. I expect something similar and I also expect the Knicks to open the season 3-0 for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. Knicks 95, Sixers 90.

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Raymond Felton played like he never left New York. Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Felton played like he never left New York, tallying 14 points and nine assists. Kidd added 12 points and three assists. Prigioni had three assists in his NBA debut. The three of them combined for 26 points and 15 assists. And they did this against the defending champions. The last time Lin faced the Heat, he had just eight points and three assists.

Last season, we wondered if Lin could coexist with Carmelo Anthony. Last night, Felton, Kidd and Prigioni proved that they can. Anthony (30 points, 10 rebounds) played like an MVP. Ball movement was excellent. Six players scored in double figures.

Those of us who condemned the Knicks for letting Lin go can rest easy. The Knicks have three talented point guards who already have the offense humming. Soon we will be singing their praises and saying, “Jeremy who?”

Edwin Torres was born in New York City. He has been a Knicks fan since the early 1980s. He has visited Madison Square Garden on many occasions to watch the Knicks and his favorite player, Patrick Ewing. For more articles, follow him on Twitter @FlipPoker.

Sources:
NBA – Statistics – Yahoo! Sports

Oct 19, 2012; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams (8) dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half at Barclays Center. 76ers won 106-96. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

His latest comments were pointed at the Knicks point guard situation, with Raymond Felton being an upgrade over Jeremy Lin.

“I would say Raymond Felton is a better point guard than Jeremy Lin, in my opinion,” Williams said at the Nets’ practice facility over the weekend.

After watching the preseason, it’s awfully difficult to argue with him, as Knicks’ fans must finally buy into the fact that the front office just may have made the right decision in allowing Lin to walk.

Lin has struggled big time in the preseason, especially when it comes to shooting the basketball.

He ended his preseason on a high note, scoring 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting (including three, 3-pointers) in a win over the Magic on Friday night. Prior to that night, though, Lin wasn’t exactly lighting it up in Houston. He’d made just 22.2 percent of his shots, having a tough time adjusting to teams being focused on stopping his attempts to get to the rim.

He’s showing zero confidence in his jumper and teams are taking away him getting to the rim and forcing him to shoot the jumper, but Lin is still forcing things going to the basket instead of settling for the mid-range jumper.

In addition, more teams have been overplaying him to his right, forcing him to go left; something he can’t do at this point in his career.

Overall, Lin averaged 6.3 points, 6.0 assists and 2.5 turnovers in the preseason. He shot 28.3 percent from the floor.

Felton, on the other hand, was solid in the Knicks’ six preseason games. He scored 11.3 points per game on 42 percent shooting (38 percent from beyond the arc), dishing out 5.8 assists and grabbing 2.3 rebounds a night.

When he’s been on the floor, he’s effectively been able to push the pace in the Knicks’ offense and has the look of a guy that is ready to have a pretty decent season in the Big Apple.

I often don’t pay too much attention to preseason numbers, but in this case I think they speak volumes.

The scouting report is out on Lin league-wide now. That, with the added pressure of living up to a $25.1 million contract is going to be a lot to adjust to for Lin. If he struggles out of the gate for the Rockets, there will be a lot of pressure on his shoulders.

Felton on the other hand is a point guard with something to prove and he’s approached things thus far in that manner.

It may be too early to early to confirm if the Knicks made the right decision, but all indications are pointing to the fact that they did.

D-Will is convinced and it’s awfully hard to argue with him.

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Oct 24, 2012; Uniondale, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) dribbles down the court the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

At the conclusion of preseason, fans have reason to be pleased with Felton. His first four games were solid, if unspectacular, passing the ball well enough, but his shot selection and field goal percentage left a bit to be desired. In the last two games of preseason, against Philadelphia and Brooklyn, Felton looked like the point guard the Knicks are going to need.

In his previous two games combined, Felton put up 38 points, shot 60% from beyond the arc, accrued 9 assists with just two turnovers. Are these reasonable numbers to expect? Perhaps. With Amar’e Stoudemire and J.R. Smith both absent, Felton’s scoring demeanor needs to be up. In the last two games Felton’s jumper was silk and he found success bouncing, dashing his way to the basket for layups and little tear-drop floaters. When the Knicks are healthy again (hopefully this will be the case), Felton still needs to be aggressive looking for his shot, but expect his assists (and likely his turnovers) to go back up as he’ll look to get teammates more involved.

A case could be made, however, that Felton has Pablo Prigioni breathing down his neck. The 35-year old Argentine rookie has displayed a tremendous knack for getting players involved in the pick-and-roll and getting open shots on the perimeter. In the second quarter of Wednesday night’s game, Prigioni reeled off three straight assists that quickly erased the Knicks’ seven point deficit. For the time being, though, Prigioni will come off the bench where he’s been undoubtedly the Knicks’ second most efficient point guard, better than Jason Kidd.

The starting job is Felton’s to lose, and at 28, he is one of the younger members of the Knicks, and will thus be relied upon to log a healthy dose of minutes over the season. The Knicks tried to address an issue at point guard this offseason, and coming into training camp it was a matter of concern whether the Knicks could get good production from the conductors of the offense. If preseason is any sort of reliable measure, Raymond Felton is erasing those concerns.

For the past three months, much has been made about the fact that the New York Knicks allowed point guard Jeremy Lin to walk and replaced him with Raymond Felton.

Oct 22, 2012; Syracuse, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) dribbles the ball up court during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-US PRESSWIRE

A lot has also been made about the fact that Felton excelled in his first go-around in a Knicks uniform.

But while it may be doubtful that Felton averages the 17 points and nine assists that he did before being dealt to Denver in the Carmelo Anthony trade, he has to be good for the Knicks to win and has to know what to do with the basketball.

Through five preseason games, I like what I have seen from Felton’s return to the Big Apple.

He is one of the few Knicks to have played in all five games and has averaged 24.6 minutes per contest, dropping in 10.6 points and six assists.

But ignore the numbers, they really aren’t that good in terms of scoring and shooting, but I don’t give much credence to preseason numbers anyway.

However there’s a lot to like about Felton’s game and a little bit not to like so much thus far in the preseason.

What I love is the way Felton hasn’t been messing around in the first half of games. He’s put on the accelerator up the court, helping the Knicks control the tempo. And he has worked the pick-and-roll well with the team’s bigs.

Things slowed down in the second half of games, mostly due to Mike Woodson giving a lot of second teamers a look and Felton only getting meaningful second half minutes in two games, but his impact at the start of games will be key for the Knicks to avoid getting too comfortable and stagnant on offense.

The one thing that concerns me though about Felton’s preseason is his shooting, and that comes after a fantastic 23 point game against the Sixers in which Felton made 8-of-17 shots, including 5-of-7 three-point attempts.

But despite his great performance Monday night, Felton hasn’t shot the ball well, shooting only 38 percent from the floor and 35 percent from behind the arc.

But if you take the Philadelphia game out of the equation, Felton has made only 11-of-33 (33 percent) shots from the floor and knocked down only 1-of-10 attempts from behind the arc in his other four games.

In addition, the Knicks have become far too stagnant at times and have relied on isolation and become way too dependent on the three-point shot, something that the point guard can’t allow to happen. This Knicks team just doesn’t shoot the ball well enough.

But considering that Felton hasn’t played with the players he will likely play with during the regular season, due to a rash of injuries, for the most part I have liked what I’ve seen from the former North Carolina Tar Heel.

His conditioning is not an issue as he looks good pushing the ball and the Knicks are a better team when they do exactly that.

But judging by the way the Knicks chuck up perimeter shots on an alarming basis, Felton is going to have to shoot the ball better.

Hopefully, the Sixers game is something he can build off of, but either way, it looks like the Knicks have their point guard for the season.

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I’m talking of course about Jeremy Lin.

Mar 31, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin (17) holds a press conference to announce that he will be out for the remainder of the season with a partially torn meniscus before the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

The Harvard graduate dribbled his way from basketball obscurity into an unlikely starting position against the Brooklyn Nets. That night will now be forever known as the birth of “Linsanity.” Lin’s meteoric rise helped the Knicks get back into the playoff hunt.

But now that the Knicks have decline to match Lin’s contract extension this summer, he took his talents and hype to Houston–of course not before fueling a small stimulus package in merchandise sales.

Although the New York brass greatly appreciate Lin’s service at the Garden, they now feel more secure with their offseason acquisitions to replace Lin. Between Jason Kidd, Raymond Felton, and Pablo Prigioni the Knicks have everything they need in a floor general to run Mike Woodson’s offense.

The one important thing that the Knicks’ point guard trio now have  compared to the Lin era is experience. A characteristic that Tyson Chandler commented on:

“Jeremy was a young point guard who was inexperienced, who brought a great light to the organization. But as far as being able to run the offense and putting players in the right position he just wasn’t there. We got some veteran point guards that are capable of doing that.”

Indeed the Knicks now have a more experience and stabilized point guard rotation, Lin was a victim of circumstance. The Knicks were struggling offensively with both their All-Stars not meshing well together. Lin provided instant offense and the Knicks were wise to ride his hot streak.

But with the Knick’s current point guard trio they have guys who have experience running a basketball team and can adjust to Mike Woodson’s offense. Lin was still coming into his own on making the right pass under Mike Woodson something Kidd, Felton, and Prigioni will not have trouble with.

October 11, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard A.J. Price (12) dribbles the ball as New York Knicks guard Raymond Felton (2) defends in the second half at Verizon Center. The Knicks won 108-101. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

Although Lin’s unorthodox offense will surely be missed, the the Knicks point guard trio will more than make up his production. Felton’s last tenure as a Knick saw him average 17.1 points and dish out 9 dimes through 54 games. Jason Kidd for his career has averaged 13 points and 9 assists. Prigioni does not have NBA experience yet but during his Euro league stint showed he was capable of running an offense efficiently. Defensively, Felton is stronger and peskier than Lin with his on the ball cover. Kidd and Prigioni because of their age will use their craft to defend their man better than Lin has done.

New York Knick fans should be pleased and excited for the point guard replacements moving forward from the “Linsanity Era.” Lin was a great short term fix for the Knicks when they needed a prayer but now that they have a more stable team across the board, they need more experienced floor generals to get this team over the hump from playoff contenders to title contenders.

Oct. 1, 2012; Tarrytown, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton speaks to the media at the MSG Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE

Winner-Raymond Felton: Felton was brought back for his second stint in the Big Apple and was handed the starting job before camp really got underway. In addition he seems to have won over all of his teammates in a short time as everyone has had nothing but positive things to say about him.

Loser Marcus Camby: Just a week into camp and Camby is already hurt, costing him about 10 days of action and a handful of preseason games.

Winner- Carmelo Anthony: If they hand out awards for saying all of the right things, then ‘Melo is already an MVP candidate. He’s sounding like a leader and a guy prepared to do all of the right things to win.

Loser- Pablo Prigioni: He was going to be the third point guard anyways, but with all of the talk of how well the team is with Felton and Jason Kidd at the point, Prigioni has become the forgotten man.

Winner- J.R. Smith: Smith wants to start and has the opportunity to make his case as really to only healthy 2-guard on the roster.

Loser- Ronnie Brewer: With an all new roster, the Knicks need all of their parts in training camp and that includes Brewer who was brought in to be the starting shooting guard. Because of offseason knee surgery, Brewer is well behind his teammates already.

Winner- John Shurna: If there is a guy that could be a surprise to make the roster, it very well could be Shurna. His play has opened up plenty of eyes so far. As an undrafted rookie with a non-guaranteed deal, all he can do is let his play do the talking for him and that’s what Shurna has done.

Loser- Knicks’ Depth: On paper this is supposed to be a very deep team, but who knows with the rash of aging veterans on this team. I already mentioned the injuries to Camby and Brewer. In addition, Amar’e Stoudemie and Chris Smith have been banged up and Rasheed Wallace has to work himself into shape. All of the sudden, the Knicks don’t look so deep if injuries become a problem.

Winner- Mike Woodson: Woodson got the veteran team that he wanted and his message has been received loud and clear as the first word out of every Knicks’ players mouth is defense. He’s trying to change the culture and he appears off to a very good start.

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