New York Knicks clinch playoff berth for the first time since 2004

Shawne Williams and Landry Fields /Chamber of Fear / Wikimedia Commons

For the first time since 2004, Madison Square Garden will be the site of an NBA playoff game. It will be a chance for the hometown crowd to rally behind its new and revitalized New York Knicks. The last appearance for the Knicks was in the 2004 playoffs. Led by head coach Lenny Wilkens, their showing resulted in the New Jersey Nets sweeping them in the first round. Their last conference title came in 1999 under the guidance of Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing. Ever since the Ewing era, the Knicks have failed to impress any non-New Yorkers and those who weren't Knick fans.

That changed last summer with the arrival of Amar'e Stoudemire. For 53 games, Stoudemire, with the help of Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Toney Douglas and others turned the Knicks around and put them on the map of playoff contending teams.

In the middle of the season the Knicks took part in a groundbreaking three-team trade. This trade saw NBA veterans Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups put on blue and orange jerseys for the first time, but also saw many Knicks protégés leave to play for Denver, namely Gallinari and Felton. After a brief adjustment period when they went 7-13, they are now on a four game win streak and look to become the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2011 NBA playoffs.

This time led by distinguished head coach Mike D'Antoni, the Knicks look to prove themselves as being one of the elite teams that dominate the front page news once again, as opposed to half-page articles next to the classifieds section. Anthony and Stoudemire desire to add a NBA playoff ring to their enormous collections of awards.

In order to be successful in their playoff run, the Knicks need to keep passing the ball the way they have these last four games. The confidence that they are showing on the court is key to hitting big shots in close situations, where they will find themselves in most playoff games. The three-point game has really worked for them as of late, hitting fifteen of them against the Raptors Tuesday night on 56% three-point shooting. If they continue to play tough defense as they have been since the start of April, Knicks fans will have a lot to cheer about as they see their team run deep into the playoffs.

High hopes for fallen Knicks

Carmelo Anthony has one of the highest scoring averages this season of all NBA players. When Anthony was with the Denver Nuggets, he made numerous game-winning shots and rallied his team to victory. It is another story now that he is with the New York Knicks, as they continue to lose games. After acquiring Anthony, the Knicks fell to 7-10 and are now the seventh place team in the Eastern Conference. Logically the Knicks should not be below the .500 mark because of the talent they have on their team. Both Amar’e Stoudemire and Anthony are great offensive players that demand double teams from the opposition. The problem is that when the Knicks start to play well, they give up in the fourth quarter.

Anthony is explosive on offense and takes and makes tough shots but his defense is subpar. The Knicks are a high offense team that likes to attack the basket and drain 3-pointers, but that does not mean that Anthony is automatically compatible with the Knicks. The team must be adjusted so that they can find the rhythm to win games. Mike D’Antoni wants his players to play fast and aggressive which is substantially different from the way Anthony had to play with the Nuggets. In order to match the intensity of their offense, they must now work on their defense. They must work harder to get back after the fast break to prevent the other team from scoring.

In terms of team chemistry, the Knicks are still trying to adjust to each other. Since the trade came mid-season, they have not found the time to understand how they play individually and how to make it work as a team. It is very understandable that this would happen and only the optimistic fans would expect the Knicks to win every game after acquiring Anthony. There is no argument against the fact that the Knicks can get into the playoffs this year. If they can finish the season strong and focus on their chemistry, the Knicks can be a tough contender for the championship.

Offense wins games, but defense wins championships: A lesson the Knicks need to learn.

Amar'e Looks Puzzled / Chamber of Fear / Wikimedia Commons

Every great basketball player has acknowledged at least once in their career that playing solid defense is the key to winning games. Some even say that defense is more important than offense. A team that plays strong defense is able to work better together, making all of the other pieces of the game fall into place. John Brady, head coach for Arkansas State University has stated regarding defense, "If you want team play, you must stress defense. Defense makes players unselfish."

Currently the New York Knicks are in a slump, 7-11 (as of Thursday March 24th) since the acquisition of Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, and it is arguable that the cause is not their scoring. Carmelo Anthony is still averaging 25.0 points per game, Chauncey Billups is averaging 17 points per game, and Amar'e Stoudemire is averaging 26 points per game. The Knicks are averaging 106.06 points per game, 2nd highest in the NBA. These offensive numbers show that scoring isn't the problem.

A major problem in the Knicks offense is their poor shot selection. Billups at times pulls up to shoot from 25 feet with a hand in his face, and although he can make it once in a while, it is still a poor choice when he has other teammates who are open or running a play. Anthony loves to play one on one basketball and as soon as Stoudemire catches the ball in the paint, he looks to shoot or drive and forces up shots when he has teammates open. This lack of sharing the ball and taking "bad" shots contributes to the Knicks low field goal percentage, ranked 17th in the NBA.

The Knicks also have troubles rooted in their defense. For most of the game, the Knicks play two on five defense because Stoudemire, Anthony, and Billups decide to take their time getting back by arguing with the referees about the lack of a call. These three are the most experienced players on the Knicks, and they of all people, should know that they have to be there to help out on defense. Even though they are not the best defensive players in the world, having their bodies there will help the team play better defense. 

Pat Riley believes, “In all the research you do as a coach, studying other coaches and championship-type situations, you find that all those teams combined talent with great defense. You’ve got to stop other teams to win.” The Knicks now have the talent; all they need is stronger defense and they will have a championship team.

Rebounding is another area where the Knicks struggle greatly, currently ranked 20th in the NBA. Aggressive rebounding is crucial to take away the opposing team's second chance points and allows the Knicks to control the flow of the game. In the fourth quarter this season, the Knicks failure to box out, has allowed the opposition to come back from great deficits or cement their leads. The past three games, the Knicks went into the fourth quarter with the lead, and ended up letting it slip away, most resulting in a loss by double figures simply because of a lack of rebounding, defensive intensity, and poor shot selection.

The disappointing trade

Mike D'Antoni / C.J. / Wikimedia Commons

The hottest news for the New York Knicks is the trade that landed Carmelo Anthony  in the Big Apple. It all started with superstar Amar’e Stoudemire joining the Knicks at the beginning of the 2011 season. With Stoudemire leading the Knicks in points, rebounds, and blocks; the Knicks went on 13-1  run to get in playoff position. Everyone was looking forward to the Anthony trade, but rather than helping the Knicks, it appears he's been a negative influence on them.

At the time of this writing, the Knicks are 7-11 ever since Carmelo Anthony started wearing blue and orange. The Knicks lost to teams that they should have beat, such as the Cavaliers, Pacers, and the Bucks. On March 18th the Knicks lost to the Pistons in which Carmelo Anthony only scored six points. The Knicks did not give up Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, and Danilo Gallinari for a player who scores only six points. Although Carmelo averages 25 ppg, the shots he takes are not very smart. In a recent interview Amar’e Stoudemire implied that Melo does not follow the D’Antoni system. He stated that the Mike D’Antoni system works; they just have to buy into it and get it done like they did before the trade.

However, Anthony isn’t the only one to blame for the Knicks poor performance. In the recent loss to the Orlando Magic, Anthony seemed to mature and correct his mistakes; instead of throwing up bad shots, he gave out nine assists. The problem for their loss to the Magic was Stoudemire’s performance, in which he scored 13 points, his fewest as a Knick. It is reasonable for Stoudemire to have one bad day because he plays a lot of minutes back to back. If the Knicks want to get back on top, their defense will have to improve, Anthony will have to take smarter shots, and Jared Jeffries would have to further contribute to their offense and be an efficient player. The Knicks are falling, but hopefully they can pick themselves up and get back on top.

The Knicks Have yet to Bring their Team Together

Lately, the New York Knicks have faced the challenge of finding functionality in their newly updated roster. In late February, the Denver Nuggets traded Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks in what looked to be a turning point for them. The Knicks however, have not shown signs of adjustment, as they have fallen bellow a .500 record in Wednesday night's loss agains the Orlando Magic. With every added loss, attention has been diverted to a few key players including Amar'e Stoudemire, Chauncey Billups and of course, Carmelo Anthony. In months preceeding the "Me-lo" trade, many experts saw Stoudemire strengthen his role as a leader for the team. With the new trade, a shift of leadership and responsibilities has undergone between both stars, but it needs to reach out to the team too.

With the playoffs looming, one can question whether the team can adjust in time to qualify. Amar'e Stoudemire's style of ball-play involves pick and rolll techniques while Anthony simply does not use the same techniques. He is an isolation shooter who will seek the opportunity for a clear wing in which he can make a jumpshot. Contrastingly, Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni has led the team to become more comfortable in implementing their offense with plenty of ball handling before shots are made. While both Stoudemire and Anthony have specialized playing styles to offer, they tend to conflict each when they pursue their own objectives. With these two situations becoming intertwined, it is easy to forget about the rest of the team. Defense is one of the issues that plagues the Knicks the most, especially since the team has a problem with inconsistency.

The Knicks show weakness often towards the end of games in the fourth quarter, which ends up costing them the lead. A promising strong start in the first two quarters leaves the offense tired and this is where star players like Anthony are relied upon more heavily. It has become apparent that Anthony has not found his niche in making these rushed offensive plays. The shots that he does take are usually not thought out well and come from different areas of the court suggesting that he is not yet secured a perfect spot to shoot from. Also, these continued shot attempts by Anthony prove that he is not willing to run the pick and roll with Stoudemire or other alternative plays.

Mike D'Antoni highlighted on Wednesday that Stoudemire was unable to raise his offense because he was tired. Many other phrases are recycled such as the situation being simply a "long season" or that they "[they] have to take a step backwards to move forwards." This way of analyzing the team's weaknesses lacks being realistic and will only hurt them further by blinding them from the true problem. Instead, the head coach needs to diverge some much-needed attention to the Knicks defense in order for each player to have better involvement and collaborate more effectively on the court.