The New York Knicks have come out the gate this season looking pretty good, starting 5-0 for the first time since the 1993-94 season. That year, the Knicks ended up in the NBA finals where they lost to Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets. This year, under coach Mike Woodson for his first full season, the Knicks seem to have 'bought in' to Woodson's defensive philosophy and are playing pretty well offensively. After Jeremy Lin was allowed to sign with Houston this offseason, many Knicks fans, including myself, were not very optimistic when it came to this upcoming season. Add to that the signings of aging veterans Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby, Kurt Thomas and the formerly retired Rasheed Wallace, it was pretty hard to see much success past what the Knicks accomplished last season. Needless to say, no one saw a 5-0 start coming.
So the Knicks have surprised many during the first 5 games of the season. Their overall play leads many to believe that what we are seeing developing may not be an aberration. With Carmelo Anthony playing in the power forward slot while A'Mare Stoudemire recovers from knee issues, the offense seems to be flowing much better. Unlike past seasons, 'Melo is not isolating as much and, with Jason Kidd looking as spry as ever at the point, the Knicks seem to be causing serious matchup problems for opposing defenses. The aforementioned veterans are providing a balance to the team that was sorely missing the last few years, providing the type of guidance to rein in guys like J.R. Smith, relieving Anthony of some of the leadership duties that he may not be suited for. AND Anthony and the rest of the team is actually playing, dare I say it, DEFENSE!!!
So, with this type of start, the obvious questions arise. Are the Knicks for real? Can they contend with the likes of Boston and Miami? Will Carmelo continue to trust his teammates and do other things like rebound well and play some sort of defense? Can the Knicks, with all the old guys, stay healthy enough to make a serious run deep into the playoffs? But the most glaring question, to me at least, is what will Mike Woodson do with A'mare Stoudemire when he returns from his knee injury?
We saw this play out last season when Jeremy Lin was infecting Knicks fans with 'Linsanity!' while both Carmelo and STAT were out with injuries. When 'Melo returned, he didn't mesh well with the freestyle type offense the Knicks ran with Lin. When A'mare came back, things got worse. The season ended with D'Antoni resigning, the Knicks finishing the regular season 18-6 under Mike Woodson and exiting the first round of the playoffs with just one win over Miami. Now 'Melo is in full control and is picking up from the vets around him. The experts say A'mare should come off the bench when he returns. With 'Melo showing excellent productivity playing in the power forward position, it's hard not to agree with that sentiment. The floor seems to be spread much better with him there and on defense, Anthony wins most of the match-ups he'll face with other PF's since he's going to be quicker and more athletic than his opponents on most nights. He defended Glen Davis most of the night in their win over Orlando Tuesday night, grabbing 8 rebounds in the process. Coming off the bench would allow for Stoudemire to operate with a second unit that he will be the focal point in, drawing defenses in with his post play and leaving room for the Knicks perimeter players to go to work. At the end of games, you'll have 'Melo in a groove along with STAT and that should leave two very viable options to close out games or grind out close contests.
But, as a die hard Knicks fan for the past 22 years, I can't help but not be a little hesitant to get overly excited about this great start. The Knicks haven't put together a decent season in over 10 years. The last time the Knicks won a playoff series, Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell were on the roster (2000 East semi's vs. Miami). The last two seasons ended with first round exits (swept by Boston in 2010-2011, 4-1 series loss to Miami last year). We've seen so many seasons end up being disasters for every reason in the book (bad coaches, bad personnel moves, Stephon Marbury's antics, etc). I'd like to think that 'Melo has finally arrived and that this team is for real. And even if they are, the road to the Finals will go through Miami and this seems eerily reminiscent of those dream deferred years in the 90's when the Knicks had some great regular seasons and postseasons, only to run into Michael Jordan and the Bulls. I'm sorry, but I just don't see Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler and a banged up, older than his years A'mare Stoudemire beating LeBron and Co. in a 7 game series. And if by some miracle they do, can they bring the ring home against, say Kobe and the Lakers or Kevin Durant and OKC? Right now, I say no. And we aren't even considering if the team implodes or if 'Melo and STAT don't mesh. What if Raymond Felton gets hurt? What if the senior citizens don't make it through the season? There are just too many variables that can derail this thing. If the Knicks can win 50 games and lock up a 3rd seed in the East, then I'd be ready to see what they can do.
But they should be very entertaining to say the least. It seems like they can hang with anyone right now (San Antonio tomorrow night should be a better gauge of where they are). If 'Melo can maintain his elite level of play on both ends of the floor and lead this team, the sky is the limit. Mike Woodson is a good coach for this team, the vets are a good influence (Rasheed Wallace a good influence?!!) and it looks like NYC will be behind this team, as opposed to the Brooklyn Nets, who are looking like the same team they were when they were the New Jersey Nets. A playoff series win would be a big step forward. A deep playoff run would be an even bigger one. A championship? Probably not this year. Here's to hoping we can at least see one on the horizon. Soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment