After some putrid early returns of the Carmelo Anthony trade, the Knicks turned their play around with a gritty win against the Magic, and then 6 more wins against beatable teams (most impressively with road wins against the Sixers and Indiana). The Knicks didn’t look like they solved all their problems, but they began to take care of business. Suddenly the effort level was there, the spacing and understanding of each other began to emerge, and the trade didn’t feel like a complete disaster anymore.
A few things seem to be working for the Knicks. First off Carmelo is starting to look like the guy we thought/hoped he’d be. He stopped forcing shots. He made much quicker decisions — pass or shoot, but don’t hold on to it too long. D’Antoni also did a good job of adjusting the offense so as not to crowd Carmelo when he is isolated. He’s running into the help defense a lot less than he was in those first 18 games. Additionally, he is shooting more 3′s and making them at a great percentage (mid 40%) which seems to be opening up the rest of his game. Quite simply, Carmelo is showing he can score and will score from everywhere on the court. And, let’s not forget that Carmelo has been clutch, hitting difficult winning shots and go-ahead shots — shots that none of our departed Knicks would hit or could create for themselves.
The other things that pulled the Knicks out of their funk? Chauncey recovered from his injury and stopped looking like he’s 50 years old. He regained some defensive ability, turned the ball over less, and hit some shots. We also saw the role players finally understanding their new roles, and a big part of the new role for the supporting cast is to bust their tails on defense. Guys like Billy Walker and Shawne Williams are both playing the best defense I’ve seen them play. Additionally, D’Antoni is also getting contributions from guys that he was unwilling to give much of a chance: Sheldon Williams and Anthony Carter. Both of those guys are defending their positions well and playing within their offensive abilities.
Now the Knicks face the Celtics in the first round. While the Knicks have fixed a lot of their chemistry issues and there is optimism abound, the C’s still look to be a disgruntled, broken team — the trade of Kendrick Perkins, and Shaq’s subsequent injury woes adversely affecting the chemistry, urgency and intensity of the team. Or at least that’s the way it seems. We saw how dangerous they were last year after a mediocre season. As a veteran team, clearly they know when to turn it on and they save themselves for the playoffs. But, things are clearly not right in Boston. And, with Carmelo playing like a top 3 player who can potentially take over a playoff series, the Knicks have a punchers chance at an upset. Here’s hoping.
