Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks look to do some serious damage during the 2012-13 NBA playoffs. Photo Credit: Mark Runyon, Basketball Schedule
New York Knicks: Introduction
Last playoff appearance: 2012 (Lost 4-1 in First round To Miami Heat)
Championships Won: 2 (1970, 1973)
Last finals appearance: 1004
Current Vitals
Current record: 53-28
1st in Atlantic Division
2nd in Eastern conference
Team Leaders
Points per game: Carmelo Anthony(28.7)
Rebounds : Tyson Chandler (10.7)
Assists: Raymond Felton (5.5)
Steals: Jason Kidd (1.6)
Blocks: Tyson Chandler (1.1)
Emotional Leader: Carmelo Anthony
You could make a solid case for Tyson Chandler in this category as well, but the team runs through Anthony. Not only is he their leading scorer, his performance goes the furthest in determining whether the Knicks win or lose. If he jacks up too many jumpers that don’t fall, the Knicks tend to lose. When his shot is working, they’re just about unbeatable. Throughout the 2011-12 season, Anthony was derided for being selfish, but this year he’s illustrated that his shoot-first mentality might not be such a bad thing, at least not when his shot is working this well. One of the biggest black marks on Anthony’s career at the moment is that he’s only made it past the first round once (in 2009, when the Denver Nuggets reached the Western Conference Finals). If he can emerge as a true leader and take the Knicks on a deep run, many doubters will finally have to acknowledge his greatness.
Player To Watch: J.R. Smith
Smith has stunned everyone in the past six weeks, playing the best basketball of his career, and establishing himself as one of the top candidates for Sixth Man Of The Year. the big question is whether or not he can keep it up in the playoffs. As with Anthony, the Knicks success has a lot to do with whether or Smith has his shot going. The problem with Smith is that when he can hit from the field, he tends to keep jacking up shots, making the problem worse and worse. if Smith keeps playing the ways in March and April, the Knicks could become unstoppable on offense. if he falls back into the worst of his old habits, they could be looking at yet another first-round exit.
First-Round MatchUp: Boston Celtics
No matter how much the Celtics struggle during the regular season, they still seem like a scary opponent come playoff time. Why? Because this team has a tendency of overachieving in the postseason. In 2010, they limped into the playoffs and wound up making the Finals, taking the Los Angeles Lakers to seven games. Last year, they looked old and creaky, but they still took the Miami Heat to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals and if not for LeBron James’ ridiculous performance in Game 6, they would have likely reached the finals again.
Prediction:
While the Celtics can still incite some fear, they won’t be able to hang with this Knicks team. The loss of Rajon Rondo will hurt more than ever now, and while Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett might have one or two big games in them, I’d be surprised if either was capable of competing at an elite level for an entire series. Anthony and the rest of the Knicks offense will just be too powerful.
Knicks in 6