Carmelo Anthony, NY Knicks in 2012 NBA Playoffs: Looking Back, Looking Forward

Even though the New York Knicks did not play a game Thursday night, they still managed to clinch a playoff berth. 

With the Indiana Pacers' 118-109 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Knicks were guaranteed at least the eighth seed in the 2012 NBA playoffs.

Now only one question remains: Will the Knicks draw the Chicago Bulls or the Miami Heat in the first round?

While other matchups are mathematically possible, they are statistically unlikely. Whether the Knicks or the Sixers finish with the seventh seed will be decided over the next few days, and it's very likely that the Bulls will finish in first place and the Heat in second.

Bulls or Heat, whichever team the Knicks draw, it doesn't matter. They are hungrier for these playoffs than any Knicks team has been in over a decade.

As any die-hard fan can tell you, the New York Knicks have had an up and down season—after a mostly down decade down decade—to put it mildly.

Let's take a look back at the roller coaster ride to help appreciate the preciousness of their current situation before looking forward to the 2012 playoffs.

The Patrick Ewing Curse

September 20, 2000

Patrick Ewing is the Knicks' all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, steals, free throws, field goals, minutes and games played. Upon trading him to the Seattle SuperSonics (yes, kids, Seattle used to have a basketball team) in September of 2000, a dark cloud descended upon the franchise. 

They went 48-34 that season, but were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by Toronto, after advancing to at least the Conference Semifinals in each of the previous nine years.

The Knicks had a bumpy start to the 2001-02 season, but were 10-9 in early December. Then Coach Jeff Van Gundy abruptly quit the team. Assistant Don Chaney was named head coach and two losing seasons followed for the Knicks.

The Isiah Thomas Curse

December 23, 2003

The Knicks hired Isiah Thomas to be their team president. Despite a team of aging, overpaid veterans (most notably, Antonio McDyess), they did not enter a rebuilding stage and their salary cap problems persisted.

They traded for Stephon Marbury in January of 2004, and despite a mediocre 39-43 record, they made the playoffs. They were swept in the first round by their cross-river rival New Jersey Nets.

That was the lone bright spot of the Isiah Thomas presidency. And the futility only continued for New York with four more losing seasons, including two 23-59 seasons.

The Knicks besmirched the reputations of numerous legendary coaches they hired: Don Chaney, Lenny Wilkens and Larry Brown. Isiah Thomas eventually took over coaching duties himself and was an abject failure.

Thomas brought further disgrace to the franchise through numerous blunders (trading lottery picks for Eddy Curry) and scandals (sexually harassing Anucha Browne Sanders).

Thomas' reign was so bad that this season a Sacramento Kings rookie point guard who had the misfortune to be named Isaiah Thomas (no relation), was lustily booed at Madison Square Garden when the teams met in February.

The "Fire Isiah" Chants Are Finally Heard

April 18, 2008

In 2008, Isiah Thomas was finally fired. The tide very slowly began to turn with the arrival of new faces in the form of team president Donnie Walsh and new head coach Mike D'Antoni.

The franchise was buried under such crushing salary cap idiocy, it took two years to begin righting the ship. They went 32-50 and 29-53 in the wake of Thomas' departure.

Then Amar'e Stoudemire was signed before the 2010-11 season, and a mega-trade for Carmelo Anthony was finally completed before the trade deadline. 

The reinvigorated Knicks finished 2010-11 above .500 (42-40), but were again swept in the first round of the playoffs, this time by the Boston Celtics.

Lockout Ends with High Hopes for 2012

December 10, 2011

The Knicks signed Tyson Chandler from the world champion Dallas Mavericks, and the team's PR department convinced media and fans they were finally prepared to compete for a championship. 

But the Knicks were reeling by the end of January, and then lost two heartbreakers to the Bulls and Celtics, finding themselves the owners of an 8-15 record a third of the way through a lockout-shortened season. 

Mike D'Antoni looked clueless and was. He was so desperate, he inserted a third-string point guard that had been claimed off waivers in the next game against the Nets on February 4.

Linsanity

February 4, 2012

You may have heard about Linsanity. It began that night against the Nets. Jeremy Lin saved Mike D'Antoni from being fired, for the time being.

And the Knicks were suddenly riding high, winning seven straight and eight of nine. The team was practically hoisting the No. 17 jersey up to the rafters for retirement.

Jeremy Lin quickly became a global phenomenon, but more importantly, the Knicks were playing spirited, team-oriented basketball for the first time in many, many years.

Even the fervor and success of Linsanity only propelled the Knicks back to .500. They were 16-16 when Carmelo Anthony returned from a groin strain, which had kept him from playing in seven of the nine Linsane games.

Linsanity Unable to Save Mike D'Anoni Twice

February 20, 2012

That night against New Jersey, Deron Williams exacted revenge on Lin, Carmelo and the Knicks by scoring 38 points and stopping Linsanity in its tracks. 

Somehow, Jeremy Lin's frenetic, energetic play at the point and Carmelo Anthony's static, isolation offense could not find a rhythm. They also returned to their lazy defensive play and inadequate rebounding.

The Knicks lost seven of the next nine games and found themselves a disappointing 18-24.

The Knicks Learn How to Play Defense

March 14, 2012

Mike D'Antoni oversaw a morning shootaround, and then lost the will to coach the team, resigning just before lunchtime.

Assistant coach Mike Woodson took over and told the team about a concept known in the NBA as "playing defense." The team was reinvigorated and proceeded to win five straight games and nine of the next 11. 

But as the Knicks found themselves again cresting above .500 at the end of March, they also found out Jeremy Lin would need knee surgery, requiring him to miss the remainder of the regular season and the beginning of the playoffs. In fact, the playoffs did not seem like a realistic goal without Lin.

The team was already dealing with injuries to Amar'e Stoudemire and Jared Jeffries. The question of who would help the consistently ailing Baron Davis run the point (Mike Bibby looked clueless and Toney Douglas had long ago been banished to the far end of the bench) seemed to be just one among a litany of concerns.

Linsanity-Less Knicks Forget How to Play Offense

April 3, 2012

The Knicks suffered a 112-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers, and though Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points, the defensive effort which had been a hallmark of Mike Woodson's coaching seemed to desert them when they needed it most. 

The Knicks led by 15 points to begin the fourth quarter of that game, but their offense became hopelessly one-dimensional, and no one remembered to cover Danny Granger. They allowed the Pacers to outscore them 40-17 down the stretch in the heartbreaking loss. 

With the injuries and poor play, the playoffs suddenly seemed to be a far-fetched dream. They faced a brutal schedule coming up that included games against Orlando, Miami, Boston, Chicago (twice in a row) and a Milwaukee squad threatening to steal their playoff spot in the event of any hiccup. 

The Knicks Muscle Their Way into the Playoffs

April Showers

What happened? These Knicks—who to that point had endured sea change after sea change seemingly every two or three weeks—began to play like a real team. 

They won six of eight to ensure the playoff berth, and even their losses (on the road to the Bulls and at home to Miami) exhibited a toughness that will be dangerous in the playoffs. The team became assured of a playoff berth with Milwaukee's loss on Thursday. 

Carmelo Anthony finally looks like the dominant scorer worthy of the huge trade that brought him to New York. His clutch three-pointers at the end of regulation and overtime against Chicago at MSG turned many doubters back into believers, a feat that only Lin was capable of previously.

Moreover, Anthony, their superstar, has transformed his game from a stat-padding offensive effort, to an all-around, all-out effort that is starting to rub off on his teammates. 'Melo is becoming a leader. 

Tyson Chandler finally has other Knicks around him who are playing with intense defensive effort, and he has responded by turning into an utter beast on the boards, punching out offensive rebounds like a volleyball player and keeping key possessions alive. 

The Knicks still have major questions at point guard, but they are surviving and thriving. And that only makes their recent run of success all the more remarkable.

The Knicks Start Believing in Themselves

April 20, 2012

The Knicks find themselves 34-30 with two games left to play. They hold the seventh seed in the playoffs, and it's theirs to lose.

The current squad is finally gelling, and like the 2007 New York Giants (or the 2011 Giants), the end of the season is the perfect time to start playing your best. Just ask the New England Patriots.

This team can win a series against any opponent in the Eastern Conference. This team can make a run at the finals. 

The Knicks have Amar'e Stoudemire back, and after some growing pains in the loss to Cleveland on Friday night, the team looked strong in beating the playoff-bound Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.

With Tyson Chandler resting his ailments, they did not play very strong defense, but the offense was potent. Stoudemire finished 9-13 from the field, and both he and Anthony had double-doubles.  

The primary question facing the Knicks is this: Will they be the eighth or the seventh seed, or, to put it another way, will they play the one or the two seed, or, to put it another way still, will the Bulls or the Heat be their playoff opponent? 

The answer: It doesn't matter because they can beat the Bulls or the Heat in a seven-game series. 

Knicks vs. Heat?

Miami Heat 

In a New York versus Miami series, Tyson Chandler is the key difference-maker. With Amar'e back, Joel Anthony won't be able to pound on one guy all game.

The Heat barely scratched out their victory on April 15, and that was with Carmelo being a one-man offensive show (42 points to the rest of the team's 43), and each member of Miami's Big Three having an excellent game. 

A healthy Amar'e means better matchups against Wade, James and Bosh. Shumpert and the defensively-rejuvenated Carmelo Anthony can key on Wade and James. This leaves a cast of characters including Stoudemire, Chandler, Fields, Jeffries and Novak to abuse Bosh, Haslem and Joel Anthony on the interior. 

And with other Knicks contributing offensively, as they have done regularly since that game, Heat coach Erik Spolestra will have to think twice about leaving Shane Battier on the floor for 20-plus minutes as he did in Sunday's game. Battier looked good on defense, but contributed only three points.

This matchup would be tough for the Knicks, but they have the talent to scrape out four wins, and Tyson Chandler holds the key to victory, as he demonstrated last year.

Knicks vs. Bulls?

Chicago Bulls 

Chicago does not have a potent offense (currently averaging 1.4 points per game fewer than the Knicks), and they're actually worse-off with a hampered Derek Rose on the court than out of the game.

As long as the Knicks can get contributions from someone not named Carmelo (Stoudemire, Shumpert, Chandler, Smith, Novak, Fields), they should outscore Chicago and be able to smother them on defense with their new-found Woodsonian effort. 

Their one bugaboo is not getting embarrassingly out-rebounded, especially on the offensive glass. Allowing too many second-chance points is like asking to lose. But while getting Amar'e back demands less isolation play from Carmelo on offense, it also takes some defensive pressure off Tyson Chandler and allows him to become more versatile around the floor and on the glass.

The Knicks have beaten Chicago before, and they can do it again. If they play their best basketball, they will win the series with their numerous offensive weapons and greater depth.