NBA Playoffs 2012: 5 Reasons New York Knicks Can Win NBA Finals

Yes, the New York Knicks lost to the New Jersey Nets on Monday night. 

Yes, Deron Williams exposed some defensive inefficiencies in Jeremy Lin’s game. 

And yes, Carmelo Anthony played with Lin for the first time and slowed down the offense again.

However, don’t despair. The Knicks are still a work in progress. The end result will be a great team that is capable of upsetting the best teams in the Eastern Conference on the way to the NBA Finals. 

Let’s take a look at five reasons the Knicks can make it to the NBA Finals and win a championship this season. 

5. Good Team Chemistry

The Knicks have plenty of veteran leadership with Tyson Chandler and Amar'e Stoudemire.

And, it seems like everyone on the team is legitimately rallying around Jeremy Lin, even Melo.

If these guys can keep things free and easy on the court and avoid any conflicts off the court, they’ll be in good shape for the rest of the season and into the playoffs.

4. Mike D'Antoni Is Finally Able to Run His Offense

Carmelo Anthony is still going to slow things down when he gets the ball, but it won’t matter for the Knicks.

More often than not, with Jeremy Lin at the point the Knicks can move the ball and run some pick-and-roll with Amar’e Stoudemire.

And when that isn’t working, they can isolate Melo and let him do his thing.

3. Multiple Weapons Late in Games

It’s going to take a few games to get Melo and Jeremy Lin on the same page, but when it happens, it’s going to be great for Knicks fans.

They’ll have several ways to beat teams late in games, with Melo, Lin and Stoudemire all being good late game options.

And, in a pinch, they can kick it out to J.R. Smith for a game-winning three ball.

2. Defensive Presence in the Post

Tyson Chandler is starting to play better as the season wears on. He’s always been a good defender, and it’s starting to pay off for the Knicks.

With Jeremy Lin running the point, Chandler has steadily gotten better offensively. He’s starting to look more like the player he was in Dallas last season.

1. Improved Guard Play—Finally

The emergence of Jeremy Lin and the signing of J.R. Smith will be enough to put this team over the top.

Before Lin’s emergence, the Knicks had, without question, the worst guards in the league. Then Linsanity showed up and changed everything.

And now, with Smith in the mix, the Knicks have a deadly three-point shooter who can take over a game offensively for the second unit.

They have one of the best rosters in the league now.