New York Knicks' 3-Game Win Streak Proves Coaching Change Was Needed

It might only be three games—all of them wins—but it's already pretty clear that the New York Knicks were in desperate need of a coaching change and Mike Woodson was just what the doctor ordered.

The first thing that is apparent when watching this team play under Woodson is how structured they look.

As opposed to former coach Mike D'Antoni's free-wheeling system that allowed for a lot of player control, namely Jeremy Lin, Woodson's system looks quite different so far.

New York is now running different sets each time down the floor, and in turn are looking less predictable.

We saw the Knicks use a wide array of plays for different players throughout the game against the Indiana Pacers and utilize the myriad of options at coach Woodson's disposal.

At some points during the game, the Knicks were over-passing, and showed that there is indeed an unselfish side to this team. Carmelo Anthony himself looks to be making smarter decisions and, like his other teammates, isn't forcing quite as many shots as we've seen this year.

No, Anthony hasn't abandoned forcing shots altogether, but that's just him being a scorer and trying to create points off the dribble. That is what he gets paid to do. He just has to shoot better.

On the defensive end, the Knicks look like a motivated team.

They're playing in-your-face, swarm defense with impeccable timing on help with the double-team that created turnovers for the Knicks on Saturday night. As a result, they were able to stave off any attempt at a comeback by Indiana and would maintain the lead the majority of the game.

What's more important about this team three games into the Mike Woodson era is the communication.

It seems to me that there is more of a concerted effort by New York to talk things through to make adjustments during the game.

The most telling moment of this new strategy was when the Knicks' frontcourt—Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler—all stopped before going back into the locker room for halftime to go over what they needed to do for the second half.

It was the first real sign of leadership emerging as a group effort from the team's most respected players.

And the days of guys making mistakes and getting away with it are over, as Woodson lets all of his players know about it when they mess up.

Woodson got hot after Landry Fields missed his defensive assignment and the two even interacted on the court back and forth before Fields realized it wasn't worth it.

Even Melo and Lin were victims of the accountability parade.

Melo's free-throw woes didn't evade Woodson's attention, and Lin's lack of ball movement on one possession caused Woodson to use an expletive en route to telling his point guard to pass the ball.

This is clearly a coach who holds any and every player on his team accountable for their mistakes—and that's important when dealing with a team lacking discipline.

Things look good right now, but there is still a long, hard road to the playoffs for the Knicks.

But as someone who has watched New York all year long, I can honestly say I haven't seen them play as hard as they have these last three games this entire season.