New York Knicks: 5 Things to Take Away from Sunday's Thriller

In what can be easily defined as a "roller coaster" season, the Knicks capped off a remarkable finish against the Chicago Bulls Sunday afternoon in the Garden.

New York started the game on a tare, going up 21 points in the first quarter. The captivating start was shaping up to be their most effective shooting game of the entire season. But as the game progressed, the consistency in their shooting declined. With 3 and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter, Derrick Rose brought Chicago all the way back, taking a 10 point lead.

Carmelo then took control and brought the Knicks within three points. Steve Novak's game tying three point attempt went almost halfway through the net before rattling out, then the Knicks fouled Derrick Rose, giving him a chance to put the game away with less than 20 seconds to play. He missed both of the shots, Carmelo brought the ball up and nailed a game tying three. Overtime. 

In Overtime the Knicks found themselves with another mountain to climb, they were down four points with under a minute to play. After a Carmelo Anthony layup, Chicago turned the ball right back over. Carmelo went to the same spot from where he hit the tying three in regulation and drained yet another improbable three to give the Knicks a one point lead. A lead in which they would not relinquish.

This was by far the most exciting Knicks game of the season (sorry Jeremy Lin). But with all this excitement, there is a lot that can be learned from Sunday's thriller.

Carmelo Is Back

In the past seven games, Carmelo is averaging over 27 points per game. All of those games have been played without the likes of A'mare Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin. He has finally showed he can truly step up and be a leader for a talented team.

Watching Melo scortch the Bulls in the final minutes of the game showed everyone that he can be clutch, he can take control of the game, and he obviously will not pass up the "big shot". 

Tyson Chandler Needs to Keep His Cool

Chandler grabbed 16 boards, and had three monumental blocks on Sunday, showing the league that he should be highly considered for defensive player of the year. However, Chandler received yet another technical foul, putting him closer towards a one game suspension.

The Knicks have been without Chandler  two games this season, and they lost both of them. The Knicks remain only one game ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks, and they simply cannot afford for Chandler to miss a game. He has been more than what the Knicks hoped for this year, but he is only effective when he is on the court.

JR Smith Needs to Know His Place

Smith went 2 for 11 from the three point line in Sunday's game. The Knicks signed him to be an offensive catalyst, but this season he has not been the three point type shooter that he has built a reputation off of. Given everybody has an off shooting night, JR Smith nearly shot the Knicks out of the game late in the fourth quarter.

Mike Woodson was about to sub Novak in for Smith with under four minutes to go, but then Smith nailed a corner three while Novak was kneeling in front of the scorers table. Smith remained in the game and later missed a wide open three that could have tied the game. He was not playing well from the perimeter and he needed to keep making the extra pass to a hot shooter.

In overtime, Smith nailed back-to-back mid rage step back jumpers. When he is playing at a comfortable range he can be very effective. But as of late he has not been shooting effectively from three. If he becomes less selfish, he can be a very effective role player.

Mike Woodson Is a Defensive Mastermind

Since Woodson has taken over the coaching job, the Knicks have only allowed their opponents to score 90+ points five times in fourteen games. 

Allowing only 99 points against the league's best team in an overtime game exemplified the impact Woodson has made on the defensive end. The Knicks have been a whole new team since Dantoni left. 

Iman Shumpert especially has been a defensive force. He added to his strong Rookie season on Sunday, as he recorded four steals off of Derrick Rose.

The Knicks Would Rather Play the Bulls Than the Heat in the First Round

Despite the Bulls having a better record than the Heat, for the Knicks' sake, they would rather open up against Chicago. Its simple, the Knicks matchup better against Chicago, while the Heat are simply too athletic for New York.

Using Sunday as evidence, the Knicks know now for a fact that they can beat the Bulls. The Knicks lost both games against Miami this season, and they were not even contests. Despite having only one win against Chicago, all three games went down to the wire, and both loses took place at the low points of the Dantoni era. 

Shumpert can play great defense on Rose, it takes at least two people to guard Melo, and Chandler can out hustle Joakim Noah on the glass. As for playing the Heat, Lebron can shutdown Melo, Wade is no match for Shumpert or Baron Davis, and Chris Bosh can prove to be difficult for A'mare (if he returns).