NBA Playoff Schedule 2012: Keys for Knicks to Pull off Game 2 Upset

The New York Knicks suffered a brutal loss in Game 1 of the opening series of the 2012 playoffs against the Miami Heat.

While there aren't many positives to touch on when a team only scores 67 points, lets up 100 and loses their most valuable perimeter defender to a torn ACL, the Knicks aren't done yet.

They'll have to play a near-perfect Game 2 to escape South Beach with a win, but it's possible.

Here are three keys to a Knicks upset-victory.

Carmelo Anthony needs to be Carmelo Anthony

Melo shot just 3-for-15 from the field and was only able to put up 11 points in the Game 1 loss. Twenty percent shooting isn't going to get it done against one of the best teams in the NBA.

The Knicks will need Anthony to lock down LeBron James, something that he wasn't capable of doing in the opening tilt. Anthony typically plays very well against James, and has done so since high school, so hopefully his terrible Game 1 performance was an anomaly.

Here's a fun fact. Anthony's plus/minus was minus-35 in the opener, one of the most abysmal statistics on a really bad night for the Knicks.

Compare that to James' plus-35 stat and it can't come as any sort of shock that the Knicks were totally emasculated.

J.R. Smith needs to cut down on his shots

One of the most frustrating things about the Knicks is Smith's inability to stop shooting the ball. This man has never met a shot he didn't like and will shoot the ball from anywhere past half court.

He went 7-for-17 in Game 1, which isn't dreadful, but it's nowhere near good.

It's not so much the amount of shots Smith takes as it is the timing of when he takes them. A lot of his shots come either with a hand in his face, fading away or both.

Smith is going to become a huge focal point in this series now that Iman Shumpert is done for a long time. He's the type of player who can single-handedly win you a game, but he can also shoot you out of one all by himself.

If Smith can do a better job facilitating to guys like Melo and Steve Novak (a guy who he has become pretty adept in finding open shots for) the Knicks will at least be able to avoid a laugher.

Tyson Chandler has to stay out of foul trouble

The Knicks need Chandler more than ever in Game 2.

His performance in Game 1 was hampered by the flu, and he only played 21 minutes because of the illness. Well it wasn't solely because of it, as Chandler got in foul trouble early on and was never able to assert himself down low on either side of the court.

He registered a whopping zero points to go with three rebounds and seven turnovers. This was undoubtedly his worst showing of the entire season and it showed in the box score.

The tone was set early by a Dwyane Wade dunk and the Heat never relinquished the lead or momentum.

Chandler is the definitive x-factor in this series and if he plays anywhere near the level he play in Game 1, don't expect the final score to be any different.

Here's a link to the Knicks playoff schedule.