Carmelo Anthony Must Elevate Scoring and Leadership to Help Knicks Avoid Sweep

The last time the New York Knicks won a playoff game, Carmelo Anthony was in high school.

It has been 11 years and 11 consecutive playoff losses since this once-proud franchise has seen even a glimpse of postseason success.

To avoid tying the NBA record for playoff futility set by the Memphis Grizzlies, it's Anthony who must not only raise his game but must raise his overall leadership of this team or the Knicks will soon be on the verge of being swept.

Anthony got off to a horrific start shooting the ball in Game 1 of the series. At one point Melo was only 1-of-9 from the floor and finished up with only 11 points on a miserable 3-of-15 effort from the floor.

For the Knicks to steal a game or two in this series and position themselves to try to pull off an upset, that has to be the last time Anthony has a poor day from the floor. New York simply can't afford a bad shooting night during any game from Melo.

For that to happen though, head coach Mike Woodson and the Knicks' guards must make it a point of getting Anthony the ball where he can have success.

Getting him the ball in the post area gives Melo the best chance at success. If he and Amar'e Stoudemire can't play well together, then Woodson must figure something out because the Knicks will go only as far as Anthony can take them.

That won't be very far if he continues to get the ball at the three-point line in double-teams.

When he's getting the ball in the post, Anthony can make a difference not only by scoring, but by passing out of double teams—he can't do that from the three-point line.

If Woodson has to tinker with his rotation so Melo plays the 4, well, that's what he has to do.

The rest, though, is on Anthony's shoulders.

It's a lot to ask for 30 and 40-point games out of Melo, but that's what the Knicks need out of him right now. He doesn't have to score 42 against the Heat as he did in a late-season loss, but he's going to have to come up with something heroic.

When things were going good for the Knicks the last month-and-a-half of the season, Anthony visibly stepped up as a leader of the team. That aspect of his game can't disappear when things are going bad.

He's the guy who has to rally the troops, but when a big play needs to be made at either end of the floor, Melo's the guy who has to step up and make it.

That's what superstars and real leaders do.

If Anthony can do it, then the Knicks still have a puncher's chance of making this a competitive series. But if he doesn't, it's going to be another early postseason exit.