New York Knicks Team Report Card: Are Amar'e Stoudemire and Co. in Real Trouble?

Entering the week with a seven game winning streak and having won 12 of the last 13 games, the New York Knicks were on top of the world. Knicks fans came out of their decade of hibernation and many truly believed that this was a new era based on a core of Amare Stoudemire, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari.

Further illuminating the hopes of Knicks fans was the possible arrival of Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets. Rumors that New York was the only trade destination to which Anthony would sign an extension evidently placed the Knicks as a frontrunner to acquire the all-star forward.

This week was going to be a big week for the Knicks. The winning streak featured just one victory over a team that was above .500. The Nuggets, Celtics and Heat were all traveling to Madison Square Garden to take on this rejuvenated New York team.

The Knicks responded to this call with a victory over Carmelo Anthony's Nuggets that made a clear statement to the rest of the league. The following game against the Celtics was a tight game that New York lost in the fourth quarter. Amare Stoudemire was just a few tenths of a second away from sending the Celtics to their fifth loss of the season. Still, the Knicks demonstrated that they could hang with one of the best teams in the league.

Then came Friday night against the Miami Heat.

Despite playing an inspired second quarter that left the game at a tie at halftime, Miami was simply too talented for the Knicks. While the Heat shot 55 percent from the field, the Knicks could not break 40 percent.

Joel Anthony flummoxed Amare Stoudemire who was held under 30 points after a nine game streak of scoring 30 or more. The defense could not even slow LeBron James who had a triple double with 32 points on 14-23 shooting.

Essentially, the game against the Heat demonstrated that the Knicks were not yet amongst the upper echelon of NBA teams just yet. However, New York needed to continue to beat teams that they were supposed to beat. Enter the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Cleveland entered Saturday night's game having lost ten in a row. The Cavs are one of those teams that the Knicks have to beat if they are going to make the playoffs and avoid the Celtics or Heat in the first round.

The Knicks lost in overtime to the Cavaliers. Amare Stoudemire missed a game winning shot, and Danilo Galinari missed nine three-pointers. Maybe it was the back to back games. Maybe Cleveland was playing inspired basketball. In any case, the Knicks allowed themselves to lose their third game in a row after such an impressive winning streak.

Despite a 1-3 record this week, the Knicks did not fail this week. Miami and Boston are two of the best teams in the league. Both teams are riding momentum right now with double-digit winning streaks. Still, the Cavaliers game has to be considered a major disappointment.

Maybe Carmelo Anthony will come this year. Maybe it will be next year, or maybe he won't come at all. The Knicks need to focus on the tough matchups ahead. New York will host the Thunder and the Bills before heading down to Florida for a game with the Orlando Magic and a rematch with the Miami Heat. 

Mike D'Antoni needs to get his team focused on the tough path ahead. Otherwise, a three game losing streak can turn into a seven game losing streak awfully quickly.