NBA Playoffs 2011: 10 Reasons the New York Knicks Can Succeed in the Postseason
With the Miami Heat's 98-90 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, combined with the Boston Celtics 95-94 overtime loss to the Washington Wizards, it is now official: the New York Knicks will be taking on the Celtics in the first round of the 2011 NBA playoffs.
There has been much debate in the past week about which team, the Celtics or the Heat, would present a better matchup for the Knicks and give them a better chance to advance to the second round. Should the Knicks knock off the Celtics in the first round, they would then likely take on the Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Heat will square off against the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.
It has been a roller-coaster ride for the Knicks since they traded for Carmelo Anthony on Feb. 21. The team won just seven of the first 19 games after the trade, but have caught fire as of late, currently riding a seven-game winning streak.
Regardless of the outcome of this postseason, one thing is for sure: basketball is really back in the city of New York. While they will be the underdog in virtually any series they play in, with Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, the Knicks will not be an easy out.
Let's take a look at 10 reasons why the Knicks can succeed in the upcoming postseason.
They Have Shown the Ability to Defend...When They Want to
1 of 10
Yes, the Knicks are ranked 28 overall in team defense. They have also given up 127 points to the Dallas Mavericks, 119 points to the Indiana Pacers and 119 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. And that was all within the last month.
It is no secret that the Knicks struggle on the defensive end of the floor. Chauncey Billups is starting to look his age, the team is undersized and they go through phases where they seemingly can't get a rebound.
However, there is hope.
Since the 'Melo trade, this team has shown flashes of defensive brilliance. On Mar. 6, they held to the Atlanta Hawks to 79 points on 44 percent shooting. In what might have been their most impressive win of the year, they went to Miami and held them to 86 points on 43 percent shooting. Anthony also did a very good job disrupting LeBron James.
The playoffs will not be a time for the Knicks to pick and choose when they want to defend. They are going to need to play at least decent defense to have a chance to win. The good news is that they have shown they are capable of doing so.
They Avoided Dwight Howard
2 of 10
One of the biggest flaws of the Knicks current roster is that they lack any true center.
Ronny Turiaf has been good at times, but he is far too injury-prone to be relief upon. Jared Jeffries has not been as good defensively as the team had hoped, and is a natural power forward anyway. Shawne Williams has no business guarding centers, and Stoudemire has been exposed when he has been asked to guard bigger, stronger players.
So, what makes this a positive? Well, by drawing the Celtics and then possibly the Heat, the Knicks will avoid playing against the games biggest, strongest player in the first two rounds: Dwight Howard.
In four games this season, the Knicks have had no answers for Howard. He averaged 29 points per games in the four games, and will be given even more possessions in the postseason.
While the Heat and Celtics have a vast amount of talent, neither team has a player that presents the type of matchup problem that Howard presents to the Knicks.
They Have the Experience
3 of 10
While the majority of the Knick's roster has very little playoff experience, it just so happens that their three best players have tons of it.
Chauncey Billups is a former NBA Finals MVP and is the only player on the Knicks roster that has a championship ring. Stoudemire and Anthony have also been to the playoffs multiple times, so there will be no surprises for the team's new "Big Three."
All of the Pressure Will Be on Their Opponents
4 of 10
These are exciting times for both the Knicks and their fanbase. Not only does the team now have two legitimate superstars, but they will also participate in the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
However, it isn't very realistic to expect this team to compete for a championship this season. When the team acquired 'Melo, they had the future in mind. Anything the team did this year was gravy.
Not much will be expected of the underdog Knicks. That won't be the case for both the Heat and Celtics, however. Boston's window for another championship is closing, and as of late it looks like it is closing rather quickly. The Heat will be feeling the pressure after they acted as if they had all but won the championship back in July.
The Knicks will be able to play loose, which will definitely be to their advantage.
Anthony Is Red-Hot and Amar'e Is Rested
5 of 10
Is anyone playing better basketball than Carmelo Anthony as of late?
The man is averaging 27.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.6 three-pointers over his last five games. He seems to have really found his rhythm in New York, and is on fire from downtown.
Stoudemire, on the other hand, hasn't played in a game since Wednesday after suffering a mild ankle sprain. This isn't terrible news, however, as it provides Amar'e some much-needed rest during the last week of the regular season. He had a heavy workload for the majority of the season, so the time off will help refill his tank and rejuvenate his legs.
If Anthony continues to score the way he is now and Stoudemire plays like the MVP he was earlier in the season, opposing teams will struggle to contain this offense.
The Garden Will Be Electric
6 of 10
As I mentioned before, the Knicks haven't been in the playoffs since 2004. You think New York City is ready to watch some playoff basketball?
Madison Square Garden has always been a special environment, but it may just be taken to a whole new level when the Knicks return home to host the Celtics in Games 3 and 4.
If New York can find some way to steal a game on the road, they may just be able to win the series against the Celtics and possibly the Heat. They will have a homecourt advantage that few other teams will be able to match, and it is hard to see them dropping many, if any, games at MSG.
They Played Well Against Boston and Have Already Beaten Miami This Season
7 of 10
On paper, you may think that the Knicks don't have much of a chance to beat the Celtics in a seven-game series. After all, they are 0-3 against Boston this year with the fourth meeting set to take place on the final day of the regular season.
However, what you may not remember is the fact that in two of those games the Knicks were actually leading at halftime, and they only lost by four points in the other.
Yes, part of the basketball is closing out games, and the Knicks won't be given any victories for coming up just short. Still, they have shown they can hang with the C's. Now all they have to do is get over the hump.
New York also beat the Heat twice this season, including a victory in Miami. They will enter any series they play in with a ton of confidence.
Their Weaknesses Will Be Masked
8 of 10
A person could make an argument that the two biggest problems with the Knicks is that they don't have good defensive low-post player and, at 26th in the league, they can't rebound as a team. If such an argument was made, they would be absolutely right.
So why will these weaknesses be masked?
Well, the Celtics are actually the worst rebounding team in the league. They have really struggled on the boards, especially without Kendrick Perkins. Furthermore, they almost never crash the offensive boards.
Boston relies heavily on Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen. Even Kevin Garnett has become more of a spot-up shooter then an effective low-post player.
The Knicks have a hard time rebounding, but so do the Celtics. The Knicks can't guard opposing bigs, but the Celtics don't really have any.
The fact of that matter is that New York actually matches up very well with Boston.
When All Else Fails, They Can Really Score...A Lot
9 of 10
Yes, I know that defense wins championships. I'm not here to argue that claim, because it has been proven over and over to be true.
But the fact that the Knicks average 106.8 points per game, which is good for second in the league, can't be ignored, either.
The scary thing about New York is they are only getting better offensively. While the Celtics are a proven defensive team, they have really looked their age as of late, and also haven't looked the same without Perkins protecting the rim.
The Knicks will have trouble stopping their opponents from scoring, but their opponents will also have problems containing the Knicks offense.
If they get hot from downtown, look out.
No Fear
10 of 10
This team has beaten the Chicago Bulls. They have beaten Miami and Orlando as well, and have taken the Celtics to the wire on multiple occasions.
They have no reason to doubt themselves, and I don't think they will.
Do other teams have more talent? Yes. Do other teams have more experience? Yes. Do other teams have better chemistry? Sure.
However, this team has shown over the course of the regular season that on any given night they can beat any team they play against. Win or lose, they won't back down from anybody.
Why not us? Why not the Knicks?
