2011 NBA Playoffs: New York Knicks' Postseason Fate Is in Toney Douglas' Hands

When the New York Knicks head back into the TD Garden Tuesday night to try and even the series against the Celtics, they will likely be doing so without Chauncey Billups.  

The veteran guard injured his left leg during the fourth quarter of the Knicks 87-85 loss to the Celtics in Game 1 of the first round.  Billups has been plagued by leg injuries since joining the Knicks in late February, and his presence will be sorely missed on the basketball court as New York tries to defeat Boston in Game 2.

Billups' scoring ability, coupled with his solid court vision and playoff experience, are attributes that the Knicks really cannot afford to be without in this series.

Enter Toney Douglas.

All of a sudden, the responsibility of running the offense is now solely in the hands of the 25-year-old backup point guard.  

Douglas is only in his second year and a rookie to the NBA playoffs, and for the time being, he is now the starting floor general for the Knicks.  Such a responsibility would be enough to cripple any second-year player, but then again, Douglas is not just any other second-year player.  

At the beginning of the season, there were many doubts as to whether Douglas could be an effective point guard in the NBA.  He struggled early on, but since the Carmelo Anthony trade, he has flourished under the wing of Billups.

After the Knicks overhauled their roster before the trade deadline, Douglas' role increased more than ever.  He was always the first backup point guard off the bench, but playing behind the aging Billups as opposed to the younger Raymond Felton meant more minutes.

Douglas rose to the occasion and has shown that he is capable of running the offense while Billups is on the bench.  During the regular season, Douglas averaged 10.6 points, three assists and over one steal in just over 24 minutes a game.  

He has tremendous court vision and can slash through the paint with ease.  Douglas is also a lethal three-point shooter, shooting nearly 42 percent from beyond the arc and led the NBA in three-point field goals made since the all star break.

Additionally, Douglas is a defensive juggernaut amid a team of defensive liabilities.  His quickness allows him to effectively defend elusive players like Boston's Rajon Rondo and if the opposition fails to protect the ball, he will come up with the steal again and again.

Overall, Douglas is a more than an adequate backup for Billups.  His stats are solid and his attributes are valuable.  He has showed great progress over the course of the season and the Knicks have high hopes for him.

But admittedly, this wasn't a part of his development plan.

Douglas has never been in this type of situation before.  Sunday night's game against the Celtics was his first-ever playoff game and now he is being asked to direct the offense in the second postseason game of his career.

The cohesiveness of the Knicks offense is in his hands, which is a lot of pressure to handle, especially in the postseason.  In Sunday night's game, Douglas showed his lack of playoff experience by failing to cover Ray Allen off a pick.  His confusing led him to fall, giving Allen just enough room to hit the game-winning three.

Now by no means is Sunday's loss on Douglas' shoulders.  He was rocky on the offensive end with only eight points on 3-of-8 shooting, but he did play incredible defense for almost the entire game.  His most significant weakness is his lack of experience.

However, this is a weakness that Douglas will overcome.  New York will barely miss a beat with Douglas running the offense.

Am I serious?

You bet.

Douglas is just as big of an offensive threat as Billups and an even better defender.  Billups has more playoff experience and is a proven clutch shooter, and he will be missed, but Douglas is up to the task of filling his shoes.

Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire will not be at all worried come game time, and neither should Knicks fans.

Douglas will find his rhythm in Game 2 and rise to the occasion like he has done time and time again. He knows Mike D'Antoni's offense inside and out, and he thrives in it.  His role has just increased once again.  

The Celtics may attempt to exploit Douglas early on in Tuesday night's game.  Look for Boston to run a lot of pick-and-rolls and expect Rondo to try and run Douglas into a state of confusion.

However, Rondo and the rest of the Celtics team are in for a rude awakening.  Douglas will not falter the way he did in the closing seconds of Sunday night's game.  He is a game-time player and will do what he does best, which is continue to perform at a high level.

So while it is undeniable that the loss of Billups leaves the cohesiveness of the entire Knicks offense and even their postseason fate in the hands of Douglas, this is no time for New York fans to throw in the towel.

Under the direction of D'Antoni and Billups, Douglas will prove he is just the player to step up and assume the starting point guard role.  

He will show the entire basketball world that New York's chances of pulling off an upset are not dampened now that he is directing the offense.

And that the fate of the Knicks postseason is in more than capable hands.