New York Knicks 2012-2013 Reflection

The Knicks 2012-13 season was a validation of hope for the fans of the orange and blue. After over a decade of agony, the Knicks were able to end their season with several bragging rights. The Knicks won the division, clinching it while on a thirteen game winning streak. Carmelo Anthony won the scoring title averaging 28.7 points per game. J.R. Smith won the NBA's Sixth Man award with a prolific season coming off the bench, simultaneously winning the hearts of fans in the big apple. For the Knicks, winning fifty-four games this past season was their best season in fourteen years, but unfortunately the playoffs were a completely different story. And with New York's, "what have you done for me lately" attitude among the fans, the Knicks are due for a reasonable amount of criticism after an early departure in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

A substantial amount of blame virtually goes to every member of the Knicks roster, players and coaches alike. The Indiana Pacers vastly outplayed and out coached the Knicks in the Eastern Semi-Finals. By sheer will and determination were the Knicks able to force the series to six games, but the Knicks woes truly started following game three against the Boston Celtics. J.R.'s infamous elbow to Jason Terry drastically seemed to turn the tide of the Knicks throughout the rest of the playoffs. After an emphatic 3-0 start against Boston, it took the Knicks six games to defeat the Boston Celtics, and even in the game six victory in Boston the Knicks looked incoherent as a ball club. The Celtics were able to go on a 20 point run, virtually ruining the feel-good vibe of the Knicks first playoff series victory in thirteen years and scaring Knicks fans everywhere. Fortunately for the Knicks Boston had woes of their own and they were able to advance in the playoffs, but a serious amount of flaws were seen in the Knicks that were not cured throughout their demise.

The conversation, as well as the Knicks offensive game plan, begins with Carmelo Anthony. The knock on Melo over the course of his ten year career is that he can't get to the finals. Throughout his time in Denver and New York, Carmelo has never missed the playoffs and yet he has never been on a team able to make it to the big dance. His goal of winning a championship in New York has been clearly noted since the day he arrived, but a simple glance at his stat sheet clearly indicates the problem that's prohibited him from achieving it over the years. This season in the playoffs he was consistent with his scoring numbers, averaging 28.7 points per game, but his numbers were unfortunately similar to recent years in regards to his shooting woes. In twelve playoff games this season, Carmelo took a whopping 310 shots, making 126 of them for a disappointing field goal percentage of about 40 percent. While simultaneously, Carmelo averaged only a dismal 1.6 assists per game. That stat line clearly indicates what any junior varsity player could observe: Carmelo is shooting too much. To be fair, Mike Woodson's game plan encouraged Melo to shoot, but from a clear look at statistics that type of style hasn't worked for Carmelo and is not the proper path to championship folklore.

The new notion at Madison Square Garden among the fans, coaches, players, and most importantly Carmelo himself, has to be a simple realization that Carmelo Anthony is not LeBron James. The majority of Knicks turnovers throughout the playoffs consisted of Melo bringing the ball up as a "Point-Forward" type player just as LeBron does (only LBJ does it well). For the Knicks to have success Carmelo doesn't have to do it all himself. He has to utilize his teammates in a way that he's never done before throughout his career. 1.6 assists per game quite frankly doesn't cut it.

That being said, a fair amount of Carmelo's teammates struggled in the post season. One of the most obvious of them being J.R. Smith. Following his suspension of a foolish elbow to Jason Terry, J.R. entered an atrocious shooting slump. While he endured the flu and some recently apparent swelling in his knee, J.R. continued to shoot brick after brick, following with a more exasperating groan from Knicks fans with every miss. J.R.'s stubbornness to keep shooting and Woodson's refusal to bench J.R. in key situations impacted the Knicks quite negatively throughout the playoffs. It's a tough call, but a certain recollection of John Starks shooting slump in game seven of the NBA finals couldn't help but come across the minds of Knicks fans. Some fans to this day believe that Pat Riley should have benched Starks, but that is a debate that will never have a pure answer. Just as Woodson's faith in J.R. does not either.

Several other forms of criticism are also well deserved for this disappointing conclusion of the 2012-13 season. Tyson Chandler was virtually invisible on the offensive end throughout the playoffs. After overcoming his disgusting shooting funk in the regular season, Jason Kidd went back to old scoreless habits. After establishing himself as a consistent scorer in the playoffs, Raymond Felton was unable to be a factor in a huge game six against the Pacers. And Mike Woodson's rotation decisions deserve criticism as well, where were Steve Novak and Marcus Camby during dire times of Knick need? Marcus Camby had fouls to give on Hibbert and the Knicks shooting woes were so bad that it's an insane thought to not even give Novak a chance. The explanation for Novak's lack of minutes is that he wouldn't be able to keep it up on the defensive end. That's extremely hypocritical if that's the case, Amar'e Stoudemire's fifteen minutes a game were an utter waste of time, and he's never been able to guard anyone throughout his career. Being the 100 million dollar man, there's naturally pressure from upstairs for Woodson to play Amar'e, but it clearly did not benefit the team in any way shape or form given the situation they were in.

Knicks fans can choose to funnel their blame towards individuals, but the entire team deserves criticism for their lack of ball continuity on the offensive end, and their spurts of inconsistent defense. But at this point the Knicks thoughts are now on next season, and fans are in store for an eventful off season. The future of players such as Kenyon Martin, Jason Kidd, Pablo Prigioni, and J.R. Smith is not clear. Smith made his thought process known however to the press, "They tried to rely on me, and I didn't step up. Regardless of what they say about me or my game, that won't happen again," (New York Post). Smith, who will likely enter free agency, has also said he tremendously desires to retire as a Knick. Time will tell about the future of the Knicks roster for the 2013-14 season.

For the Knicks to get to the championship, changes need to be made, or changes will be made. New York is one of the toughest places to play, but players like Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith can't put the weight of the entire team on their shoulders. It leads to poor basketball, as explained by the Knicks very own Iman Shumpert following elimination, "We failed. We were supposed to go further and we didn't. I think we need some more continuity as far as running something that everybody knows we're in it...we're just sort of out there and it becomes watching whoever has the ball, and we can't do that," (Newsday).

Players like Carmelo and J.R. have shown their skill sets, their blessed scoring ability, and their heart and toughness. It was recently revealed in an MRI that Carmelo Anthony had been playing with a torn labrum in his shoulder after Kevin Garnett pulled his arm in Boston. That type of mental psyche to do whatever it takes to help the team win is the kind of stuff legends are made of, and it's exactly the type of play that can put players in New York folklore forever. But being conceited to the point where it becomes selfish is what will get players in the dog house, and there's a fine line between those two things. The problem with players like Melo and J.R. that fans witnessed in the playoffs is completely mental...the ability and heart is there, everyone has seen that.

Carmelo Anthony wants to be a star, that much has been clear since day one. But if he wants that number 7 hanging from the rafters at the Garden, he would be wise to take a look at the other names that are there. Not one of the Frazier's, Monroe's, or Ewing's were able to get there without the utter faith and trust in their teammates to assist them in the pursuit of their dreams.

Yes it's tough to win in New York, just ask the great Patrick Ewing. But if Carmelo, and the Knicks as a whole for that matter, don't display trust in their teammates in quick years to come, the window of opportunity will be shut as quickly as it was opened.

Knicks Nation Stand Up

By Anthony Beers 

The last time the Knicks won the Atlantic Division Jason Kidd was a sophomore at California, Iman Shumpert was three and Michael Jordan was playing minor league baseball. That was all in 1994, an entirely different era of basketball.

Alas, following one of the roughest decades in Knicks history, the New York Knickerbockers are back as a legitimate contender to make a run at the NBA finals. The Atlantic Division champs wrapped up their season clinching the two seed in the Eastern Conference with an impressive record of 54-28. Carmelo Anthony won the scoring title averaging 28.7 points per game, and JR Smith winning sixth man of the year is highly imminent. All of these encouraging statistics have given Knicks fans a Clyde-esque “pep in their step.”  

Naturally it is fitting that the Knicks will begin their playoff quest against the Boston Celtics. The very team that has mortified Knicks fans over recent years. Saying it is a rivalry is almost foolish, because it can’t be a rivalry if one team consistently beats the other. For years now, that has been the Celtics, a dominant force to be reckoned with in the East constantly crushing Knicks hopes time and time again.

But for Knicks fans this year, wheels are in motion for a change. The Knicks defeated Boston three out of four times in the regular season. The Celtics are a shell of their former selves with Ray Allen gone and Rajon Rondo out with a torn ACL. The pressure shifts to the aging veterans Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, who as Knicks and honey nut cheerios fans know, will do anything to get inside the head of opponents.

This series without question will tell a lot. The Celtics are on the decline and the Knicks are on the rise. Something’s got to give. The Knicks have shown this season that they are ready to take the torch. They’ve clinched home court advantage in the opening round and have the ultimate advantage: Madison Square Garden. The Mecca of basketball will be livid throughout this series against Boston. Everyone will be waiting for that stellar moment that brings the world’s most famous arena to its feet.

Recently the Knicks honored past greats at the garden in remembrance of their last championship in 1973. Legends Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Bill Bradley, Earl “the Pearl” Monroe, Phil Jackson, and of course the captain Willis Reed were among the many in attendance on this very special night. Forty years ago the meaning of “team” was re-defined by these men and today their numbers hang from the ceiling to remain in Knicks folklore forever. Knicks fans have been through many roller coasters since then. These positive and negative moments all worth remembering, but the ultimate goal never reached…

It’s time for this Knicks team to honor the ghosts of the past and leave it all on the court. The fans of New York deserve it after all these years, and the Knicks have worked too hard to get to this point only to lose to the Celtics. It’s time for a change. 

The forgotten empire of Knicks basketball shall rise again…