New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony says he only wants carry over one thing from the first half of the season, and that was their loss to the Miami Heat right before the break. The Heat were ready for the Knicks, they had a game plan to shut down Jeremy Lin and the rest of the offense and they executed it perfectly.
“The way that they prepared for our team, for our game, that’s something that I would like to take and bring that back to my team,” Anthony said. “Just the preparation that they put into the situation that it worked out.”
That game against the Heat was supposed to be a big test for the Knicks, a way to measure how far they’d come this season and see if they could contend with the top teams in the East. It didn’t go as well as they would have hoped.
If the playoffs were to start now, the Knicks would be a 7-seed matched up with the Chicago Bulls and probably be gone in 5 games. But there’s still time for them to get it together.
The Knicks have an extremely talented team that just hasn’t gelled together yet. They really are like the Heat, and Melo is on the right track saying they need to follow the precedent the Heat have set. Last year, Miami didn’t bust out of the gate, demolishing everyone in their path. If you remember, they actually started the season at 9-8. People were questioning whether or not a team with that many All-Stars could even play together. Then the Heat won 12 in a row on their way to an appearance in the NBA finals. This season they’re tied for the best record in the league and the favorites to win it all. They just needed some time.
The Knicks will have to do the same thing. They need to be patient and committed. Everyone needs to find their role and accept it. They all got a nice rest during the All-Star break and were back to work for practice on Tuesday. This was a very important practice for the Knicks and for coach Mike D’Antoni because they need to have a solid game plan going forward.
We’ll see what they come up with. They kick off their second half tonight at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but have a real test coming up quick. They have to play away against the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs on back-to-back nights next week. That will be another chance to see how they stand against the league’s best.
