Well, the miracle happened huh!
I wrote: "We have 15 games before the All Star break. I'm thinking 10-5 would be a miracle. 8-7 might even be a long shot. At 7-12, could we be looking at the turning point or our we facing the abyss?"
Then returned after we went 1-1 (beating DET, then losing to CHI). We then hit our low point blowing the next game in BOS, & were on the verge of losing to NJ until J-Lin came in & got his opportunity... And away we went.
Think about it. Without Lin our season might be over. We were 8-15, and our 2 Big stars were about to disappear for 10 games. We easily go 5-10 w/out Lin. Instead, we get a miracle, & Jeremy saves our season. Instead of 13-25, the Knicks emerge from the All-Star break 17-18. After beating CLE, we're suddenly at .500 again.
18-18.
What we have to consider: Not only did a PG miracle happen, as Mike D'antoni created one somehow on XBOX and breathed life into him... Without J-Lin, we might not have seen the emergence of Steve Novak. Because of J-Lin, the Knicks now possess one of NBA's hottest snipers (& ideal spot-up shooters). Because of Lin, we're able to recruit JR Smith. I mean, if we're 15-25, you think JR Smith signs here? maybe not.
I realize a brutal 4 game road trip begins tomorrow in BOS. The rest of March is going to be brutal as well. But, this Knick team going to BOS is much different than the team that played there less than 20 games ago.
Think about it.
We have a legit PG now. Doesn't have to be a top-5 floor general. Just being better than T-Douglas is a nice start. After watching B-Davis dishing the ball last game, we can dream again, no? We now have the perfect PG 2-headed dragon. Lin-Davis could even play together when we're looking for offense & to shake things up.
We know have one of NBA's best 6th men in JR Smith. He's staying inbetween the lines, & playing hard on both ends. With Fields, Smith & Shumpert we have SG covered. We have offense, defense, rebounding, scoring, & whatnot. We now have 5 legit guards we can rotate. With Smith, we also now can use Fields to back-up melo at SF.
With Novak we have instant offense & the 3-point threat D'anotni's offense needs. He's big and he can shoot. He deserves 15-20 minutes a night. RIDE HIM.
We have Jared Jeffries who plays solid team defense. Takes the charge. A nice sub at PF/C.
We have one of the deepest teams in NBA right now. We can play many different styles of bball. On any given night, we can beat you with multiple looks.
This rotation is 10 deep. people are playing team ball. All for 1.
Mike D'antoni, Carmelo & Amar'e are out of excuses. They have a PG/C. They have a bench & role players. Everything is in place. If we fail it'll be b/c our studs come up small.
Do we have enough time to gel, and get things going?
I do know this: This team mirrors what the Mavs were last season. The only difference is D'anotni (offense) vs Carlisle (defense).