New York Knicks: Ten teams likely to win NBA title next season: NBA Special (Part-1)
In one of the most exhilarating NBA journeys, the 2010-2011 NBA season was eventually won by the Dallas Mavericks. Going into the NBA Finals as the under dogs, they defeated the strong Miami Heat on June 12th and won
the Larry O’ Brien trophy for the first time in their franchise history. The last NBA season was one of the most successful both in terms of viewership and endorsements.
However, beginning of the 2011-2012 NBA season is still doubtful. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has locked out its players over labour dispute with the Players Association. The NBA owners and the NBPA have been at loggerhead
over the distribution of the money generated by the league for more than two months now and until they reach an accord on the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), there will be no action.
However, the action is bound to happen sometime and when that time will come; there will be certain elite teams, which will be vying to have a shy at the biggest prize – the NBA Championship. In the article, we will rate the NBA
teams who are most likely to win next season’s title.
New York Knicks:
Last season, the New York Knicks performed well, but only in parts. Although, they qualified for the playoffs, but failed to live up to its and were swept out of the contention by the mighty Boston Celtics. The Knicks’ had all
the momentum when they entered into the post-season, but sudden spate of injuries, poor defensive strategy and a lack of team chemistry proved fatal for them and they were not able to fight back against the C’s.
However, the Knicks management has been active in removing last season’s kinks. Like in the last season when they made it into the post season for the first time in seven years, Knicks first priority will be to qualify for the
playoffs.
However, that was the season in which the Knicks bolstered their line up by the addition of Amare’ Stoudemire first and then by the addition of Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups in the infamous mid season trade saga. Stoudemire
led the Knicks well in the first half of the season, but injuries started to catch up after the All-Star game.
Add to it, the fact that Mike D’ Antoni, the Knicks coach, failed to clearly define the roles for Anthony and Stoudemire and the Knicks slump becomes all the more clear.
However, as time passed, chemistry between the two super stars grew and the Knicks finished the regular season strongly. They won a total of 42 games and lost 40 to finish sixth overall in the Eastern Conference.
Last season also exposed the defensive fragility of D’ Antoni. While, he is a good tactician on the offense, D’ Antoni is less than convincing when it comes to introducing a system at the D. To counter that problem, the Knicks
front office has roped in former Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Woodson, who is considered to be an authority in that aspect.
One more problem that the Knicks have got themselves into is that they shaved off most of their bench strength in the process of acquiring Anthony. They do not have fringe players, who can share the load with the starter on a more
regular basis. With the salary cap already overburdened, the Knicks have somehow got to find some raw talent to back their stars.
The spotlight though will be on Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire next season. Both are very talented and possess extraordinary basketball skills. If both these players can gel well next season, the chances are very high that
the Knicks will go deep in the title hunt.
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