2012-2013 New York Knicks: A Glimpse of Greatness

2012-2013 New York Knicks: A Glimpse of Greatness

2012-2013 New York Knicks: A Glimpse of Greatness

When defining the professional basketball career of Carmello Anthony there will be some fans and basketball critics who will always compare Anthony’s career to that of another superstar who was drafted in the same year as him. Both Anthony and LeBron James were taken in the 2003 NBA Draft, and statistically speaking many hold LeBron’s numbers in higher regard. However, Anthony has had his own fair share of good basketball moments, and in the case of 2012-2013 New York fans got to see a glimpse of greatness, the potential that Anthony had when leading a solid enough team.

In the 2012-2013 NBA season the New York Knicks went 54-28, winning the Atlantic Division by 5 games over the Brooklyn Nets. The Knicks went 31-10 on their home court of Madison Square Garden and 23-18 on the road. The Knicks went 10-6 in divisional play. The Knicks remained solid throughout each month of the regular season as they went 11-4 in November, 10-5 in December, 7-6 in January, 6-5 in February, 12-6 in March and 8-2 in April.

Playing as a power forward Carmello Anthony easily led the team in points scored with 1,920 and had 460 rebounds and 171 assists, making 157 of 414 3-point shots and 425 of 512 free throws. Shooting guard J.R. Smith was Anthony’s “right hand man” when opting to pass the ball on offense. Smith had 1,446 points, 425 rebounds, 218 assists and 100 steals, making 155 of 436 3-point shots and 237 of 311 free throws. Point guard Raymond Felton had 948 points, 372 assists and 94 assists, making 93 of 258 3-point shots and 101 of 128 free throws. Center Tyson Chandler had 689 points, 703 rebounds and 75 blocks, making 255 of 400 field goal shots and 179 of 258 free throws. Small forward Steve Novak had 535 points and made 149 of 351 3-point shots and 30 of 33 free throws.

Power forward Chris Copeland had 486 points and made 59 of 140 3-point shots and 63 of 83 free throws. Shooting guard Jason Kidd had 458 points and made 114 of 325 3-point shots and 40 of 48 free throws. Power forward Amar’e Stoudemire had 413 points and made 154 of 277 field goal shots and 105 of 130 free throws. Shooting guard Iman Shumpert made 51 of 127 3-point shots. Point guard Pablo Prigioni made 53 of 134 3-point shots. Small forward Ronnie Brewer made 22 of 71 3-point shots. Center Rasheed Wallace made 22 of 69 3-point shots. Small forward James White made 14 of 41 3-point shots.

Though this would be seen as uncharted territory for the Knicks considering how much they had underachieved in recent years, the Knicks actually went on a large 13-game winning streak to close out the regular season on a great note. This winning streak showed that when the team had enough talent, superstars like Anthony were able to flourish. This winning streak began with a 90-83 win over the Utah Jazz on March 18, and it ended with a 120-99 win over the Washington Wizards on April 9.

In the 1^st Round of the Eastern Conference playoffs the Knicks were able to pass their first tough test as they downed the Boston Celtics 4 games to 2. In Game 1 on April 20 at Madison Square Garden the Knicks beat the Celtics 85-78. Carmello Anthony was the breakout star of the game, having 36 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals while making 4 of 6 3-point shots. In Game 2 on April 23 the Knicks won 87-71. Anthony was once again the main scoring force as he had 34 points and 4 rebounds while making 2 of 4 3-point shots. J.R. Smith had 19 points and made 2 of 4 3-point shots. In Game 3 on April 26 at the TD Garden the Knicks beat the Celtics 90-76. Anthony had 26 points and made 2 of 6 3-point shots.

In Game 4 on April 28 the Celtics beat the Knicks 97-90 in overtime. The Celtics then beat the Knicks again in Game 5 on May 1 at Madison Square Garden by the score of 92-86. The Knicks would quickly rebound from these 2 losses and put the Celtics away for good by beating them 88-80 in Game 6 on May 3 at the TD Garden. Anthony had 21 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Iman Shumpert had 17 points and 6 rebounds while making 3 of 3 3-point shots. Though he only had 9 points, Tyson Chandler pulled down 12 rebounds.

In the Eastern Conference Semifinals the Knicks would not be as fortunate as they would face a test that was too tough for them. The Knicks would fall 4 games to 2 at the hands of a very talented team in the Indiana Pacers. In Game 2 on May 7 at Madison Square Garden the Knicks crushed the Pacers 105-79. Carmello Anthony dialed up from long distance often as he had 32 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists while making 2 of 5 3-point shots. In Game 5 on May 16 at Madison Square Garden the Knicks defeated the Pacers 85-75. Anthony once again led the Knicks in scoring with 28 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Chris Copeland had a good game as he had 13 points and 4 rebounds while making 3 of 4 3-point shots. Raymond Felton had 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Tyson Chandler grabbed 8 rebounds.

Individually Carmello Anthony and Tyson Chandler would be voted into the 2013 NBA All-Star Game as their production on the court was well noticed. From 2010 to 2013 the New York Knicks experienced a brief period of winning where hope was reignited inside Knicks fans. However, this period was indeed brief as the Knicks would go back to struggling and playing under .500 basketball after the conclusion of the 2012-2013 campaign.