I know that there is one more regular season game left for the Knicks, but I still feel it's time to assess the teams Strengths and Weaknesses going into this year playoffs. I feel much better about the team this year than I did last year going into round 1. The Knicks are a top defensive team and that one change is a huge difference over last year. We have strength in the paint and on the perimeter. They have the ability to crank up the defensive intensity to a high level. We've got a few weak spots at PG and Forward but overall this team really can bring it on the defensive end.

The weaknesses as I see them are in the fact that we still have some issues with how to mesh STAT and Melo on the floor together. It requires precise execution of the offensive sets, which hasn't happened consistently. So I think this forces Woody to go with the plan to play STAT by himself and Melo by himself. They clearly play better when things are simple and they are the focus of the offense. If they had more time to work on better sets I think they can coexist, but that's not gonna happen this late in the game and we have to do with what works.

We also have some shaky PG play and IMO things actually look better when we don't run thru Baron or Bibby. This team works better when they can spread the floor and force the defense to have to cover the entire court. It would be great if Baron and Bibby could push the ball but that seems to be something JR and Shump are better at so we'll have to rely on them to get the tempo up.

If we do end up playing the Heat I think it's gonna be tough. I do think that the Knicks can put a lot of pressure on them which is something a lot of teams can't do. We have an advantage with Melo and to a lesser degree with STAT. The one really key thing is how JR, Fields, Novak and Shump play in this series. If they can play like they have to end the year this team can really put a lot of pressure on the Heat or Bulls. When those guys step up their game it really changes the game cuz we can really hammer teams with our depth. I'm somewhat confident about the Knicks coming up with some big performances. Neither the Heat nor Bulls are perfect teams either. We've been competitive even tho we didn't win as much as I hoped against these two teams. It should be a great series no matter who we play.

Two things to note:

For the first time in a long time, you can say Knicks and defense in the same sentence, and STAT finally passed the ball instead of forcing the shot over three guys. On a typical Stoudemire foray into the middle off of a spin move, instead of bowling over the defensive player, he passed to an open Novak in the corner for the three. Hope springs eternal

Stat is definitely the wildcard. If he performs the way he did before he injured his back, then we have a great shot. If he plays the way he did last night vs the Clippers, it may be a short series.

Our strengths have to be our ability to matchup well with any team we face.

Weakness is still the questionable fit of the frontcourt. Stat has been back, and his only good game came with Chandler out of the lineup. He may still have a shot to fit, but has yet to do it.

I do believe that Shump will be a major factor with his defense. The Heat haven't really felt the full power of our defense yet. They also haven't felt the full power of our offense when it's clicking. It only takes a few shots for JR, Novak and Shump to get them going.

I also think the Garden will be a huge factor for the Knicks. It will be rocking this year and With a REAL DPOY Center this team is going to be extremely tough to beat no matter who we play. I think our players have reached a peak in confidence and that is a HUGE plus going into this years playoffs verses last year.