No Party in South Beach for the Knicks

Cancel the party at South Beach. The Knicks were derailed in Indiana.

Coming into the 2012-2013 NBA season, the New York not only thought they could finally win a playoff series -- their first since 2000 -- but they thought they could challenge the Miami Heat and advance to the NBA finals.

That did not happen, as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Knicks in six games and in doing so exposed many flaws in their game. Not only did they do that, but we also saw that the Knicks are not a very easy team to root for; they're a very unlikeable team. New York came into this season like they were entitled to make it to the finals, and let's face it, if Boston had Rajon Rondo, they would have been out in the first round.                                                                                                                                      

The players, not coach Mike Woodson, make this team unlikeable. The Knicks act like a team that has won before, and while a couple of the players have with other teams, New York has gone 41 years without a title. The Knicks whine everytime a call goes against them and celebrate loudly after every big basket. Start with Tyson Chandler, who was irrevelant against the Pacers. When he does score, and it usually is a dunk, he pounds his chest all the way down the court. When a foul is called on him, he flails his arms upward and berates the referres. Jason Kidd is next, and he was embarrassing in the playoffs. The Nets must be so happy they did not sign him this summer, although they really wanted to at the time. Kidd's run-ins with the law speak for themself. 

JR Smith was almost out of the league and had a bad reputation before he rebounded and had a great season. Against Boston, though, he reverted to his old ways with the elbow against Jason Terry and, after that, shot 34- for-116 from the floor for the rest of the playoffs. Enough said. Even Iman Shumpert imitated Terry's glide in Boston and Steve Novak, another invisible player in the playoffs, shows his fake championship belt when he hits a three. Amar'e Stoudemire does his dance after the few times he scores.

Talent alone does not win championships, character is a big part of it. The Knicks must not only improve their talent as Carmelo Anthony cannot do it all, although he will certainly try. Having said that, he also needs to spend more time tyring to make his teammates better.

And they all must improve their character. It may be an intangible, but they're going no farther without doing so.