Who Is Going to Help Melo?

There is no doubt that when it comes to the postseason in professional sports, big-time players need to come through whenever they possibly can.

When these players cannot get the job done, secondary players will usually step in and do what they can to contribute. These kinds of players are necessary in all sports because when it comes down to it, one player cannot do everything by himself.

One team in the NBA that has yet to learn that is the New York Knicks. The Knicks may have one of the greatest pure scorers in NBA history in Carmelo Anthony but if he is off his game, it usually means trouble for the Knicks.

This has been obvious in the Knicks' second round series with the Indiana Pacers. Down 2-1, Melo is not at the top of his game and unfortunately for the Knicks, no one else seems to be either.

The team has made poor decisions with the basketball, have utilized poor shot selection, and not enough buckets are being made at the right time. Put these three things together and the Knicks are a more than beatable basketball team.

I am not necessarily knocking Melo and the Knicks here. Rather, I am trying to figure out who is going to step up for this team when Anthony struggles? 

Yes, Anthony will get his points but when he gets double teamed, gets forced into taking bad shots and does not get good looks at the basket, which one of his teammates is going to come to his rescue? Looking at the Knicks roster right now, it is hard to pick a player.

Amar'e Stoudemire is a big man who can grab boards and get baskets down low for the team. With that said, head coach Mike Woodson is not going to give him a lot of minutes so who knows what kind of numbers he is going to put up.

J.R. Smith is a huge question mark. He is taking a lot of terrible shots, is struggling from the outside and is also a bit under the weather. When you put those three things together, it does not add up to a reliable secondary scorer.

Lastly, Anthony needs to do a better job passing the ball. We all know he can score but to win in the playoffs, the whole team needs to be going, not just one player.

Down 2-1 in this series and with Game 4 on tap for tonight, the Knicks better have an answer on how to play winning basketball or else they could end up getting bounced right out of the postseason.