The New York Knicks may be well below .500, but they are playing much better than they have since Isiah Thomas took over running the team. The Knicks are only losing games by an average of 2.8 points. That is a remarkable improvement for a basketball team used to being blown out.

Madison Square Garden is seeing its share of competitive games now in the second year of Mike D’Antoni’s tenure as head coach. The personnel are definitely not that of a typical team or even a typical D’Antoni team, but the coach has successfully used the players he has to create mismatches and challenge other teams.

Forward Al Harrington is perimeter happy tweener that leads the team in scoring despite being an extremely streaky shooter. Center David Lee is manning the post despite really being a power forward. His ability to shoot from the outside and move without the ball makes him an 18-points-a-game thorn in every defenses side. Forward Danilo Gallinari is thriving in the system in his second year (and first healthy year) in the NBA. Guard/Forward Wilson Chandler is the do-anything player that helps keep this team together in difficult stretches. Forward Jared Jeffries has become a defensive specialist after searching for a role on the team for three years.

Obviously, from the paragraph above, this is a forward heavy team. Point guard Chris Duhon is benevolent passer whose distaste for scoring makes the team operate smoothly. This team may be simply biding time until the free agent sweepstakes this coming offseason, but they are finding out which role players could keep LeBron happy this year.

This season is perhaps the first season worth watching live since 2003. Get your Knicks tickets to see if New York once again has a basketball team to be proud of.