by Anish Philip (@da_k0mish) – new contributor here on the New York Knicks Podcast website

Chicago is one of the favorites to dethrone the Heat in the Eastern Conference. They had a rocky start in Miami, and will be motivated to bounce back in a big way. That, plus Derrick Rose’s return, will have the Madhouse on Madison rocking to start.

Knicks’ turnovers nearly cost them the game against a far less competitor in their home opener. Woodson needs to right the ship, because the best quality the Knicks possessed last year was taking care of the ball.

Last year, the Bulls swept the series 4-0. 3 of those games were blowouts.

Komz keys to the game:

A. Run as much as you can. Let’s see theses Bulls keep up that defense in the final 5 mins after running a track meet.
B. Bulls help defense is the key to their success. Make them pay with consistent ball movement
C. Use 20 seconds a play. Quick shots don’t work against a team with 3 good rebounders monitoring the paint.
D. Limit the turnovers. Butler, Rose and Deng will all be playing the passing lanes and looking to capitalize in transition. Considering how hard it will be for the Knicks to get points, you can’t give them easy buckets.
E. The Bulls will come out gunning due to the aforementioned reasons. Take the first blow, and move forward. Stick to the script.
F. The young wings ready to fly. Jimmy Butler and Iman Shumpert are both 3rd year guards who have been considered high potential candidates. Their teams need them to cash in on some of that potential to stay entrenched in the top heavy East. The case could be made that both were there team’s best players in their openers. Who wins that matchup could determine the victor.

In a nutshell, execution is the key against a top defensive team. Be patient and take what the defense sacrifices. They’ll eventually change their plan, and maybe even stop with the help defense. Then you go to your ISO playmakers.