For the Knicks, the Point Guard Problem Gets Worse Three games into their best of seven series, the Miami Heat have dominated the New York Knicks. Although some of the games have been close at times, Miami has pulled out victories by margins of 33, 10, and 17 points. That the Heat have not allowed the Knicks within 10 points of victory by the final buzzer speaks to their authority in this engagement. Although most pundits expected the Knicks to put up a stronger fight, the reason for poor showing from the New York crew is the lack of a good point guard. The New York Knicks started off their 2012 season in a disappointing fashion. After a loss in Boston on Feb. 3, the Knicks had a record of 8-15. Up until this point, New York's starting point guards had been Toney Douglas (9 games), rookie Iman Shumpert (15 games), and Mike Bibby (1 game). The next game in New Jersey, the team was so desperate they inserted seldom used Jeremy Lin mid-game. At this point Linsanity ensued. Nine games later, Baron Davis would make his first appearance in a Knick jersey. From then on, the point guard rotation was primarily Lin, Davis, and Shumpert with the rookie spending most his time at off-guard. Lin contributed both with his shot and court vision. Shumpert was freed from running the offense, a difficult task for a rookie, and concentrated on terrorizing opposing guards on defense. Davis provided a change of pace with the second team. The three complemented each other and provided stable play at the point guard position. From Lin's insertion until his injury in late March the Knicks" record was a sizzling 17-10. In the last month without Lin, the Knicks still won more than they lost, but they struggled to find a balance at point guard. Davis and Shumpert were the starting guards, but New York reverted to Bibby and Douglas as the reserve. As the Knicks faced off against the Heat, they lost Shumpert in Game 1. Without two of their top point guards, New York's offense has collapsed. Neither Davis nor Bibby have the ability to beat their opponent off the dribble consistently, which has given the Heat's defense a huge advantage. Because of this, Miami has fronted Carmelo Anthony in the mid-post, and run shooters off the three point line. Both of these tactics have completely disrupted the New York offense. By making the Knicks struggle to get Anthony the ball, they've reduced the number of plays he can make for his teammates. Case in point, during the regular season Steve Novak attempted 10 three pointers for every 36 minutes played. In this series against Miami, he has played nearly 67 minutes and only managed to take 6 shots from downtown. When teams are overplaying on defense, it's the point guard's duty to make them pay by taking the action to the basket. Davis and Bibby have been unable to counteract Miami's game plan. It's unlikely that New York will reclaim this series against Miami down three games to none. It's even less likely without Shumpert and Lin to help stabilize the point guard spot. Mike Kurylo is the founder and editor of KnickerBlogger.net, a member of ESPN's True Hoop Network. He is on Twitter (@KnickerBlogger).