Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks to Challenge the Heat for the Eastern Conference Crown?

It wasn't too long ago that Sports Illustrated's NBA Season Preview had the Knicks listed as getting all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals this spring against reigning league MVP LeBron James and the defending world champion Miami Heat.

Even in an Eastern Conference where the Celtics got older and less talented with Ray Allen's defection to Miami, Dwight Howard's exodus reverted Orlando from a deep playoff team to a team in deep trouble and a Chicago Bulls team that could be without their star player, Derrick Rose, for most, if not all of the year...it was a pretty optimistic pick.

After all, Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, despite their incredible talents, still could not play defense, or more importantly, play together on the same court as a unit. Jeremy Lin, the point guard whose uplifting play gave the Knicks a jolt last season, blasted off to Houston in free agency. Their off-season acquisitions of Jason Kidd, Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas were veterans, but they were all in their late 30s to early 40s, making the Knicks the oldest team in the league-a problem when dealing with younger, more athletic, elite teams like the Indiana Pacers or the Oklahoma City Thunder. And who could tell what was going to happen with the streaky-scoring J.R. Smith?

Stoudemire's knee surgery during the preseason to remove a cyst in the back of his left knee-which will leave him sidelined until at least mid-December-left more doubts as to what the cloudy fate of this deep, but older and unproven team could accomplish.

And then, sometime after the opening tip-off against the Heat in the backdrop of Hurricane Sandy-ravaged Madison Square Garden in New York during the season opener Nov. 2-which the Knicks won handily, 104-84-the strangest thing began to happen to the Knicks. It was something that hadn't happened all of the last lockout-shortened 66 games and five playoff games that their 2011-12 season lasted.

Things just started...clicking.

Anthony has started scoring dominantly-ranked No.1 among all scorers in the league with 26.8 points per game-but was starting to pass the ball more, get his teammates involved. Smith's play has been invaluable off the bench, ratcheting up 18.2 points and 2.2 steals in the last five games to make his case for Sixth Man of the Year early. Tyson Chandler has been his reliable self, pulling down 7.2 rebounds and hitting .633 from the field, fourth-best in the league. Ronnie Brewer has come into his own as a solid role player with defensive skills.

The tandem backcourt of the veterans Kidd and Raymond Felton, fresh off a stint in Portland, has played huge dividends for New York, with the ball being shared more often and the offense run more efficiently-New York ranks second in the league in team offense with 103.4 points per game, behind only Miami-as both Kidd and Felton have found the balance to combine for an average of 8.6 assists per game.

And most importantly...they're playing defense. Better than anyone in the league, in fact, with the Knicks limiting opponents to a league-best 87.8 points per game, while outscoring opponents by at least 15 points or more.

The word 'dominance' is not one to be lightly thrown around, but they have looked like exactly that, beating not only the world champion Heat, but the talented 76ers, the high-octane offense of Dallas and a deceptively tough Orlando Magic squad to remain the league's only undefeated team at 5-0. Did we mention that this is their best start since the 1993-94 Knicks started 7-0 before heading all the way to Game 7 of the NBA Finals?

It might be somewhat soon to debate this, but at 5-0 and looking like a well-oiled machine, the question must be asked-do the Knicks have what it takes to compete with, and maybe beat, LeBron James and the Heat?

They certainly have rapper Fat Joe, a diehard Knicks fan, believing.

"I really believe the Knicks are going to get past Miami," the rapper told ESPN. "I may be crazy, and I'm a Knicks fan, and I know it's way too early, and it's all based on no one getting hurt. I really believe we're going to get past Miami."

Fat Joe has reason to be excited. After all, the Knicks are playing at both ends with a tenacity and chemistry that has never been seen before. They're among the league leaders in defense, offense and three-point percentage as a team.

And when defensive specialist point guard Iman Shumpert and Stoudemire return, in theory, they can get much, much better-a scary thought if you're Miami, who looked more like chumps instead of champs when New York blew them out to open the season two weeks ago.

Granted, there are still a few problems that can occur. There's no telling whether Shumpert will be fully recovered after tearing his ACL in the first round of the playoffs last spring. And more importantly, there's the question of Stoudemire. Which version of "STAT" will we see-the dominant power forward who scored 25.3 points every night and revived the Knicks in 2010-11, gave New York its first NBA All-Star Game starter since Patrick Ewing and was a leading candidate for league MVP? Or the out-of-shape, unfocused player that let his scoring total dip to the worst since his rookie year at 17.5 points and could not find the balance to work with Carmelo when the two superstars shared the court?

There have been rumblings of Stoudemire coming off the bench to lead the second unit, especially with Anthony thriving in the starting power forward slot-Stoudemire's role.

The move has its pros and cons, and Knicks coach Mike Woodson would definitely have to work overtime to soothe some hurt feelings that come with having added pieces into the puzzle and successful roles suddenly under threat of change.

The theory, though unsuccessful thus far, is that the Knicks would benefit with having both Stoudemire and Anthony as a devastating one-two scoring punch to start games. It hasn't worked thus far as Stoudemire clogs up the middle with Chandler, while Given enough time, and barring further injuries, perhaps the two might finally get it right, if given a chance to work.

However, a bench led by Stoudemire and Smith would unquestionably give the Knicks the most devastating second unit in the league. With STAT down low in the post and free to roam at power forward while Smith wreaking havoc at the shooting guard position, the Knicks would have a new 1-2 scoring punch.

These are all questions that will have to be faced when Stoudemire and Shumpert inevitably return. Do the Knicks attempt to fix something that isn't broken, and is working just fine so far? Do they go with a new and different plan, something Woodson may have already been thinking about?

There are still more questions than answers at this point, but if the incoming reinforcements can improve on a seemingly already-perfect design, there are some folks in Boston and Miami that will have good reason to be very nervous, especially come May.