It's amazing how much can change with just a little bit of time. The New York Knicks are well aware of that.

About a month ago, the Knicks were in the middle of a seven-game losing skid, their NBA playoffs chances being declared "all but mathematically dead", as described by The New York Daily News. Then they got hot, galvanized by the hiring of legendary NBA coach Phil Jackson to the team's front office, as New York went on an eight-game winning streak to catapult them back into the thick of the race for the final East playoff seed. Overall in their last 10 games, the Knicks (31-43) have won seven of them as they find themselves a game out of the eight and final playoff spot behind the Atlanta Hawks (31-41) as the season enters its final month.

For the Knicks, every game from here on out is a must-win. It's more than just their three-season playoff streak on the line. It's even more than their NBA Draft pick, which they would lose to the Denver Nuggets should they fail to reach the playoffs, up for grabs. For the Knicks find themselves with a more pressing mission than any of that looming this summer: convincing Carmelo Anthony, their biggest star and the centerpiece of their franchise, to stick around for the long haul.

The only way for them to do that, it seems, is by making a valiant effort into the final month of the season to be one of 16 teams going for NBA gold in the playoffs this spring.

It's not going to be easy, by any stretch. New York is a broken down team. Amar'e Stoudemire, playing on limited minutes, probably won't be back to full strength for a while, if ever. Tyson Chandler, the Knicks' defensive workhorse, is getting older. The Knicks have no serious and steady scoring option, with Stoudemire's playing time limited, Raymond Felton struggling and J.R. Smith too erratic to be counted on over a nightly basis. Defensively, the Knicks are only an average, middle-of-the-pack team that is allowing teams to score more points on them (100.2) than New York scores (98.5). All in all, that's not exactly a package that spells out "playoff team," led alone the word "championship," which is exactly what Anthony, the reigning league scoring champion and a seven-time NBA All-Star, is looking for before his prime years expires.

Anthony, who declared his intentions to test out free agency earlier in the season, has made it clear that wherever he decides to hang his hat this summer, he wants to compete for an NBA title, the one elusive crowning achievement missing in the former NCAA champion's resume. If New York want to keep Anthony - and they must, if they want to get anywhere regarding their rebuilding and championship aspirations - they have to convince Melo that they're the team he can bet on to get him a ring.

History isn't in their corner, as the Knicks haven't won a championship since 1973 - a team, ironically enough, that Jackson was part of. The roster they boast certainly isn't in their favor, as the pieces the Knicks have simply don't fit together in a way that completes the championship puzzle. And critics certainly aren't giving them the benefit of the doubt, with many analysts and pundits advising Anthony to head for the hills and get out of dodge as fast as he can.

They only have a few things in their favor. First, the fact that they are the only team that can offer Anthony the maximum amount of money that a superstar of his caliber is worth. While Anthony has indicated that his decision this summer has nothing to do with dollars and cents, leaving five years and up to roughly $130 million - the maximum that New York can offer Anthony to stay - is a lot of money to leave on the table, and Melo does have a family to think about. Second, the Knicks have Phil Jackson now. Granted, he won't be on the sidelines to guide the Knicks, but he's one of the most respected and decorated minds in basketball, and his input and influence into what will make the Knicks squad into a title contender will certainly be something Anthony will have to consider. And last, and yeah, it might not count for that much, but it still has to be considered, Melo has New York in his blood. He grew up in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, which is as New York as you can get. He grew up idolizing Knicks icon Bernard King. New York is his city and the Knicks are his team.

However, none of that will count for anything if the Knicks don't make the playoffs. Sure, they won't win against LeBron James and the loaded Miami Heat or Paul George and the talented Indiana Pacers, how can they? But a Knicks playoff appearance will show that the team has the heart to stay in the race. It's still a team that will have to be rebuilt, but if they can make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, despite all the bumps in the road they've suffered, it will show that the core of the Knicks can be competitive. And that will go a long way towards convincing Anthony that New York is the place for him. But it all rides on whether the Knicks can finish strong in the final eight games of the season. Their fate is in their hands, and the only thing for sure with the New York Knicks these days, is that nothing's for sure.