Carmelo Anthony – Page 3 – NEW YORK KNICKS LOYALIST

Melo’s 33 Points Leads Knicks Past Kings 103-100

Photo Credit: USA Today Sports Images

Were you sweating bullets when Melo missed two free throws and Cousins put up that potential game-tying heave from past half-court? In years past, it would’ve been typical Knicks for this game to head into overtime. In 2016, the Knicks have the knack for winning close games as they overcame their inconsistent defense to defeat the Kings 103-100 in Sacramento.

MELO BOUNCES BACK: After a rough two days of deflecting Phil Jackson’s alleged “ball hog” comments and only managing 8 points in a blowout loss to the Cavs, Melo came out firing. He was 6/8 in a 15 point first quarter and had 23 by half-time. With Porzingis struggling, it was again on Melo’s shoulder to carry the scoring load.

Although he cooled off in the second half, he thrived from the free throw line (12/14 including two clutch ones to put New York up 103-100). It’s also important to not overlook Melo’s 7 boards and 4 assists. He made some beautiful passes out of double teams.

JENNINGS GIVES AND TAKETH AWAY: What an up and down game from Brandon Jennings in his second start. Offensively, most of his decision swere sound. He had 13 points on 50% shooting (5/10), and dished out 7 assists. But he also had some highly dubious moments. In the third with the Knicks up seven and trying to pull away, Jennings had back to back bonehead turnovers for easy layups. From there the game turned into a dogfight.

Worst of all was an airball free throw. However, Jennings atoned for his sins with two clutch ones in the fourth. Without him, we lose this game.

O’QUINN AND NOAH: DeMarcus Cousins didn’t have his three-point shooting tonight (0/6), but he ran amuck in the paint to the tune of 28 points and 12 rebounds. But our tandem of O’Quinn and Noah made him work and put their own stamps on the game. O’Quinn was so good last night that Hernangomez didn’t see the floor. Along with 8 points, O’Quinn snatched down 11 boards (5 offensive).

Noah added 9 boards and 2 blocks, but his biggest contribution was at the free throw line. With 2:09 remaining, the Kings held a 98-97 lead and tried the “Hack a Noah” strategy. Noah made them pay by hitting both free throws and New York never trailed again. A moment like that should be a huge confidence boost.

COME BACK SOON, D-ROSE: With Derrick Rose out, our primary backup PG is Sasha Vujacic. I’m sure I don’t need to go into detail why that didn’t work out too well last night (3 turnovers in 9 minutes).

SHOOTING WOES: I don’t know what is going on with Porzingis, but we need him to get it together and fast. Despite being 6/19 from the field (17 points), his 10 rebounds were a huge part of the Knicks’ dominance on the boards. This season has revealed that Melo cannot physically dominate every night anymore. For this five-game road trip to be successful, the Knicks need Porzingis to have a few 20-point games.

Last night’s win makes the Knicks 4-0 this season in games decided by 3 points or less. The Knicks head to L.A. on Sunday to face the Lakers.

https://youtu.be/kD8Nx_QVIcY

[Video] Reality Check – Cavs Hammer Knicks 126-94

Photo Credit: USA Today Sports Images

The narrative for tonight’s showdown against the Cavaliers was the Knicks finding out where they stood against the NBA’s elite. The result was a brutal reality check as Cleveland toyed with New York before pulling away in the third quarter in a 126-94 rout at Madison Square Garden.

WEAKNESSES EXPLOITED: I’ve been saying it all season and will continue to do so. Until this team learns competent three-point defense, they’ll be exposed against elite competition. Today’s NBA is predicated on the three-point shot. Once again, Porzingis made poor decisions on double teams and close-outs with his stretch four, allowing Kevin Love to drop 16 points in the first quarter with four three-pointers. At halftime, the Cavs held a 63-48 lead largely on the 50% (8/19) shooting from downtown. For the game, they were a ridiculous 22/40.

On offense, the Knicks were passive allowing the Cavs defense to bully them and force 16 turnovers (which the Cavs converted into 17 points).

SCARED TO COMPETE: This is the second time we’ve played like trash against the defending champs. Yes, some will use the built-in excuses of Derrick Rose being out with back spasms and this being the second night of a back to back. Hogwash. The mentality of this team is markedly different when we face Cleveland.

We play scared and let them dictate the pace. On a night where Melo was clearly fatigued and didn’t have it (8 points, 4/9 in 24 minutes), no one could carry the load. Porzingis had a quiet 12 points and continued his shooting slump (5/15). Jennings had 16 points in his first start, but could only manage 3 assists, giving you a clear indicator of how badly Cleveland shut down New York’s offense.

BIG THREE RUNS RAMPANT: Cleveland’s All-Star trio combined for 59% of the team’s scoring load with 74 points. LeBron James chipped in 25 points. Love had 21 and Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 28. Tristan Thompson dominated the glass with 20 rebounds.

The only good thing about this game is that it’s over. The Knicks will lick their wounds and begin a 5-game West Coast road trip on Friday. The next opponent should be a welcome sight in the Sacramento Kings.

https://youtu.be/X5lmi6PKjno

Carmelo Anthony Moves Into 10th on Knicks All-Time Scoring List

Photo Credit: USA Today Sports Images

Last night, Carmelo Anthony’s season-high 35 points against the Miami Heat was enough to secure a win and his status as the 10th highest scorer in Knicks history. Anthony has 9011 points in seven NBA seasons in New York, pushing him past Bill Cartwright for #10 and behind Bill Bradley (9217) for the #9 spot.

Barring injury, Anthony is on pace this season to enter into the Top 5 currently held by Patrick Ewing (23,665), Walt Frazier (14,617), Willis Reed (12,183), Allan Houston (11,165) and Carl Braun (10,449).

Pat’s #1 spot is out of reach, but I expect Melo to nab that #2 spot before he hangs it up.

Trap Game Averted: Melo’s 35 Leads Knicks Over Heat 114-103

Photo Credit: USA Today Sports Images

With the world champion Cavaliers on deck for Madison Square Garden tomorrow, the Knicks’ challenge was being unfocused for tonight’s game against an injury-hampered Heat.

They were for about 24 minutes. Then talent and focus took over.

Carmelo Anthony poured in a season-high 35 points, and five other Knicks hit double figures to extend the Knicks’ winning streak to four ahead of tomorrow’s big Eastern Conference showdown. The “old Knicks” would have blown this game, but this team is playing with confidence.

SPREADING THE WEALTH: Aside from Melo’s 35 points, the other starters came through. Melo started 2/8, but Derrick Rose carried the first quarter scoring load with 8 points. Porzingis had another subpar shooting night (6/15), but once again his defense and 12 rebounds picked up the slack.

Foul trouble aside, Joakim Noah had his best game in a long time (10 points, 10 rebounds). He battled on even terms with Hassan Whiteside and got three tip-ins. If not for picking up his fourth foul by 8:29 in the third, we might have put this game away early.

O’QUINN, THOMAS AND JENNINGS LEAD THE BENCH: Kyle O’Quinn had no fear against Whiteside. He had 2 blocks at the rim on the Miami star and a couple dunks. There was some jawing back and forth, which I loved. O’Quinn had 12 points which 5 of his 7 rebounds coming on the offensive end. O’Quinn nor anyone else could stop Whiteside (23 points, 14 rebounds), but it was in vain with him being a -24 in 38 minutes.

Lance Thomas was superb in his 21 minutes with 11 points. He hit 2 threes, then did damage from mid-range off catch n’ shoots and fakes. His defense isn’t on last year’s level yet, but his offense coming around is a welcome surprise.

Despite getting yelled at by Coach Hornacek for not shooting when open, Jennings still manned the offense well with 9 assists in 24 minutes, including a buzzer beating layup to end the third. With Rose forced to sit with back spasms, Jennings’ play was pivotal in this win.

THREE-POINT DEFENSE STILL A CONCERN: The Knicks went down by 9 in the second behind the open threes given to Miami. The problem wasn’t cleaned up in the second half as the Heat finished 11/25 from downtown. Against a Miami team hampered by injuries with only 9 available players, the Knicks were able to get away with it. But with elite teams, we’d be looking at the wrong end of a blowout.

Tomorrow night, the Cavaliers will show us how much we’ve progressed since opening night. Being this is the third game in four nights, it won’t come easy.

https://youtu.be/-pkiI1bJCXE

Karl Anthony Towns Drops 45 Points, But Melo Nails Game-Winner in 106-104 Win

Photo Credit: USA Today Sports Images

When Karl Anthony Towns hit his first nine shots and scored 22 points in the first quarter, the Knicks knew they were in for a long night. But a timely Carmelo Anthony mid-range jumper with 2.3 seconds left was enough for the Knicks to hold off a 21-3 run from the Timberwolves to take a 106-104 win and get back to .500.

THE GOOD: The Knicks had stretches of excellent ball movement. They started off with every Knick getting an assist in the opening minutes and hitting their outside shots. Brandon Jennings (12 points, 7 assists, 2 steals) was our biggest spark in getting open looks for Porzingis (29 points, 8 rebounds) and Kuzmiskas (14 points, career-high). The team had 24 assists and looked primed for an easy win with a 17 point lead and 7 minutes remaining.

THE BAD: The Knicks also showed their bipolar tendencies by literally collapsing in the last six minutes and allowing the Wolves to go on a game-tying 21-3 run. The Knicks let Karl Anthony Towns live at the line while stopping the clock, didn’t secure loose balls, and gave up open shots. Worse yet, the Knicks stopped attacking and everyone looked scared to shoot, resulting in poor possessions and spacing.

THE UGLY: How bad was the free throw disparity? The Wolves had 39 attempts compared to New York’s 15. Towns had 20 attempts by himself. Speaking of Towns, the man hit a career-high with 47 points, and added 18 rebounds and 3 blocks. Luckily for the Knicks, they outscored the weak Wolves’s weak bench 43-5 to get some breathing after being down 31-28 after the first quarter.

REDEMPTION: Melo only took his first shot with 2 minutes remaining in the first quarter. He was clearly trying to be a faccillitator, and perhaps that was spurred by the boos he heard in Monday’s loss to the Thunder. In the second half, his shot wasn’t there and he ended up shooting a poor 5/16 from the field and was a -17. Nonetheless, Melo reminded us of his clutch gene on that game-winner over Andrew Wiggins.

Let’s be happy we only have to see Towns one more time on Friday.

Black Friday Thriller: Melo’s 35 and a Rose Block Hold Off Hornets in OT 113-111

Photo Credit: USA Today Sports Images

24 hours after Thanksgiving, the Knicks tried to give their fans a heart attack with a dramatic last-play win over the Charlotte Hornets. With Kristaps Porzingis struggling most of the game, the load was on Melo to will the Knicks to victory. He did, but not without timely plays down the stretch from Rose and Porzingis on both sides of the ball.

WHOSE TEAM IS THIS???: The rumblings had started again. “Melo is freezing out Porzingis.” “Porzingis needs to be the #1 option.” Last game we even heard boos when Melo went iso. Tonight, all that nonsense was silenced with Melo shooting and passing (gasp!) his team to victory. As Porzingis found himself limited by foul trouble and 2/6 shooting (5 points), Melo picked up the slack for his protegé with 16 points in the first quarter (6/8 shooting).

After falling behind by 13 in the third, a tech on Coach Hornacek seemed to ignite the Knicks, who reeled off a 15-2 run to tie it at 72. That run was driven by a Melo three-point play and a three-pointer.

The extremely tight game saw trading hoops in the fourth with Melo again making big plays. He found Hernangomez twice for drives to the rim. And when the game went into overtime, Melo was the dominant offensive player with two jumpers, including the game-winning fadeaway, to cement the 113-111 win.

The final stat line is monstrous — 35 points, 14 points, 5 assists, 2 steals and a block.

PORZINGIS AND ROSE MEET CHALLENGE: These two didn’t have great shooting nights, but Rose and Porzingis left their marks on this win. Rose (16 points, 5 assists) made Kemba Walker work on defense by being aggressive with rim drives in the fourth quarter and overtime. His bank shot that put the Knicks up 104-101 with 22 seconds left would have been the game-winner if not for a bonehead rookie foul from Hernangomez. And with three seconds left in OT, Rose’s block on Kemba Walker’s three prevented a heart-breaking loss going into the weekend.

Porzingis (16 points 6/16, 8 rebound, 2 blocks) had several threes in the fourth to put New York in the lead, but his strongest contribution was on defense. Two dramatic blocks at the rim on Cody Zeller and Frank Kaminsky in crunch time prevented Charlotte from building momentum. Although he was a -12, his aggression on defense was essential to holding off Charlotte.

QUIET PERFORMANCES: Hernangomez (6 points, 9 rebounds) got a lot of deserved grief for his dumb foul that sent the game into OT, but his overall play means all is forgiven. In 20 minutes, he was a +16 and ignited runs with his cutting to the rim.

Overall, the second unit had issues with Kuzmiskas being held scoreless (0/6) in 24 minutes, and Brandon Jennings not being able to push the pace with KP struggling. The Hornets’ bench outscored them 44-28 behind 32 combined points from Kamisky and Belinelli.

The Knicks won’t have much time to rest on their laurels as the back to back concludes tomorrow in Charlotte.

https://youtu.be/9G0SpwyA4H4

Melo, D-Rose and D-Wade Celebrate Thanksgiving

After an impressive win on Tuesday against the Trailblazers, Derrick Rose let it be known that he invited himself to Carmelo Anthony’s house for Thanksgiving. Earlier today, La La Anthony snapped a nice picture of the Knicks stars that also included Dwyane Wade.

During summer free agency, we had a few days were it appeared Wade was considering the Knicks. Imagine if that would have came to fruition? Sorry, Courtney Lee…

Thanksgiving at The Anthony’s 🦃❤️🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/DfL7TncRsx

— LA LA (@lala) November 25, 2016

Melo’s 31 Points Lifts Knicks Past Hawks 104-94

Photo Credit: USA Today

Sunday’s game had the chance to be a defensive disaster when news hit that Joakim Noah was out. Dwight Howard did run rampant, but Carmelo Anthony’s 31 points and sound team defense gave the Knicks an impressive 104-94 win over the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden.

NOT WAVERING: The Knicks were locked in on defensive rotations. Outside of a few open treys, the Hawks had to work for every basket and only managed 40% from the field. Billy Hernangomez (7 points, 8 rebounds) and Kyle O’Quinn (8 points, 8 rebounds) harassed Dwight Howard (18 points, 18 rebounds, 6/12 FT) and made him work at the free throw line. And Derrick Rose (14 points, 7 assists) dominated his matchup with Dennis Schroder (0/8, 1 point).

MELO LEADS THE CHARGE: Melo’s offense set the tone, but it was team effort to get this one. Four of the starters hit double figures, including Porzingis with another double double (19 points, 11 rebounds). Courtney Lee chipped in 14 points and was excellent slashing to the rim and using his three-point shooting to stifle several Atlanta runs in the second half.

https://youtu.be/juRgNpEc9wI

FOUR STRAIGHT AT HOME: The Knicks have done a fantastic job protecting home court by notching their four straight at Madison Square Garden. The challenge in channeling the focus on the road where too many times we’ve seen a lethargic ball club.

Next up is another home stand against the struggling Trailblazers, who are 1-4 over their last five games but come in off a 129-109 beatdown of the Brooklyn Nets.

https://youtu.be/eIYpw_7Hb_g

[Video] Crappy Effort: Wizards Torch Lethargic Knicks from Three-Point Arc

Photo Credit: USA Today

What a crap performance. There isn’t a better way to describe our last outing in D.C. against the Wizards. After coming off Kristaps Porzingis scoring a career high 35 points, everyone was optimistic that the team may have turned the corner. Instead we got a lethargic team in the second night of a back to back that allowed one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league to torch them for 45 points from downtown (15/25, 60%) and shoot 54% from the field.

The Knicks staged a faux pas comeback in the fourth after falling behind nearly 30 points, but New York would get no closer that seven points down the stretch. If you’re looking for bright spots, you can hope Derrick Rose (27 points, 3/5 from three) and Brandon Jennings (17 points, 7/10, +19) continue the improved shooting.

It bears repeating — this team will only go as far as their ability on defense, particularly when it comes to guarding the three-point line.

Things will get no easier to close November as New York has Atlanta, Portland, Charlotte (2X), Oklahoma City and Minnesota over the next two weeks.

https://youtu.be/vMVGqGKBJIA

[Video] Carmelo Anthony Pokes Fun at Trolls and Critics in New Foot Locker Commercial

Since coming to New York, the scrutiny on Carmelo Anthony has been high. And with New York not making the playoffs the last several years, some have come to view the perennial all-star as “overrated” and not even a Top 20 player in the league.

Foot Locker brilliantly captured that sentiment while giving Melo the chance to poke back with their “Week of Greatness” commercial series. Two fans attempt to belittle Melo’s accomplished career, but he quiets them with one simple question.

https://youtu.be/ut1G2NFKSIM

Fun aside, this is a make or break seventh year for Melo in New York. With future franchise player Kristaps Porzingis in his second year and the acquisition of Derrick Rose, a losing record and missing the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year will have fans and media alike calling for Melo’s head. The tepid 5-7 Knicks record and Anthony’s own recent haphazard play (21 points on 42% shooting, 28% from three), have not helped matters.

Nonetheless, we’re not even a full month into the season. Carmelo Anthony has more than enough time to make his real-life detractors eat their words just like this commercial.

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