Carmelo Anthony's winter revival
It might be summer, but Carmelo Anthony's career winter is beautiful
I don’t know what it is really, that has always made me gravitate to players in the final stages of a great career, but it is the truth. Carmelo Anthony is in his career’s winter, nobody would doubt that. But the glaciers and the snow-capped peaks sure are beautiful. The occasional stunning displays of clutch defense, like his block on PJ Tucker or his steal on James Harden, glistening like a starry sky over a snowy landscape. But grizzled and winterized he may be, he’s still Carmelo Anthony, even though the circumstances are different now. Don’t ever forget it.
It’s the type of NBA story that has been written and will be written again but is being authored right now by Melo. It’s also one I’ve always fallen hard for. Joe Johnson on the Utah Jazz. Nick Van Exel on the Dallas Mavericks. Vince Carter’s Dallas revival. Gary Payton, Jason Williams, and Antoine Walker coming together for a title on the 2006 Miami Heat. This story has played itself out time and again in this league. That it would play out with one of the greatest scorers the game has ever seen is not a shock, but a reminder of the Circle of NBA Life. Those acting surprised are the funny ones.
“I found it real funny and disrespectful how people speak on him,” Damian Lillard said after leading Portland with 21 points. “He’s Hall of Fame. He’s not trying to play it like New York and Denver. He knows when he needs to be on the weak side.”
“Everybody that talked about him and said something negative about him need to apologize,” Gary Trent Jr. said. “For him to come back and bounce back like it’s nothing, that’s why he’s Carmelo Anthony.”
CJ McCollum, who made the assist to Melo, like all those times at Lifetime Fitness in New York City, said the choice to make the pass was easy when he heard Anthony calling for it.
“I heard (Gary Trent Jr.) calling for it to my right, then I heard the legend calling for it to my left and I passed it to the legend.”
Stotts, too, was quick to mention that Carmelo wasn’t always asked to be in this position. But his love of the game won out over the love of what his NBA role used to be.
“He hit some big shots against Memphis, he hit a big shot tonight. Earlier in his career the ball would have been in his hands to start with. He has assimilated into his role, his team. He loves the game. He loves the camaraderie, he loves being in the NBA. I think this time he’s able to savor a different part of the NBA that he didn’t experience earlier in his career.”
The NBA may be playing basketball later in the summer than they have in NBA history. But thanks to Carmelo, winter is still a part of NBA Basketball. That Anthony did it against a coach who he clashed with twice in Mike D’Antoni, and a general manager who left him for dead in Daryl Morey, made it even sweeter. And colder.
Portland, and Damian Lillard, making life difficult for James Harden
The story of the game tonight was Anthony but the Blazers did as good of a job as you can ask against James Harden. And for the second straight game, it was Portland’s leader, Damian Lillard, who set the tone with his defense.
Portland did a great job of changing looks on Harden throughout the game and part of the variety was letting Lillard take the task of guarding the 2018 MVP down the stretch of the game. Throughout the night, however, Portland threw multiple traps at him and made Westbrook into a quick decision-maker and forcing the other Rockets into shot-making duty. But Portland put Lillard on an island with Harden late and it led to difficult shots. Portland’s bet that Houston’s other shooters, especially without Eric Gordon, wouldn’t be able to beat them, paid off in a big way.
Portland’s team defense across the board tonight was sensational. They limited fouls on Harden and Westbrook. Stotts managed Nurk’s foul trouble very well and the Blazers also got their best game of the bubble so far from Hassan Whiteside. Anfernee Simons also got the call in the guard-heavy match-up and showed up well. All in all, the Blazers got a hand from everybody who played tonight.
Up next for Portland will be a massive contrast from these Rockets, when they play Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Thursday.