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Carmelo Anthony Talks About His Mindset And Compares His Game With LeBron’s

By William Lee

Mar 26, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) controls the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James (23) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) controls the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James (23) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Carmelo Anthony recently discussed his mindset and compared his style of play to LeBron’s on The Dan Patrick Show.

Recently, New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony went on The Dan Patrick Show to promote his Gillette event at Grand Central.

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While on the show, Anthony had an in-depth back-and-forth discussion with Patrick about everything basketball. Topics ranging from the NBA to street ball, to his collegiate days.

The most interesting topic that came up was probably when Patrick compared Anthony to his good friend LeBron James. Anthony’s answer totally and completely describes why Anthony has been Anthony in his 13 years in the NBA, and why LeBron is LeBron.

"Dan Patrick: Could you play differently? If I said if you could play like LeBron does?Carmelo Anthony: No, two totally different type of games.Dan Patrick: Like you’re not wired that way? Or you don’t have that talent?Carmelo Anthony: (laughs) No, I think it’s more of a style of play than anything. I think for me, my game is kind of attack mode at all moments. Kill or be killed. It’s attacked or be attacked.In Lebron’s situation, he has so many different facets of the game, his physical strength. His passing is more intriguing to me than his scoring. For him it’s more of a pass first thing because that’s what he grew up on, and that’s the type of player he was. And then scoring just came, it comes naturally to him.For me it was more of the opposite, I was always taught to apply pressure, put the ball in the hole. I was taught that from day one. New York Knicks Daily Knicks 0d - Former New York Knicks center gets real about 2013 playoff shortcomings More headlines around FanSided: 0d - When is the deadline for the Knicks to extend Immanuel Quickley? 0d - 3 Rumored Knicks trade targets not worth giving up RJ Barrett for 0d - NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24 1d - Bill Simmons 'guarantees' Knicks will have one of three stars by next year 1d - How to watch New York Knicks players compete for bronze at World Cup More News at Daily Knicks"

So Knicks fans BLAME Melo’s coaches while he was growing up for what we have to deal with today! (I kid, I kid, kind of…)

But seriously, what Anthony is today, is a scoring machine! A nine-time NBA All-Star with a career average of 24.9 points per game, leading the league in scoring in 2013 (you know… the one good season in recent memory…).

Anthony currently sits at 29th All-Time in scoring, passing names such as Larry Bird, Gary Payton, and Clyde Drexler this season.

Patrick countered his point on why he was always taught to score, since he grew up on the shorter side early on. While also asking Anthony, what were his favorite point guards growing up.

"Dan Patrick: But you weren’t a tall kid growing up, so you learned-Carmelo Anthony: Well I learned the actual skills of the game when I was in freshmen year of High School. I was only 6’1″, 6’2″. I was playing point guard. I was playing a guard position so-Dan Patrick: Who was your idol back then?Carmelo Anthony: I’m a Bernard King fan.Dan Patrick: But even as a point guard?Carmelo Anthony: As a point guard, it was of course, Magic. Of course, watching him.But I grew up in the era of, when I could remember the game – it was Stephon Marbury, was then in High School, coming out. Allen Iverson, was there. Ray Allen, those were the guys I grew up on. Lamar Odom was actually one of my favorite high school players to ever watch. These are guys that I looked up to when I was young and coming up."

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Seeing some of the names of players he truly idolized growing up, when he could remember, really sheds some light on why Anthony is Anthony. As New Yorkers and Knicks fans, we all know just all too well about the Lincoln High School prodigy Marbury. A shoot-first, scoring point guard. Then we have another ball-hogging guard in Iverson… Really interesting that these are the players that Anthony gravitated to growing up.

Patrick would later on bring up the triangle offense and it’s relevancy in today’s NBA. To Anthony’s credit, he did defend it.

Which led to yet another interesting conversation, asking Anthony who he thinks is the best player in the league and who he would pick first to start an NBA team with.

"Dan Patrick: If I gave you an hour to teach the triangle, could you teach it?Carmelo Anthony: I could teach the basic concept of the actual triangle.Dan Patrick: Is it overrated?Carmelo Anthony: I don’t think it’s overrated. It’s just like-Dan Patrick: In today’s game though, given what Golden State is doing?Carmelo Anthony: It’s hard to compare anything to what Golden State is doing.Dan Patrick: I love how people say it’s a system but yet that system includes Steph Curry right?Carmelo Anthony: Yeah, it’s hard to try to compare to what they’re doing out there. They changed the style of playing basketball and everybody is trying to implement what they’re trying to do.Dan Patrick: Is he [Stephen Curry] the best player in the game?Carmelo Anthony: That’s a very difficult-Dan Patrick: If I said you could start your team with anybody in the NBA right now?Carmelo Anthony: I don’t man, I love Steph Curry. I love his game. I love everything about him. It’s just hard to narrow things down. I won’t be put into that position where I have to narrow four, five guys down. I can’t do that.Dan Patrick: See to me, I would have no problem starting my team with Steph Curry.Carmelo Anthony: I have no problem Steph Curry-Dan Patrick: But you see, I want to see who would be that guy you would put there right now.Carmelo Anthony: At that position?Dan Patrick: No, right now starting your team, because LeBron at his age. Anthony Davis is great.Carmelo Anthony: Yeah, I’ll still put LeBron there."

Then Patrick put Anthony on the spot, trying to yet again create some controversy, asking if Anthony thought he was the best scorer in the game.

"Dan Patrick: Yeah? because Steph a couple of years ago created headlines when I said “Are you the best scorer in the league?”, “Are you better than LeBron?”, and he goes “Yeah”. And everybody’s like “Wow, did you just hear what Steph just said?”Carmelo Anthony: As an athlete, as a competitor, you not going to say “no”.Dan Patrick: Are you a better scorer than LeBron?Carmelo Anthony: I believe so.Dan Patrick: Are you a better scorer than Steph Curry?Carmelo Anthony: I believe so. That’s just my opinion-Dan Patrick: You have to have that mindset.Carmelo Anthony: I always have that mindset. I don’t think when it comes to being on that court, that anyone is better. That’s my mindset."

It was definitely interesting to hear Anthony’s mindset and approach to the game of basketball, for the full interview please click on the link below.

Carmelo Anthony on The Dan Patrick Show (Full Interview) 4/28/16

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