New York Knicks: Carmelo Anthony’s Top 5 Games In NY

Carmelo Anthony is one of the most feared scorers in the NBA. Here are Carmelo Anthony’s five best performances with the New York Knicks.

Carmelo Anthony arrived in a three-team deal that involved the New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. He was hungry to play for a big-market team and the Knicks were yearning for a big-name talent.

The trade stands as one of the most captivating in NBA history because of the subsequent decisions and unfortunate injuries experienced by both teams. The Knicks got the talent they wanted in Anthony, but many conclude that it’s the Nuggets who “won” the trade.

Whether you believe that or not is debatable, but this is not: Since that 12-player trade in 2011, the Nuggets and Knicks have combined to win just one playoff series.

In those five years, Anthony and the Knicks have had their fair share of ups and downs. Since his arrival, the Knicks have a record just under .500 and are 7-14 in the playoffs. They were swept in 2011 by the Celtics, and had an abysmal first-round loss to the Miami Heat in 2012.

Anthony and the Knicks peaked in 2012-13 by winning 54 games. ‘Melo led the league in scoring and emerged as a viable MVP contender.

It looked like New York was destined to make a deep playoff push, but it lost to a young Indiana Pacers team in the second round in six games.

Everything crumbled after that. Since then, there’s been a lot of dysfunction. Anthony has gotten older and he’s fallen victim to the injury bug while the team has taken numerous losing seasons on the chin under multiple coaches.

But what’s interesting is Anthony has improved tremendously as an all-around player. In fact, he’s been his best when the Knicks, as a team, have been at their worst.

He’s become a more active rebounder (11.4 rebounds per 100 possessions compared to 9.6 in 2013), and attacks the rim with more efficiency instead of settling for contested perimeter shots. He also averaged a career high in assists and rebounds per 100 possessions last season.

He’s also grown into the leader in New York many envisioned he’d be. He’s taken Kristaps Porzingis under his wing and mentored the young players on the Olympic USA roster this summer as the de facto leader.

He’s also excelled off the court with his philanthropy. He’s been vocal on numerous social and political topics, such as racial inequality and police brutality. If there’s anyone who’s bought into a city, through the good and bad, it’s been Anthony.

While ANthony has yet to bring a championship to New York, he has a legitimate supporting cast around him for the first time in his career. There’s no reason to believe he doesn’t have a few more great seasons left in the tank, even at the end of his prime.

Regardless of what happens moving forward, he’s given fans memorable moments that have solidified his status as an all-time great Knick.

Next: 'Melo Drops 50