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

By Quenton Narcisse

Nov 25, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) looks on as Magic forward Tobias Harris (not pictured) pushed New York Knicks center Robin Lopez (8) into forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during a three point shot during the first quarter of a basketball game at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 25, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic (9) looks on as Magic forward Tobias Harris (not pictured) pushed New York Knicks center Robin Lopez (8) into forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during a three point shot during the first quarter of a basketball game at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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MELO GOES FOR 62 – JANUARY 25, 2014

There weren’t many things that the Knicks could be proud of prior to this record-breaking night.

The Knicks were plummeting in the Eastern Conference with a 15-27 record, and Carmelo Anthony was on pace to miss the postseason for the first time in his career. New York had lost the first three of their eight-game home stand. Pivotal frontcourt players Amar’e Stoudemire, Kenyon Martin and Andrea Bargnani were all sidelined with injuries.

To make matters worse, Anthony was facing frequent questions in regards to his Knicks future as he headed into free agency that summer. Many questioned if he was sticking around for another year.

For just one night, those storylines didn’t matter.

Anthony scored 62 points on 23-of-35 shooting, breaking Bernard King’s Knicks record of 60 in 1984. It also eclipsed Laker guard Kobe Bryant’s infamous Madison Square Garden record of 61.

‘Melo also added 13 rebounds in the NBA’s highest scoring performance of the season. 

I’m sure No. 7 noticed early that he was being guarded by Anthony Tolliver and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and said, “I’m going to have a field day.” Or maybe he was inspired by the video of Muhammad Ali that the Knicks watched as a team prior to the game.

Whatever the motivation was, ‘Melo couldn’t be stopped.

He was in double figures after five minutes, and had 20 points to Charlotte’s 21 after the first quarter. After the Bobcats refused to double-team him, Anthony continued his fiery output, scoring 17 points in the second including a half-court buzzer beater that pushed the Knicks lead to 21.

"View post on imgur.com"

Charlotte tried to double team once he hit 43 points in the middle of the third quarter, but the engine was already revving. He hit the 60-point total two minutes into the fourth, and eclipsed King’s mark with a leaning banker on the baseline with a little under 8 minutes to go.

The beauty of this performance is that Anthony displayed why he’s one of the NBA’s greatest perimeter scorers. He showed off his full shooting arsenal: jumpers, fadeaways, 3-pointers—you name it, Anthony made it.

It wasn’t an analytics expert’s wet dream. 19 of his 35 shots were from midrange. He made six 3s and only attempted four shots at the basket. You could even argue it was the same quintessential jab-fake, one-on-one basketball that has made Anthony such a divisive figure in basketball circles.

It was the most Carmelo Anthony game ever.

The difference was the efficiency. He made 20 of his first 26 shots—a characteristic we can’t always attribute to his legend. If the game wasn’t as out of hand, there’s no reason to believe he couldn’t have hit the 70-point mark.

SIDENOTE: One of the parts about watching this game was listening to how many times Walt Frazier described Melo’s shooting as “intoxicating”. Even in the truncated clip above, he uses the adjective three or four times.

After watching, who can blame him?

Next: Easter Miracle at MSG