1. Carmelo Anthony vs. Paul George
The NBA will witness a clash of stars when New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony matches up against Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George. Both players have All-NBA selections on their respective resumes and at least one Conference Finals appearance.
When the Knicks host the Pacers on Tuesday, the game will likely be decided by whichever player has the superior performance.
Anthony enters the clash with the Pacers averaging 22.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.9 3-point field goals made per game. He’s doing so on a slash line of .429/.336/.866, and scored 29 points on 10-of-14 shooting in his most recent outing.
George, meanwhile, is averaging 21.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.9 steals, and 2.5 3-point field goals made per game on a slash line of .449/.394/.920.
Neither player has lived up to expectations from a statistical perspective in 2016-17, but both are capable of elite production. That beckons the obvious of question of which player will step up when their team needs them to on Tuesday?
This may not be as bitter of a rivalry as Patrick Ewing and Reggie Miller had in the 1990s, but the Knicks will need Anthony to play like Ewing did in Game 7 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.
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This win could go a long way towards determining the trajectory of the season, which means it’s Anthony’s time to shine as the leader of this postseason hopeful.