Anthony always has had the ability to make shots with range, but this season he, his coaches and teammates are making it a point to get the ball to him in his sweet spots. Carmelo excels on the wing as a shooter, so he has made it an emphasis to take more 3-pointers from those spots. When he gets going from the outside – especially early in games – it opens up the rest of his versatile game, which is where the opponent treads a paper-thin line of domination by Anthony and the Knicks’ excellent ball movement.
On Wednesday, Anthony scored in every way possible.
Off the bounce moving to his right. Off the bounce moving to his left. Pulling up or catching and shooting from deep. Off the Euro step in transition. From the charity stripe. Coming off screens, catching and shooting. Operating in the post. Driving, jump-stopping, pump-faking defenders off their feet.
“He’s on another planet right now,” said Nets coach Avery Johnson. “I think he’s functioning in all facets of the game. He’s scoring from three, inside the three in the mid-range, with post-ups. He’s taking the ball to the basket and I think he’s functioning in all areas where superstars function.”
When the Nets were in position to stop Anthony, he used his instincts to pass the ball out of harm’s way, which opened up shots for teammates in much the same manner it has worked for the first quarter of the season.
“He scored the ball when he had single coverage,” Nets swingman Jerry Stackhouse said. “He moved the ball when we double-teamed him. He created stuff for other teammates just by his presence, just by being out there and them staying connected to him. It’s normally the guy that’s guarding him’s responsibility to help, but you’re a little leery to help because you’re guarding him, so he creates things for his teammates when he’s not even involved in the play.”
In Monday’s 109-96 home loss to Houston without Anthony, the Knicks had too many stretches of uncertainty, too many possessions where the team was stagnant offensively.
With Anthony’s calming force at the offensive end Wednesday, those stretches disappeared, and it’s not a surprise.
That’s what MVP candidates do; they can be the difference between in-rhythm and out-of-rhythm, the difference maker in helping their team to wins.
“There is no doubt in my mind that he is an MVP candidate,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “He is playing at such a high level and it’s scary. He’s making guys around him better and the results are wins and that is what it’s all about at the end of the day.”
Jeremy Bauman is an aspiring scout and shooting coach. After covering last June’s NBA finals for this site, he’ll be blogging for SheridanHoops.com weekday mornings during the 2012-13 basketball season. Follow him on Twitter.