Bernucca: Melo Needs to Take a Pass on Hero Ball

PLAYER	YEAR	FGA	PTS	PPS	3FGM-A	FTM-A	AST	REC
Dwight Howard	2010	27	39	1.444	0-0	13-35	9	4-0
Kobe Bryant	2007	97	125	1.289	6-20	29-30	21	1-3
Gilbert Arenas	2005	83	92	1.108	8-33	24-35	27	1-3
Dirk Nowitzki	2005	72	74	1.028	4-11	24-30	14	3-1
Tracy McGrady	2008	94	93	0.989	2-13	19-33	31	1-3
LeBron James	2007	90	88	0.978	4-20	20-29	27	0-4
Carmelo Anthony	2013	110	106	0.964	2-22	34-38	10	1-3
LeBron James	2008	78	75	0.962	5-20	30-43	36	2-2
Carmelo Anthony	2004	64	60	0.938	2-11	16-20	11	1-3
Allen Iverson	2001	112	91	0.813	5-22	22-28	35	2-2

 

Of the three subpar stretches posted by singular superstars since 2000, there are just three worse than Anthony’s current slump. And one of those belongs to Anthony himself. Furthermore, James and Iverson both were much better playmakers while launching bricks, which somewhat accounts for their team’s 2-2 records.

When the Knicks were winning their first three games against the Boston Celtics, Anthony’s PPS was 1.231 – not great, but certainly more in line with his regular season number. His two total assists and zero free throws in Game 3 were somewhat alarming, but he was 8-of-16 from the arc. And most important, the Knicks were 3-0.

But Smith’s Game 4 suspension and ensuing slump (he is 12-of-42 since) has opened the door for Anthony to revert to the Hero Ball he played in Denver, when he took every type of shot in the postseason – good shots, bad shots, my-turn shots, heat-check shots, rushed shots, clutch shots, pot shots, tetanus shots and Jell-O shots.

Anthony’s regression already has forced the Knicks to play two more games than they had to against the Celtics, clearly a lesser team. Now New York has a much tougher foe on its hands in Indiana, which is bigger, longer and defends the rim better as it illustrated in Game 1.

The Knicks had a good thing going in the first quarter against the Pacers when they put Raymond Felton in the pick-and-roll. That forced Indiana’s defense to help and rotate, and Felton made the Pacers pay with floaters or kicks to open shooters, including Anthony. For some reason, the Knicks got away from that.

The Knicks certainly need Smith to snap out of it. It would help if they got an immediate contribution from Amar’e Stoudemire, who is expected to return, perhaps for Game 3. They also must use the pick-and-roll to find Iman Shumpert as a shooter or penetrator from the arc and make Tyson Chandler a factor again around the rim.

Most of all, however, they need Anthony to stop playing Hero Ball. From a PPS standpoint, a quick fix would be for him to put a halt to his quick trigger on 3-pointers early in the shot clock, because he has been ice cold from the arc and has virtually no chance of getting to the line taking that shot.

But if the Knicks really want a shot at the Miami Heat in the conference finals, they need more than a quick fix.

Anthony has played this way for the majority of his 10 seasons. He has gotten past the first round twice: in 2009, when the Nuggets reached the Western Conference finals primarily through the brilliant floor leadership of Billups, and this season, when Anthony received deserved credit for subjugating his awesome isolation game for the greater good of the team.

Why doesn’t Anthony see this?

Maybe because he’s too busy looking for his next shot.

TRIVIA: Carmelo Anthony is fifth among active players with a career playoff average of 25.4 points per game. Who is ahead of him? Answer below.

THE END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT: Sixers center and free-agent-to-be Andrew Bynum, whose rehabilitation of his troublesome knees had a setback earlier this season when he injured himself bowling, was seen dancing at a nightclub in Madrid.