Carmelo Anthony has made plenty of game-winning shots in his career and continues to prove it this season with the New York Knicks.
The New York Knicks are surprisingly still alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race after staggering through the first half of the season.
Carmelo Anthony made sure the Knicks remain in the hunt after dashing division rival Philadelphia 76ers' hopes at Madison Square Garden last night. The 10-time All-Star sank the game-winning basket with 0.3 seconds remaining to clinch a 110-109 victory.
MELO For the WIN! ????????????@carmeloanthony drops 37 PTS & hits the game-winner to lift the @nyknicks over the Sixers, 110-109. pic.twitter.com/DTq5SAskVQ
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 26, 2017
Anthony led all scorers with 37 points on a very efficient 60 percent shooting from the field. He spoke to MSG Networks about the game winning shot during the on-court interview:
"I got the space I wanted and a good look at the basket," he said. "A win's a win."
.@carmeloanthony after his game-winning shot. #Knicks #NYKvsPHI pic.twitter.com/hSLEcJ73kt
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 26, 2017
The Knicks forward was tough to guard for most of the game, including an impressive 17-point performance in the opening period to launch the team to a big lead. The team seemed to have returned to the triangle offense made famous by Hall of Fame coach now team president Phil Jackson. Anthony addressed the media as to whether or not the team returned to the triangle for a specific reason and he denounced ever abandoning it.
"Is it back? I don't think it ever left. It was always an emphasis since three years ago. It's always been an emphasis on how we're going to play, how we want to play. That's our system. It's just a matter now of looking at it more and doing it more and being more consistent with it."
Anthony has never been a stranger to the big game-winning moments throughout his career, constantly called upon to be the closer for his team. This season alone, Anthony's third game-winning shot sits alone atop of the league leaderboards in go-ahead buckets with under five seconds remaining in the game.
Since his younger days with the Denver Nuggets, Anthony has demanded the ball during crunch time and has lived and died publicly with each decision. The role of closer in the league traditionally goes to the team's best one-on-one player and at 32 years old that is still Anthony.
If the Knicks are going to make a serious run for a playoff spot, it's critical that the entire team buys into the same system. The triangle offense was extremely effective against the Sixers and should be implemented more in future matchups.
The critical component for the system to work will be point guard Derrick Rose buying in and adjusting his game instead of referring to it as "random basketball" to the media.
Anthony has had a great NBA career, but is missing the important title of being known as a winner to complete his legacy. The game-winning moments will get lost in the shuffle if they continue to happen in meaningless games. The national championship he won all the way back in 2003 as the freshman leader of the Syracuse Orange is a distant, soon to be forgotten memory.
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