Carmelo Anthony once said "I wanted to be Bernard King." Last night, Anthony delivered a King-esque performance and led the Knicks to their biggest win of the season. Behind his 45 points the Knicks overcame a seemingly insurmountable deficit in the first half and closed the game out with a 3 point win. Anthony's performance is indicative of just how far he has come since he came into the league 9 years ago as a 19 year old rookie on the heels of a national championship at Syracuse. There is a clear difference between a good player and a great player in the NBA. There is a clear difference between a star and superstar in the NBA. These things are not mutually exclusive though and what makes a superstar is the ability to be great and lead at the same time. Anthony has finally come into his own and realized that in order to win at a high level he must become the Superstar that he truly is.
Perhaps it was watching LeBron, Wade, and Bosh win the title last season that ignited Carmelo's basketball renaissance or perhaps it was a summer with some of the greatest winners of our time (Kobe and Coach K). During which he asserted himself as one of if not the greatest scorer in the world. Regardless of what it was though, something happened inside of Anthony and he has changed for the better. Just two years ago nobody would ever utter MVP and Melo in the same sentence but this year there is hardly a doubt that he is the MVP thus far. Night in and night out Carmelo is dominating the competition and his new found hunger on the defensive end is rubbing off on his teammates, causing each Knick to play at a high level on both ends of the floor.
Sure, there are some things that Melo still has to work on, like limiting the amount of technical fouls, considering these add up and could result in a suspension as the season's homestretch approaches. I am sure that Woodson will be able to get Carmelo to control himself a little bit more when arguing calls, but aside from that, Melo looks exceedingly great.
Does anyone remember when Carmelo had those little cornrows and sucker punched Jarred Jeffries during a brawl at the Garden? (Click for footage). All the bad qualities about Carmelo has changed as he has matured and he has finally taken that elusive step forward that so many players never are able to do. There is a hunger in his eyes, every game means something to him, he takes no possessions off, he looks like LeBron did last season. After the great win last night versus the Nets a reporter asked him how the Knicks were able to win and he said "I was not going to lose this game." A great answer reflective of the big steps Carmelo has taken as a player.
Once the Knicks team is complete, pending the returns of Amar'e and Shumpert, Anthony will play an even greater role in leading the Knicks during a deep playoff run. His scoring ability will undoubtedly be needed but so will his defensive tenacity and motivation. This year is looking like a breakthrough year and if all continues going as it has, the Knicks have to be thinking championship or bust.
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