Carmelo Anthony Makes History As Trail Blazers Oust Magic
Carmelo Anthony caught the ball at his favorite spot on the right side of the floor. Already cooking, and with his team nursing an eight-point lead early in the fourth quarter as Damian Lillard caught a breath from the bench, the Portland Trail Blazers forward knew exactly what he was going to do–and that history was only seconds away.
Anthony backed down Orlando Magic rookie Chuma Okeke, his most frequent victim during a throwback performance, and quickly regained control of the ball after losing its grasp. He took two more dribbles to collect himself, turned toward the sideline, and pump-faked before drawing contact, letting fly and hearing a whistle.
Swish. Anthony hadn't just taught Okeke yet another lesson about staying down on shot fakes, but passed NBA legend Oscar Robertson for 12th on the all-time scoring list.
Anthony finished the game with a season-high 23 points, helping the Blazers to a 106-97 victory over the short-handed Magic on Tuesday night at Moda Center. He went 7-of-16 from the floor, 5-of-9 from three-point range and 4-of-5 at the free throw line. Anthony had three blocks, too, evidence of defensive activity that combined with tough shot-making from the opening tip made Tuesday's game perhaps his best of the season so far.
There's a reason why Anthony's aggressive, multiple-effort defense on the possession below seems like an outlier.
After the game, Anthony was asked what he would "like to prove" over the remainder of his 17-year career.
Indeed, Anthony has nothing left to prove when it comes to his legacy. He's already a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame, and will continue climbing the all-time scoring ranks–now at 26,722 points, he's just 225 points behind Hakeem Olajuwon–as the season wears on. Melo's indelible place in basketball culture needs no further explanation.
He'll never make another All-Star team and is likely to be enshrined in Springfield without winning a ring, but the most lasting aspects of Anthony's legacy are already set in stone.
As for his impact, positive or negative, on the Trail Blazers? The wildly disparate nature of Anthony's play against Orlando on Tuesday night and the New York Knicks three days prior indicates the night-to-night volatility of his game at 36 years old.
Don't assume it's a coincidence, though, that Anthony quickly silenced the doubters who were louder than ever in Rip City following his dismal outing at Madison Square Garden. He may have nothing left to prove to the basketball world at large, but Anthony, apparently, still has something left to prove to himself and his team.
"You challenge yourself to go out there because you still want to be a part of the game in a major way, you still want to contribute in a major way," he said.
On Tuesday, at least, mission accomplished.