'Melo Man Ace

I was fortunate enough to catch the Nuggets/Cavaliers match on TV today. I'm always intrigued watching Lebron, as every basketball fan is -- but I was also keen to see Carmelo Anthony. A lot has been said and written about how the press created a rivalry that was, in retrospect, lopsided; that Lebron vs. Wade is the real argument; but 'Melo has been playing like fire this year. It took a little while for the kindling to alight, but he's now a full-on blaze. Of course, his rebounding (a respectable 5.4 per game) and assists (2.7 per) aren't as impressive as James's or Wade's, but 'Melo's a different type of player. Once he gets that 3-point jumper down (which he hits better than Wade, although that's not saying much; my mother is almost as accurate behind the arc as Wade is), boy, look out, he's gonna be serious trouble.

Anthony today was ice. He didn't score many points (17) and he didn't rebound much (a paltry single board), but he never looked frustrated, and the Cavaliers were double teaming him the whole game. Lebron, by contrast, showed that he's great yet still a tad green when it comes to playing well when it matters. I'm not going to call the guy the basketball version of Peyton Manning, but ESPN showed a telling statistic during the game: James is 2-for-10 in games with fewer than 10 seconds left and in which his team is in position to tie or lead. Anthony, on the other hand, is a very respectable 7-for-11.

With under a minute left, 'Melo blew past Ira Newble for a dunk that put the Nuggets up by 2. Double teamed for most of the game, it was James who left guarding him to protect the perimeter. Bad move. Newble, in poor defensive position, left 'Melo an easy lane to the basket. Slam dunk.

Credit the Cavs for staying in it, or discredit the Nuggets for allowing them to hang around (I tend toward the latter), but, regardless, the fact is that Lebron had two opportunities at the free-throw line to possibly send the game into overtime. The first opportunity, he hit a free-throw and had to purposefully miss the second, which he set up perfectly but was fouled again, going to the hoop with the rebound. The second opportunity, he hit the first, but missed the second with 0.6 on the clock. Alan Henderson missed a heartbreaking tip-in (don't be too hard on yourself, old man; your team's leader was the one who dropped that ball when it mattered), and that was it, game over.

Thing is, I knew Lebron was going to choke at the line. It was written all over his face and body language. Dude was shook. He looked like he was going to throw up. Ever notice how much he bites his fingernails, during time-outs and at the line? It's borderline disgusting. This is a kid scared to fuck up.

Let's remember that, although he looks as though he's pushing thirty, the guy is still only 20 (21?) years old. Of course he's going to be nervous in clutch situations. Maybe it'd be different were the spotlight not always on him. That's how it looks in 'Melo's case. The guy has tons less pressure. He was already discounted for his subpar season last year. He's (unfairly) been labelled as a disappointment, not fulfilling his early promise. He's got nothing to lose.

This season has shown that Carmelo Anthony, to me, is maturing as a player, gradually, and not giving in to his detractors. Lebron, and to some extent Dwyane Wade, haven't been allowed that luxury. They're expected to be perfect.

I wonder which is preferable.

PS - Near the end of the game the announcers commented that the game wasn't that great for either player, that both had been rather quiet. Really? Anthony's was, granted, because of the swarming double teams he encountered every time he touched the ball. Lebron was 1 assist shy of a triple-double. How is that a quiet game?