New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
Let’s have some fun and review the most clutch shots in Carmelo Anthony’s career.
Many New York Knicks fans have been waiting for this past Saturday to come. In a play-in game to advance the Portland Trail Blazers to the Western Conference playoffs, Carmelo Anthony proved he’s still got some magic left in his shot by burying a dagger three to end the Grizzlies season in Orlando.
With Portland nursing a three-point lead, Damian Lillard drove to the hoop, before kicking out to an open Melo along the right wing. The 35-year-old scorer quickly pulled a somewhat errand pass toward the center of his body to release a three-pointer that gave the Blazers a commanding six-point lead with 20.2 seconds remaining.
It represented the culmination of a long journey for the former NBA scoring champion who found himself out of the NBA before signing a deal to play with Lillard and CJ McCollum in Portland.
Anthony was traded by the Knicks in 2017, shortly after Steve Mills and Scott Perry took over roster decisions from the fired Phil Jackson, who contributed to a toxic environment that led to the departure of the 10-time All-Star from New York.
After struggling to adapt to a new bench role in Oklahoma City and Houston, Anthony spent several months searching for a new home, hitting what he admitted was rock bottom, before finding his way back into the league.
With former agent Leon Rose now calling the shots at Madison Square Garden, there has been speculation that Anthony could find his way back to the Knicks in the offseason. His latest performance has many fans hopeful that their unwavering belief in his game is merited.
In celebration of his big shot against Memphis, let’s take a look at the most clutch shots of his career.
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<p>— Daily Knicks (@DailyKnicksFS) <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2020/08/16/carmelo-anthony-ranking-most-clutch-shots-game-winners/"https://twitter.com/DailyKnicksFS/status/1294741596118884353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>August 15, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>We have all seen the results from Olympic Melo, where he thrived playing along the wing in a catch-and-shoot role.</p>
<p>The make against Memphis in the Orlando bubble was the perfect shot to encapsulate Anthony’s journey from being out of the league to still being able to provide a lethal injection to help his team win.</p>
<p>Earlier in the season, Anthony passed the late Kobe Bryant for the most game-winners (17) in the last five seconds of a game with a last-second difference-maker over Toronto. With the Blazers entering the first round of the playoffs, perhaps he will add to that mark in the near future.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2020/08/16/carmelo-anthony-ranking-most-clutch-shots-game-winners/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 2) Avoiding the sweep </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-111221" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2020/08/16/carmelo-anthony-ranking-most-clutch-shots-game-winners/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_961,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F144090709.jpeg" alt="Knicks" width="1600" height="961" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/144090709.jpeg 1600w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/144090709-768x461.jpeg 768w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/144090709-268x162.jpeg 268w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">MIAMI, FL – MAY 09: Forward LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat defends Forward Carmelo Anthony#7 of the New York Knicks (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>2) Carmelo Anthony’s most clutch shots: Avoiding the sweep against the Heat</h2>
<p>NBA fans are excited to see Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James face-off in a playoff series this year, but in case you forgot, the two future Hall-of-Famers met in the postseason once before when they were both playing for different teams.</p>
<p>As a member of the Knicks, Anthony helped New York break their playoff drought and avoid a sweep in the 2012 Eastern Conference first round with an amazing performance in Game 4 that included two clutch shots down the stretch to secure the win.</p>
<p>The win was met with overzealous celebration as confetti fell from the Garden ceiling to commemorate the franchise’s first playoff win since 2001.</p>
<p>The Knicks ended up losing the series in five games, but thanks to Melo’s heroic efforts, they avoided the sweep.</p>
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<p>Anthony scored 41 points on this day, including 12 in the fourth quarter. He had two clutch makes down the stretch, connecting on a tough fall-away to tie the game around the 2:00 minute mark. He then nailed a long-range shot with less than a minute remaining to give the Knicks a three-point lead they wouldn’t relinquish.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2020/08/16/carmelo-anthony-ranking-most-clutch-shots-game-winners/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 1) Melo's most clutch shot </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-111212" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2020/08/16/carmelo-anthony-ranking-most-clutch-shots-game-winners/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1124,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F87225443.jpeg%22+alt%3D%22Carmelo+Anthony%22+width%3D%221600%22+height%3D%221124%22+srcset%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F87225443.jpeg+1600w%2C+https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F87225443-768x540.jpeg+768w%22+sizes%3D%22(max-width%3A+1600px)+100vw%2C+1600px%22+%2F%3E%3C%2Fa%3E%09%09%09%09%09%09%09%09%09%3Cp+class%3D%22wp-caption-text%22%3EDALLAS+%26%238211%3B+MAY+11%3A+Forward+Carmelo+Anthony+%2315+of+the+Denver+Nuggets+dribbles+the+ball+against+%3Ca+href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.basketball-reference.com%2Fplayers%2Fw%2Fwrighan01.html%3Futm_campaign%3DLinker%26amp%3Butm_source%3Ddirect%26amp%3Butm_medium%3Dlinker-%22+target%3D%22_blank%22+rel%3D%22nofollow+noopener%22+ref%3D" nofollow> of the Dallas Mavericks in Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center on May 11, 2009 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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<h2>1) Carmelo Anthony’s most clutch shots: 2009 playoff winner against Dallas</h2>
<p>For all of the clutch shots Carmelo Anthony has made in his career, he has struggled to find his way onto many teams who have made deep playoff runs—where legendary shot-makers put their stamps on history. However, in 2009, he was a major reason why the Nuggets reached the Western Conference Finals.</p>
<p>His most clutch shot, given the circumstances, came in Game 3 of Denver’s semifinals match-up with the Dallas Mavericks. Holding a 2-0 series lead, but trailing by two points in the final seconds of the game, Melo buried a three to give the Nuggets a miraculous 106-105 victory.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
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<p>In a game marked by physical play, it appeared Anthony was fouled before he took the shot, but with no whistle and time ticking away, he kept his composure and knocked down the clutch shot that essentially put the series out of reach.</p>
<p>Denver would go on to win the series in a tidy five games. But Anthony’s last-second dagger in Game 3 effectively called lights on the Mavericks’ season.</p>
<p>During the Nuggets playoff run in 2009, Anthony averaged 27.2 points per game on 45.3% shooting, including 36.4% from downtown. He also added 4.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds over those 16 playoff games.</p>
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<p>Carmelo Anthony has hit an amazing number of clutch shots in his career, but a game-winner in a playoff game that catapulted the Nuggets on a deep playoff run has to be his best.</p><!—pageview_candidate—></p>">
