New York Knicks Takeaways vs Portland Trail Blazers

Teammates Pick Up Melo

Carmelo Anthony is the target of a lot of talk from fans. They get on him for his effort defensively; they complain that he doesn’t pass enough. No matter what he does there is always some criticism. Sometimes it is warranted, other times it is not. But a way to quiet that talk is to win games. Anthony cannot do it on his own, as we have seen in recent seasons with the Knicks. That is why it is such a positive to see his teammates pick him up.

Anthony has really set the tone on the defensive end of the court in the last two games. That has helped get him going offensively, but his shot wasn’t falling against the Blazers. In the past, it was a game that the Knicks would have lost. Anthony going 7-of-22 from the field used to be a death sentence, but they picked him up tonight.

Porzingis led the way with 31 points, but it was encouraging to see other players perform well. Neither team led by more than four points in the fourth quarter so it was tight throughout. This is when the Knicks usually rely, sometimes to a fault, on Anthony. Tonight he was unable to deliver, going 0-for-3 in the quarter. But, he was able to help in other ways as he grabbed four rebounds in the quarter as his teammates picked up the scoring slack.

It is something that we would not have seen in past seasons with the Knicks. It was Anthony or bust. But with Rose and Porzingis now helping to carry the scoring load he doesn’t have all the pressure of carrying the offense on his shoulders.