‘Melo (Photo. Mannion)As far as the Denver Nuggets are concerned, this season’s headlines have belonged to Allen Iverson and Marcus Camby more than anybody else. So despite being voted to start in the All-Star Game and currently ranking 4th in the NBA in scoring, Carmelo Anthony has been almost overshadowed. Not after last night. ‘Melo dropped a career-high 49 points on the Wizards in a national-TV game on an explosively efficient 18-for-25 shooting — without missing a three or a free throw — while destroying Andray Blatche. (Silver lining? It’s good for the kid to take some lumps if he’s ever gonna be the star the Wizards envision him being.) In the final minute, ‘Melo was stuck on 49 and the Nuggets were trying everything they could to get him above the Curtis Jackson mark; including letting Washington score just so they could get the ball back. But the Wizards weren’t trying to let that happen, and on Denver’s last possession, they basically had Blatche and Antawn Jamison get under Carmelo’s shirt and completely deny him the ball. So at least the Wiz saved that small piece of their collective face … Gilbert Arenas was being interviewed on the sideline, and we noticed that pretty much every fan on camera behind him had a beer. Like you didn’t already know how they get things poppin’ in Denver … After giving up 44 points to Orlando in the first quarter (Dwight was unstoppable), the Lakers clamped down and pulled out a win on the road. Kobe was playing D like he did back during the FIBA tournament, holding Hedo Turkoglu in check. According to Bill Walton, Mamba was “Bill Russell and Hakeem Olajuwon combined” on the defensive end. We wouldn’t say all that, but Kobe was a brick wall … In addition to the D, Kobe put up 36 points, 10 boards and 6 assists, while Pau Gasol went for 30 points and 9 boards … When Hedo (16 pts) picked up his third foul on a charging call and had to be taken out, he was standing up and yelling from the bench at one of the refs. You could definitely make out some F-bombs, and whatever else Hedo was saying, Keyon Dooling was cracking up on the bench next to him. Keyon was trying to get Hedo to sit down, but he was laughing so hard he couldn’t do anything … The Jazz went into Arco and had their 10-game win streak snapped thanks to red-hot Kevin Martin (27 pts), Ron Artest (22 pts) and Quincy Douby (15 pts). K-Mart started off the game burying C.J. Miles under a storm of buckets; Jerry Sloan was getting increasingly livid as C.J. kept losing Martin in transition and getting scored on. Miles started, but ended up seeing only 10 minutes of clock … With the defending champs in New York to take on the Knicks, of course some of the Dime crew was in the building, and it was actually one of the more entertaining games we’ve been to at MSG in a minute. The Spurs got off to their usual slow start and the short-handed Knicks (starting Wilson Chandler and Fred Jones) capitalized, leading by as much as 18 in the first half. But a ton of misses on easy shots and defensive breakdowns cost the Knicks the lead and made it a ballgame … Robert Horry nailed a three at the third-quarter buzzer, then another on the first possession of the fourth quarter, then another right after that to turn a six-point San Antonio deficit into a three-point lead. Jamal Crawford (24 pts) started raining his own triples to put New York back on top, and the Knicks found themselves up by three with 8 seconds left. On a brilliant play — brilliant because Gregg Popovich knows the Knicks don’t know how to defend — Manu Ginobili (20 pts, 7 rebs, 9 asts, 5 stls) drove left and drew in Renaldo Balkman, who left Michael Finley (17 pts, 5 threes) open in the corner to stick the three that sent the game into overtime. In the extra frame, the deflated Knicks gave up seven quick points, and didn’t even score until there was about 30 seconds left. By that point, the NYC crowd, which had been standing on its feet and raucous just minutes before, was booing viciously and chanting “Fire Isiah!” After another ugly Mardy Collins brick, we saw a guy in a business suit who had pretty good floor seats slam his thundersticks to the ground in disgust and literally drag his girl out of there … Lots of Spurs fans in MSG, and lots of Manu jerseys, including one guy who was rocking Manu’s Team Argentina joint … Notes from the locker rooms pre-game: Jerome James had a gigantic pair of flip-flops from Shaq’s apparel line (you know, the one that’s sold at Payless); Stephon Marbury’s vacant locker stall has become a place where some media members sit down while they wait for the players to show up; With Tony Parker not traveling with the Spurs, and Tim Duncan and Manu avoiding the pre-game media availability session, the most interesting thing going in San Antonio’s locker room was a conversation between Matt Bonner and Jacque Vaughn about where to get a good panini in New York City … We also noticed that almost every trace of Steph has been edited out of the videos that are played on the scoreboard. Or maybe they were never there in the first place … Kevin Garnett made his return to Minnesota, only he wasn’t playing due to that abdominal strain. The Wolves did a tribute to KG beforehand, which was pretty cool, and KG was clearly moved by it. Say what you want about the front office, but the fans in Minnesota have always been behind Garnett 100 percent and you can tell he appreciated it … For the second time this year, the Celtics barely beat the inspired Wolves. The game was tied in the final seconds when Craig Smith saved a loose ball right into the hands of Ray Allen. Ray raced down court and got clobbered on a layup try, and the refs didn’t make a call, but Leon Powe was right there for a putback at the buzzer to win it … Without Brandon Roy in the lineup (death in the family), the Blazers were methodically dealt with in Detroit. Chauncey Billips dropped 17 points and Rodney Stuckey had 13 for the Pistons … No Shaq for the Suns against the Sonics, and again Phoenix had to fight off a Seattle team who seems to always play them tough. The Sonics were down by one in the final seconds and trying to inbound the ball when Wally Szczerbiak pulled a Chris Webber — calling a timeout that didn’t exist. The technical foul and ensuing free throws ended it … As every opposing big man seems to do, Amare torched Seattle, notching 33 points … More Bill Walton, from ESPN’s studio show: “Shaq’s arrogance is an insult to all that think.” What? And it’s funny that Walton — never opposed to trying to flex his intellectual muscles on-air — is calling anyone arrogant … Triple-double for Jason Kidd, who went for 19 points, 11 boards and 13 dimes in a win over Charlotte … Question: If the Nets are seriously considering trading J-Kidd and know that Marcus Williams could very well be their guy in the future, why is he only playing a couple minutes a night while 47-year-old Darrell Armstrong is getting significantly more burn? … We’re out like rhyme-slayer Roy Jones Jr. …
February 9th, 2008 at 3:29 am
94by50 says:
‘Melo was nice tonight, huh? I’ll bet he’s pretty happy to lay low while everything else is chaotic; has to be an improvement on last season’s shenanigans… Look, if I lived in Denver, where I couldn’t go outside without eight layers of clothing from October to March, I’d sit inside and drink a lot, too… Bill Walton is nothing if not prone to exaggeration. That said, I agree with his rap on Shaq. Look, Kazaam, you’re not the player you used to be. I don’t blame you, though. I blame Suns management for thinking you’ll fit into their style of play, and I blame Shawn Marion for being a whiner who just had to go and piss everyone else off… I feel stupid saying this, but I didn’t see a ton of contact on Shuttlesworth’s layup at the end of the Boston-Minny game. I better go back and check the replay before I make a (bigger) fool out of myself… Question: why are the Nets giving Darrell Armstrong all the burn that Marcus Williams should be getting? Answer: because the Nets’ brass just don’t know what they’re doing… Here’s to the Mamba turning back the clock with some filthy dunkage tonight…
February 9th, 2008 at 3:32 am
Nautic says:
Just a though: you could have mentioned the hawks-cavs, raptors-clippers, or even the mavs-grizzlies game also instead of focusing on denver, la, utah, san antonio, and the mess known as the knicks….
February 9th, 2008 at 3:50 am
ya boy says:
is it just me or was kb about to uncork anutha filthy ass dunk on dwight before he got nudged and had to compensate for that.all I can say is lucky dwight, ..a fwe more inches and it really wouldn’t have mattered.kb can be uh……very sick at times.
February 9th, 2008 at 4:10 am
What is this!? says:
Carmelo was nice tonight, but unfortounatly for him, he will always get overshadowed as long as he is playing next to a greater “alpha dog” type player. I’m sorry, to me Carmelo is just not a leader. Good player, but not a leader (it takes more then just scoring points to be a leader), and it has become even more evedent since he started playing next to Iverson. Even when Carmelos going off, i’m still looking at Iverson and anticipating his next move. Theres just something about players like Iverson, Kobe or Lebron’s presense that just sets them apart from others. It just is what it is.
Bill Walton is OVER.THE.TOP!! Thats all I have to say about him, because he is entirely too biased and it shows.
That K.G tribute was nice. He deserved that. I’m scared to see what Philly is going to do for Iverson when he returns. LMAO!! I hope they would show a player like him respect…but it is Philly, so theres no telling.
February 9th, 2008 at 6:52 am
YOUNGFED says:
All I’ma say is K-HOVA (AKA MAMBA) for President!!! The man is ridiculous. And Yes “What Is This” we all hate Bill Walton nobody listens to him or Barkley. Can’t believe how many response’s I got in yesterdays “Full Circle” article I must not be the only that thought that was a Hot Topic. Did mean to side track everyones B-Ball convo though.
HOLLLLLAAAAAA!!!!- Ja-Rule, qouted from every song he ever made (LOL)
I’m out like Melo’s gettin’ 50.
February 9th, 2008 at 7:03 am
K-Dizzle says:
Much love to KG. I appreciate the hard work. Only dude I ever seen live apart from Kobe, Magic, MJ and CB34 who I can honestly say brought it every night. Sorry Doc, never saw the shit live.
94 X 50
You done reviewin tape? What you think now? Ray gets that call just cuz
Sorry Bron, KB still the king
Hey Big Aaron, Pau still a scrub? It’s now 22 and 10 as a Laker. RespecK due
February 9th, 2008 at 7:32 am
Big Aaron says:
Bullshit calls all night from the refs every time anyone in a magic uniform went near Kobe. He does that irritating little “OAAH” call thing and adjusts and the refs think there must have been a foul and whistle. Utter shit all night long. The Lakers would’ve got WAXED if the refs hadn’t decided LA needed the win for that league-sanctioned Boston-LA Finals.
February 9th, 2008 at 7:50 am
Amar says:
I love how the jazz can manhandle the dubs, but get worked over by the team that wants to be the dubs — the kings. every year man . . .
I don’t see how Melo is a forgotten man or anything, dude was on the usa men’s bball team, all-star for the 2nd time in a row, on the covers of magazines, interviewed by everyone from nba types to the people on cribs . . . and he’s a huge fan favorite, and one of the most dangerous scoring threats in the game today.
February 9th, 2008 at 8:23 am
YOUNGFED says:
Yeah I agree Amar
February 9th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Shep says:
On Melo: Not a problem for me that he isn’t the alpha dog on his squad. Who would AI take second place to in that regard? Kobe? LeBron? Timmeh? Its enough for me that he’s one of the deadliest, most efficient scorers I’ve ever seen… and he’s only going to get better with Iverson to model himself after.
February 9th, 2008 at 9:44 am
penske1 says:
#7 - If the refs were somehow conspiring for a Boston-LA finals, wouldn’t Ray Allen have gotten that call at the end of the game?
I love how people only see the “bad” calls that go against their team. Since I’ve moved away from LA I’ve noticed that about announcers too. Stu and Joel (in LA) are so objective and tell it how it is, even if that means giving credit to the other team for a good play. Watching the Orlando announcers commentate with their hearts during Lakers/Magic was just so ridiculous. I was spoiled and didn’t realize it when I had the LA guys every night.
February 9th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Top Gun says:
The reason the Nets don’t use Marcus Williams is because he,s not the player they envisioned him to be.
Why must you always mention the Knicks game. Especially since they’re facing the Spurs. Yawn….Knicks start hot, Spurs take over, game done.
February 9th, 2008 at 10:43 am
SWAT says:
Man real talk I HATE BILL WALTON! I can listen to Barkley because on occassion he does have good insight but I found myself last night wanting to beat the hell outta dude…and Luke too just cuz’ he’s related to that retard. C’mon fire that cat and get someone who knows wtf they are talking about!
On another note i thought it was dirty that Jamison and Blatche wouldn’t let Melo get the record. I mean if they bitch ass would have been playing defense like that all game he wouldn’t have gone off for almost 50 like he did. I understand trying to save face but I mean dude has burned yall all game and then all of a sudden you wanna start playing D. Then Jamison tried to show Melo some love right afterwards and Melo’s face said it all. Hilarious!
February 9th, 2008 at 10:46 am
SWAT says:
By the way Dime I was lmao when i saw the title you guys chose. The was one of the worst songs i have ever heard. I don’t know who told Roy jones jr that he could rap but not a wise career move! LOL!
February 9th, 2008 at 10:49 am
BustJlaze says:
Yo Big Aaron…I know what you’re talkin’ bout on that thing Kobe does, “OH!!”, but he’s been doing that since he was a rook, and I’ve always thought that was the smartest thing…he learned how to draw calls like a veteran at a VERY young age, but with his own style to it. Jordan had his own thing, too. It’s called being savvy.
February 9th, 2008 at 10:55 am
doc says:
Ray shoulda dunked it like a man. And Kobe nice but Im rockin with Bron. If they were girls Kobe game would be a dime bitch with no flaws but personality.She know she the shit.Bron game is that bitch who not a dime but she far from ugly and she ride hard through bids and all. The one you can trust with holdin the fort down feel me.
February 9th, 2008 at 10:58 am
laballer says:
wow..that kob dunk was RIDIC..and for some reason it wasnt number 1 on sports center..the leon powe lucky finish was..hilarious no call on jesus..he was the only one NOT celebrating when powe finished the win for the celts..and the interview after the game..he seemed more angry than happy about the win..werent the “big 3″ claiming they wanted all the highlights to go to their supporting cast and not themselves? or maybe im readin too much into it and he just was pissed cause he really did get hammered..
why does bill walton speak? why is he allowed to be on tv and actually talk? he is by far one of the most annoying tv personalities and he used to lick shaq’s asshole when he was with the lakeshow..i think he made some comment a few years back and shaq shut him up..after that all he can talk about is shaq being washed up..its the hate speakin…
speaking of commentators..is it me or is jeff van gundy funny as hell? anyone else notice this?
ey youngfed..still got money on hamilton winnin the 3 point contest? come on man..ill give u he has a decent shot..but dude cant possibly win it..not with some of those other shooters out there..u got kapono..nash..peja..i dont know man..hamilton’s a stretch..
February 9th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Big Aaron says:
K-Dizzle: Let Pau play a real game against Dwight without Kobe bitching for Dwight’s 5th foul. Dwight was dominating Pau on the boards and in points until Kobe’s jersey got fouled. Gasol got his numbers against Adonal fucking Foyle. Hardly an elite C.
Pau, I still maintain, is nowhere near as good as he is made out to be. His number is Memphis flattered him as he was the closest thing they had to a franchise player before Gay came along. In LA, he’s going to be a role player. It’s Kobe’s show in LA. He may play a few games of unselfish ball but when it comes to it in the playoffs, Kobe will not defer his shots to anyone else.
February 9th, 2008 at 11:33 am
penske1 says:
Jeff Van Gundy is great. I love the ESPN commercials he’s in now.
Here’s the Celtics one
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jZ-4ribUm9k&feature=related
Wish I could find the one where Bosh is playing travel bingo. “Brown cow. Bingo!”
February 9th, 2008 at 11:35 am
penske1 says:
#18 - Didn’t you see Pau DRAW 3-4 of those fouls on Dwight? Boards and dunks aren’t everything. Crafty veterans go a long way.
February 9th, 2008 at 11:36 am
sans says:
Gasol will be a championship contributor, and All Star with KB24 running around him. Bill Walton is an ass, and you can make the excuse for many, marginally deserving players that they should get in the Hall because Billy made it. He’s the only guy whose limp makes people smile. Seriously, I wonder how many kids think that Walton is a handicapable basketball announcer?
February 9th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
YOUNGFED says:
Whenever you ready laballer
February 9th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
doc says:
i think bill funny you need personalities. he did used to be on shaq pipe crazy.
February 9th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
94by50 says:
@sans 11:36
Walton made it to the Hall more because of his college career than his pro career. If his pro career was all he had to fall back on, he wouldn’t have made it. (He was a Hall of Famer, too… he just was never healthy.)
But he’s still an ass.
February 9th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Triple Threat says:
Melo had his game going on last night, dropping 49 points. Melo dropping 49 points is nice, but I think he could have drop 50 points a long time ago. Iverson and Melo being playing together for almost year, but there are games where Iverson goes off and takes way more shots than Melo. Iverson is one of my favorite players, but I think if Melo never had him on his side, Melo would have had a 50 point game by now. The guys is unselfish, and is willing to share the spot light with AI and Camby.
Not many players are willing to do that. And how can Melo not be a leader for his team? He won an NCAA tournament his first year, and he took his nuggets team to the playoffs his first year, and this is in the Western Conf. If Melo was in the east, he probably would have led his team to the Finals by now, but he’s out in the West, so he has to wait his turn, and that could be this year or next year. Sooner or later Melo will be more than Just the King of the Hill, he will take over the west.
February 9th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
jz_smoove says:
maggette (almost unstoppable) pretty much held the fort for the Clippers until crunch time belonged to Al Thornton. This guy has a bright future and took his own against Bosh. when Brand comes back it will make for a very overpowering frontcourt. Thornton might possibly be the best Gator that came out this year.
February 9th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
D.H. says:
You guys should have given some love to Thorton who was torching Bosh over and over again in the 4th. The guy was going crazy, what a first step he’s got!
February 9th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Ian says:
big aaron
its true on a bad team u look better than what u r
but then can u say the same
for
tmac
garnett
allen???
i personally think the three are overrated but many people think of them as superstar
paul is not a superstar but hes real good
if you think those three i mentioned are superstars then stop saying pau is crap cuz he had the same situation they did and put up the numbers
February 9th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Ian says:
triple
melo is unselfish
i just dont see that
hes a onedimensional that shoots a lot
but that just me
94by50
walton might have gotten in with his nba career alone
maybe
mvp
2 rings
why not
February 9th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
mrcanadian says:
I know dime is based in ny and they always try and rep the knicks but they need to do an article about how many careers have been killed in ny since Larry Brown, Isiah and whatever clown they have acting as GM. Several players were known talents before coming to the knicks but under their watch they died a slow or even fast death. Example
Steve francis: was still solid on Magic. Now he’s done.
Malik Rose: he put up stats on spurs, not sure if he is even on this team anymore.
Jalen Rose: he was winning games for the raptors before he went to msg.
JYD; was grabbing boards with the best of them in Toronto and Chicago.
QRich; was great on the suns for that year. He’s a shell of that person.
Maurice Taylor; he could put up about 10 points everywhere else he had been.
Steph: he had been a 20 and 10 guy his whole career and now he’s possibly out of the league under isiahs watch.
I’m sure I’m missing a handful of others but I’m lazy. Would be interesting read. Do it dime.
February 9th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
What is this!? says:
“Triple Threat”, I can understand you being a fan of Melo’s, but keep it real. Lastnight they said that Melo averages around 20 shots per game and Iverson averages around 19. There are going to be games when they shoot more then that ofcourse but that is their averages, so please stop acting like Iverson is taking shots aways from Melo. Lastnight Iverson only shot 9 times and made 7 of them, he had 11 assist and about 9 of them went to Melo which means he was trying his hardest to help Melo get his shine on. So for the love of god, stop it right now. Hell, Iverson could have had about 10 more 50 pt games by now if he was not playing next to another dominate scorer, thats just commen sense. They are not going to be able to score that many points all the time because they play together now, nor do they have to with that team.
If you really want to talk about Melo supposidly being “unselfish”, we can talk about Iversons 51 pt game against the Lakers where Melo was still trying to get his by jacking up unnecessary shots, instead of feeding the hot hand, but thats a entire other story. I said that Melo was not a leader to me before Iverson ever went to Denver. Doesn’t mean he’s not a good player. Hopefully, he’ll mature more within the next few years. People keep saying “he is young, give him time”…but so was Iverson and Kobe, so are Lebron and D-Wade, he’s been in the L 5 yrs. now, in a few years he’ll be considered a veteren. Lebron seems light years ahead of Carmelo as far as leadership and dominance. Like I said before, scoring points is not what makes someone a leader. To me his body language says it all. Having that “never say die” attitude that players like Iverson or Kobe or even Lebron have is something that cannot be taught…either you have it or you don’t.
February 9th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
94by50 says:
@ K-Dizzle 7:03
I still don’t see it. In real-time it looks like his best argument is that Wally got him on the arm or thereabouts; it didn’t look like Telfair or whoever was underneath him really did anything. Slo-mo might tell different. Don’t know why Ray felt he had to fuss about it anyway. They got the W…
@ ian 1:43
The MVP didn’t hurt, I’m sure. But his career has less substance to it than almost anyone else’s in the Hall. (He only played 13,250 minutes in the league - for most guys, that’s about four full seasons.) Even the year he won the MVP, he missed 24 games… and he didn’t run away with it, either. Gervin wasn’t far behind him in the voting. He’s one of the all-time “what if” cases - in his case, what if he had just been healthy. I mean, he missed three seasons between 26 and 29… how many players have a Hall of Fame career while missing three seasons of their prime?
All that said, he was a far better player than he is a commentator.
———————————————————-
I’m out like having to wait for Shaq and Shawn to suit up for their new teams…
February 9th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
CDog says:
mr.canada havent you forgotten the best of them all Lenny Wilkens. The coach with the most wins couldnt even save that team. As for Melo, god dammit jordan picked the right man for once (R.I.P Washington Wizards and now Charolette Bobcats)
February 9th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
What is this!? says:
Shep says:
“On Melo: Not a problem for me that he isn’t the alpha dog on his squad. Who would AI take second place to in that regard? Kobe? LeBron? Timmeh? Its enough for me that he’s one of the deadliest, most efficient scorers I’ve ever seen… and he’s only going to get better with Iverson to model himself after”.
^^ I guess so. Like I said, its one thing to walk around calling yourself a leader, its another thing to be one. All those players that you mentioned above (Iverson, Kobe, Lebron, Timmy) can all score points, but they also have a special factor to them as well. Because Iverson is one of the biggest alpha dogs in all of sports, i’ll give Melo a pass, because when it comes to that factor Iverson is second to NONE. Melo doesn’t have to be an alpha dog, but he coasts through games entirely too much to be calling himself a leader, theres just something about that guy that screams “second banana”. Like you said, I do hope that Carmelo does take advantage of playing next to a player like AI. Because if he doesn’t, he will always play second fiddle to Lebron in the media…nomatter how many POINTS he scores.
February 9th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
CDog says:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Melo can score but at the same time if he were in Seatle he would be doing the same thing as Kevin Durand, gunning and missing
February 9th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Lee says:
Yeah, Melo is not a leader .. unless you remember the USA squads
February 9th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
djKianoosh says:
i dont know ya’ll, i think bill walton is really funny. i’d keep him around for the outlandish exaggerations alone. barkley is just as much a character as walton, but different. keep ‘em both. it’s fun.
as for Melo, I’ve said it before around these parts, AI seems to have taken over that team, but Melo’s smart, cause if it can get him deeper in the playoffs then it’s worth it. Melo does jack up shots, but last night’s opening possessions were interesting for the Nugs..
1st play : Melo jumper, made
2nd play : AI primary option
3rd play : Camby primary option
4th play : Martin primary option
they only got 2 points, the first shot from Melo, at that point so they started going back to him for the rest of the quarter. he got hot, and they showed some real common sense by continuing to feed him.
If they can just play smart like that consistently and keep it simple, they are potent enough to go deep in the playoffs. I’d like to see them go deep, but damn the West is tough!