Carmelo Anthony and Knicks off-target again
Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks looks on in the first half against the Nets at Barclays Center on Friday, Nov. 7, 2014. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Carmelo Anthony wasn't kidding when he said he wouldn't lead the league in scoring this season, but he probably didn't think it would be because of his own offensive struggles.
Anthony's shooting woes continued in the Knicks' 110-99 loss to the Nets on Friday night at Barclays Center.
Anthony shot 5-for-20 from the field and had 19 points. In his last three games, he's 18-for-64 (28.1 percent) and has scored 49 points. The Knicks (2-4) have dropped all three.
"I'm still trying to find that comfort zone, still trying to find a way to get it going and just play better," he said. "We're not playing well. I'm not playing well, and it starts with me on this team. So I've got to get myself going and I think that will trickle down to everyone else."
It's not just Anthony working his way through the new triangle offense. All the Knicks are, and once again it affected them defensively.
The Knicks gave the Nets open looks all night -- Brooklyn shot 14-for-24 on three-pointers (58.3 percent) -- fell behind by 22 and couldn't slow down Deron Williams, who shot 10-for-15 and had 29 points and seven assists.
Iman Shumpert, the Knicks' best perimeter defender, was beaten badly by Williams, and admitted as much. "Deron Williams got to do whatever he wanted out there," Shumpert said. "I got abused in my matchup."
Effort continues to be a concern for the Knicks, who will try to snap their three-game skid Saturday night in Atlanta.
"When you get beat by 20, 30 points, it's obviously effort," said J.R. Smith, who had eight points in his return from a one-game NBA suspension for striking Glen Rice Jr. in the groin. "For us to be professionals talking about effort is kind of like a slap in the face."
The triangle offense is designed to produce balanced scoring. But the way the Knicks are constituted -- and with point guard Jose Calderon still out with a calf injury -- they need Anthony to have big nights.
In the Knicks' two wins this season, Anthony shot 21-for-39, hit clutch shots down the stretch and averaged 26.5 points. In their four losses, he shot 23-for-77 and averaged 15.8 points.
According to ESPN stats and info, he is the first player to take at least 20 shots and make five or fewer in back-to-back games in 10 years. The last player to do it? Anthony, with the Nuggets.
"For me, it's just not going in," he said. "Whether it's rhythm, whatever it may be. They're just not going in. Those are shots that I've been making, and I will continue to make, throughout my career."
The Knicks' play from the beginning was similar to the first three quarters at Detroit on Wednesday, when they fell behind by 18. They never got anything going offensively and were slow on defensive rotations.
The Nets made eight of their first 10 three-pointers and went ahead 55-37 with 58.9 seconds left in the second quarter.
"At the end of the day, I think it's just believing in ourselves a little bit more," Anthony said. "Whether it's in the triangle, whether it's on defense, whether it's in each other. I think we just have to believe in each other a little bit more and give a better effort for 48 minutes."
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
