Carmelo Anthony Gets an Assist for Miami Heat’s Loss
As the San Antonio Spurs are showing the world, basketball is a team game.
New York Knicks’ superstar Carmelo Anthony‘s selfish behavior and continual need for attention has now infiltrated the Miami Heat locker room.
Rather than Miami focusing 100 percent on their championship series, the talk is now they want to add Anthony to their team.
This season was a tale of two cities.
In New York, Anthony continued his selfish act all season long on how he wanted to become a free agent. The same Anthony that forced his way out of Denver, costing the Knicks many of their young assets.
Now, in Miami their big three, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, all eligible to opt out of their contracts as well after this season and never discussed it at all, until trailing the NBA Finals 2-1.
Their focus was not on Game 4, but instead the potential adding of Anthony to their team.
Talk about poor timing.
They were not focused on a three-peat, the team game. Thursday, with their biggest game of the season on the line the talk centered not on winning Game 4, but creating the “Big Four.”
The media bought in, headline after headline wrote how LeBron and Anthony want to play together. Anthony’s circus act now infiltrated the American Airlines Arena.
No talk of stopping the team-oriented Spurs, but now how they now could all opt out of their contracts, take collective pay cuts, so they could all play together.
There’s been no talk of Ray Allen, Mario Chalmers, etc., all key players in their last championship, also upcoming unrestricted free agents.
Basically, Anthony gets an assist from the Spurs for distracting Miami at this pivotal time. And it showed in the American Airlines Arena, where the Heat was stronger outside the arena than inside. Anthony’s influence assisted the Spurs in taking a 3-1 lead, the two-time NBA champions losing two at home by a team of aging veterans and no name stars.
Watching Tim Duncan and the Spurs, is like watching the movie Hoosiers come to life. Every player scores. Every player touches the ball. Everybody plays defense and cheers for each other.
Anthony doesn’t want to lead, to build, he wants to buy a ring.
Carmelo, in Miami you will not be No. 1. You will not get the ball on every possession. You will not be the God you are in New York.
This past season was all about Anthony, the same Anthony that had tremendous input in all the Knicks’ dealings. The same Anthony who forced out Mike D’Antoni. The same Anthony which chose Raymond Felton over Jeremy Lin.
CAA, and their team of Knicks’ employees, including former coach Mike Woodson and Alan Houston, called the shots with Anthony steering the bus.
George Karl was on the mark stating Anthony was a great player, a great scorer, but not a consummate team player, not a winner.
A winner never whines, and a whiner never wins.
If Anthony loves New York as he states, stand up, man up and show us.
Phil Jackson put his legacy on the line, Derek Fisher chose the Knicks over other opportunities. They both have won and know how to win. Anthony has yet to learn that lesson.
The Spurs are a team built from solid draft picks, good foreign scouting and great coaching.
They don’t have a “Big Four.” They have a “Team 12.”
I love watching them and now although I live in Florida, I am rooting for them.
Why?
They represent everything good in the game. They didn’t conspire to win a ring, they play hard, smart, together and worked as a team to be in the position they are.
So Carmelo, if you want to go to Miami then go.
You already stole their focus, the same way you did to the Knicks this season.
Carmelo, you don’t conspire to win. To win you lead and you lead by example.
Don’t believe me ask, no watch, Tim Duncan.
Dr Eric Kaplan is a Bestselling author www.5minutemotivator.com
Follow him on Twitter@drekaplan.