By MICHAEL DAUBER
STAFF WRITER
On Friday night, Carmelo Anthony dropped an impressive 62 points on the Charlotte Bobcats. Melo’s scoring rampage broke the record for most points scored in Madison Square Garden and most points scored in the Garden by a home-team player. The record previously belonged to Kobe Bryant, who held it after a 61-point outburst against the Knicks in 2009, whereas the previous home team record was set by Bernard King on Christmas Day in 1984, when the ex-Knick went off for 60 points.
Melo’s scoring outburst was the talk of the town over the weekend, drawing comparisons between his and Kobe’s games. Some suggested that Melo’s game was more efficient than Kobe’s. Others suggested that Kobe took more difficult shots and facilitated more. Which was truly the more impressive game?
Melo shot a perfect 10/10 from the free throw line and made 23 of his 35 shots from the field, including an impressively high 6/11 from three point range. That’s good for 65.7 percent shooting and 54.5 percent from downtown. Those numbers are absurdly high, even by NBA’s elite standards. Anthony shot extremely efficiently and picked his spots well by reading the defense. He took mostly mid-to-long-range jump shots and made it to the rim several times. In addition, he showed good execution and presence of mind in successfully taking a half court shot to end a quarter.
Kobe Bryant also shot well in his game. He shot 19/31 (or 61.3 percent) from the field and 20/20 from the line. Although his percentage from the field is lower, Kobe drew twice as many fouls from the defense as Anthony, demonstrating a different kind of skill: Bryant forced the other team to let him score by beating them mentally in situations where he couldn’t physically. In addition, Bryant’s game was built more around plays closer to the rim, showing a different focal point for the offense.
There is a key difference that needs to be addressed in both games in order to judge whose performance was more impressive: The opposing defense. All things considered, both performances came against woefully subpar teams. Anthony went on his scoring rampage against Charlotte, a perennially atrocious squad that has pretty much become synonymous with the word “losers” (sorry, MJ). The Bobcats left Carmelo Anthony open for plenty of shots. Anthony, a fantastic shooter, is an extremely credible threat from almost anywhere on the floor when he has time to gather his shot. In addition, he poses a lethal jab-step to create space so, even if he is heavily covered, he is capable of creating space for himself. What was so blatantly wrong with this game from a defensive standpoint, however, was how easily he got his shots off. The defense was either nowhere near Anthony when he decided to shoot, was late arriving or did not apply adequate pressure when present. The result was wide-open jumpers needing to dribble or move the ball to create an opening. Instead, the openings were ill-fated gifts.
Whose game is more impressive? It’s difficult to say. Critics will say that Anthony could have had more than 62 points, since he went to the bench with nearly eight minutes left in the game. Bryant could have gone for his career-high 81 again if he hadn’t let Gasol dump in 33 points of his own. Anthony shot more efficiently and had one more point than Bryant, but he also took more threes and was left open much more often than the Laker guard. In the end it all comes down to personal preference. The games are pretty much equal from an objective standpoint. If consistent shooting and that beautiful swishing sound is your gig, Anthony’s game is for you. If you like plays at the rim and trick shots, Bryant’s your man. I’m just happy to be here to witness them.
