Film Room: Carmelo Anthony clutch even without taking a shot

The OKC Thunder recorded its second comeback in a week against the Memphis Grizzlies. In particular, the team had Carmelo Anthony to thank for the victory, even if the box score does not suggest so.

Coming into the game, the OKC Thunder had one big ongoing narrative shrouding their team chemistry. Many observers were blaming  Carmelo Anthony for the team’s offensive struggles.

In the end, the OKC Thunder rallied into overtime to steal a win. The win was certainly ugly, fraught with scrappy play and poor decision-making. Carmelo Anthony himself could not seem to shake off his recent shooting woes, going 7-for-20 from the field. But, Melo found a way to impact the game with a series of intangibles to get his team over the hump.

Kiwi footprints all over

Before getting into Carmelo Anthony’s offensive contributions, it is important to recognize the bench play tonight. Among the few, Raymond Felton stole the limelight.

Before this play, Felton made two crucial pull-up jumpers to keep the Thunder in the game. On a night when no one apart from Felton and Russell Westbrook recorded a single assist, Felton’s ability to get the rest of the bench involved proved crucial in providing offense. Here, Josh Huestis is the beneficiary of Felton’s simple yet effective reading of the game.

Closely examining the above play reveals an even more important truth about the OKC Thunder. By right, defenses should not be intimidated by either Felton taking shots or Huestis on the strong side. And yet, Huestis found an open lane to the basket because the defense had collapsed. The reason? Steven Adams.

For the fourth consecutive game, Adams recorded 20+ points simply out of hard rolls and putbacks. Here, the Grizzlies defense was clearly bothered enough by Adams getting into the lane that it gave up space to cutters like Huestis. It may be counter-intuitive, but in his own way, Steven Adams has contributed to floor-spacing on this team.

Take that, Coach Nick

Coming into the game, popular Youtuber Coach Nick criticized Carmelo Anthony for not conscientiously setting hard screens. On his 1000th game as a pro, Melo responded to his critics yet again.

In the thick of OT, Billy Donovan stations Carmelo Anthony and Alex Abrines on the strong side. Donovan then gets Melo to set a quick screen so Abrines can pop out for the three.

On paper, this looks simple enough. But, as always, context matters. Firstly, this play may be simple, but it is not normal. By right, the Thunder are used to spraying shooters all over the floor. In this case, because Abrines is Paul George’s replacement, intuitively-speaking, Abrines should curl off the right corner for a catch-and-shoot. Instead, Donovan reads that getting one shooter to screen for the other would instead force the defense to pick their poison.

Secondly, it would seem more logical to draw a play up for Anthony, not Abrines. After all, Melo is the established superstar. Instead, Billy Donovan opts for the ballsy move, rewarding Abrines’ sniper shooting, and it pays off. Credit to the youngster, but he actually has Anthony to thank for his success.

Carmelo Anthony’s ability to shoot from anywhere on the floor means defenses have to stick right by him. More importantly, check out that screen for Abrines. Melo almost transforms into a lineman as he wards off two defenders long enough for Abrines to pull the trigger. It does not show up on the box score, but Melo certainly had his fingerprints all over this play.

In Melo’s defense

Carmelo Anthony and defense almost resemble a 15-year oxymoron in this league. And yet, in the most unexpected play of the night, Melo came up with a key defensive play to seal the Thunder’s win.

With 6 seconds left on the game clock, the Grizzlies attempt to quickly advance the ball. The Thunder assign Andre Roberson to mark the Grizzlies’ ballhandler. Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony’s only job is to follow his man and deny him the ball.

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

Instead, Anthony reads the game perfectly and turns up with the game-saving help-side block on Tyreke Evans. Melo had to get the play absolutely right. Miscue his reach-in a little, and he would have given Memphis a pair of free-throws to steal the game. But, the wily vet comes through and seals the win for the Thunder.

MUST READ: Billy Donovan’s confusing rotations the cause for Thunder losses

Credit when it’s due

Carmelo Anthony is certainly part of the problem when it comes to the OKC Thunder’s offensive woes. His mid-range reliance and horrid shooting are chief among Billy Donovan’s team concerns. But, fans and the media alike must learn to give the man credit when it is due.

Despite his shooting struggles, Carmelo Anthony found a way to impact the game. Ceding priority to a bench player, screening hard when it came down to it and helping out with the game-saving block. None of these are staples in the Carmelo Anthony experience by any measure. But, when it mattered most, Melo duly delivered with a series of intangibles – clutch in his own way.