Maximizing Carmelo Anthony’s play will be key in must-win Game 4

Carmelo Anthony’s box score told the story of a well-played game in Game 3. But could a few schematic tweaks give him an even better chance to succeed in a must-win Game 4?

We’ve heard our fair share of hot takes, but to suggest before this series began that Carmelo Anthony the defender would be more impactful than Carmelo Anthony the scorer would have ranked among the top of any conceivable list.

The first ten halves of this series weren’t kind to Anthony; he made just six of his first 28 attempts, before the third quarter percolation last night. And the 20-point, 9-of-20 shooting performance won’t quite do Anthony’s game justice. He was sensational for long stretches of film in Game 3, even in spots where it won’t show. But it creates a question as to what’s his best use going forward.

Defensively, he’s been brilliant, save for the late rotation or the occasional LeBron James blow-by. But as a post defender, his work deserves praise. It just so happens the Portland Trail Blazers are shorthanded on players capable of guarding James and Anthony Davis, and so by de facto, Anthony has had to take on the challenge. And like a two-sided jacket, he’s flipped between the two seamlessly.

There were multiple occasions last night in which Anthony had enough strength to keep Davis at bay during post face-ups. At one point in the second half, the Lakers tried to isolate him, and Anthony forced Davis baseline, using it as an extra defender, and forcing him out of bounds. Here are a few clips, for example:

By game’s end, Anthony had defended both for sustained stretches. The two combined to shoot 1-of-4 from the field, four turnovers, and a few trips to the charity stripe. And that doesn’t account for the turnovers caused when Anthony would front Davis, utilizing his weak side help and force the Lakers into tough entry passes.

In the postseason, Carmelo Anthony ranks No. 4 in the NBA with 3.7 deflections per game.

The big question, though: could that expense of energy going to come back to bite him? During the ABC broadcast, Mark Jackson made mention of this, noting that it felt like it was time to switch Anthony back onto James, especially when Stotts elected to have Gary Trent Jr. guard James on post-ups.

Trent’s a spirited, competitive defender, but that’s just a matchup he’s going to win, especially at his size. And he knew it, too. There was one possession where he flat-out abandoned any idea of guarding a James post face-up, and fell out of position gambling for a steal.

No player defended James longer than Anthony did. But even with that, did he defend him well enough?

The seemingly-evident answer is “yes.” Putting Anthony on James for longer stretches could leave him winded offensively. But Anthony seemed to gain an extra pep in his step, an added moxie in that third quarter as he and James traded haymakers. If there’s one thing we know about basketball fundamentally, it’s that there’s a correlation between touches on offense and effort on defense. Those went hand-in-hand in Game 3 for Anthony.

And then, there’s the offensive side of things. The looks Anthony gets deserve a closer look, too. When the Blazers signed him, they knew that jab steps and post fadeaways were in the terms and conditions and fine print. But why not adjust who he’s doing those on?

Portland has sparingly used Carmelo Anthony in those pick-and-roll sets with Lillard or McCollum, and the Lakers have been willing to switch.

The Blazers have a much higher percentage chance of getting Anthony easier buckets when he can bully Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, as opposed to trying to bang and tangle with James or Kyle Kuzma. His offensive success in that second half began once he exploited matchups against Los Angeles’ smaller wing defenders. 

And in the event that Anthony was being defended by the likes of Davis or Howard, the Trail Blazers were smart enough to bring him around screens and test those bigs’ willingness to leave the paint. It led to cleaner looks. Mathematically, those pull-ups by Anthony are already deemed “inefficient.” But by mixing the Lakers and keeping them guessing with different looks, it can alleviate a bit of that.

This series has offered little alternative, too. Carmelo Anthony no longer generates the superstar “respect” of the officials. Creating opportunities against weaker defenders, by necessity, have to become the name of the game.

The 10-time All-Star provided himself with an excellent chance to build upon a spotty, yet respectable Game 3. And as the team gets into film studies today, the hope is that they can find some ways to get him easier looks, and put him in better positions to succeed. If not, you might be looking forward to minute increases for … Mario Hezonja?