LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony embrace each other after Lakers clinch series vs Blazers

Samir Mehdi | 30/08/2020
LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony of the Portland Trailblazers turns back the clock against LeBron and the Lakers as he drops a cool 27 points.

36 year old Carmelo Anthony makes all old school NBA fans reminisce about the old days back in 2000s with a classic ‘Carmelo Anthony performance’ this Saturday against the LeBron James led Los Angeles.

Carmelo Anthony pulls out all of his vintage moves against the Lakers

Melo got what he wanted in the mid range tonight, even pulling up in Anthony Davis’s face in the 2nd quarter.

The 10x All Star just could not miss, hitting tough jumper after tough jumper.

Chris Webber during the game was quoted saying, “the pump fake is the greatest move in NBA history”, implying that being able to use it effectively shows how skilled you are and how much your defender respects your shot. He said this as Carmelo got Kyle Kuzma to bite on a mean pump fake, drawing the paper.

LeBron and Melo’s relationship over the years has been incredible

Both LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony were drafted in the class of 2003, at the #1 spot and #3 spot, respectively.

Even before entering the league together, they were great friends as they would face off against each other in high school as teenagers.

Also Read: LeBron James turned players off in players meeting post NBA Boycott

James even tweeted out a picture after Game, of both of them duelling in 2002 when Carmelo attended Oak Hill and Lebron attended St Vincent-St Mary.

Melo definitely gave LeBron flashbacks in Game 5 with 2 sweet turn-around jumpers which were both contested, the second jumper coming in late in the 4th quarter.

Carmelo Anthony’s performance in Game 5 and Game 5 outcome

The future Hall-of-Famer dropped 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 assist, on an efficient 56% from the field and 75% from beyond the arc.

Portland’s star shooting guard, CJ McCollum went off for 36 points but both of these efforts were not enough to topple the #1 seeded Los Angeles Lakers.

After the game, the long time friends and rivals embraced each other.

Post Edited By: Utkarsh Bhatla
carmelo anthiny LeBron James los angeles laker NBA NBA playoffs Portland Trailblazers

About the author

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Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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