“Carmelo Anthony gave me everything too”: When Paul George detailed how Melo bust his a** as a rookie

Paul George detailed how his Welcome to the NBA moment with Carmelo Anthony came about on the Knuckleheads Podcast 2 years back.

Newer NBA fans better know Carmelo Anthony as a supplementary scorer or as a 6th man. For those who didn’t watch him during his prime, his stats would seem to be slightly underwhelming given his reputation.

But make no mistake – Melo was as cold as any great NBA legend as a straight bucket. He has perhaps the smoothest form in the NBA for his jumper even today if he had a contract. Paul Pierce describes his scoring thus:

“If I had to single one guy out who is the most difficult player to guard in the league, it would have to be Carmelo. He’s a unique blend of being big, strong, and athletic. While also having a world-class shooting touch and a natural ability to get to the rim. That’s what sets him apart — every facet of his game is elite.”

Also Read – “Carmelo Anthony is not a fun assignment on defense”: Paul Pierce describes how Melo could be tougher than Kobe Bryant or LeBron James to guard

Paul George named Carmelo Anthony as the first NBA star to bust him up

Paul George and Melo have had a couple of entertaining battles when their prime years overlapped. The former Pacers star led Indiana past the New York Knicks in the 2012-13 Eastern Conference semifinals.

But before that, when George was in his rookie season, he wasn’t the star he became 2 seasons later. He had a lot of learning to still do, and Melo made sure to give him the business during their first meeting.

“It was Melo, man, it was Melo, (in) my rookie year. Denver Melo! He went for like 30 or 40, and Danny (Granger) got hurt for that game. He didn’t play that game so I got all the minutes. That was the real Welcome to the League moment right there…(it) was guarding Melo.”

Also Read – “Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are my toughest specific matchups”: Celtics forward Jayson Tatum explains why Clippers stars have consistently been his biggest tests

“He gave me everything too. And that’s when he was at his finest on the bully-ball too. The New York years, you could tell it was starting to take a toll on him. That was Prime Time Melo.”

A look at the box scores for the game reveals everything about how Melo went about his business. Rumors of a trade to New York meant that a faction of Nuggets fans was regularly booing him. He showed them what they were about to miss out on.

Surprisingly, Paul George himself didn’t play too shabbily, putting up 17 points on 7-10 shooting in that game.