Carmelo Continues to Deliver At the Power Forward Position

Added by Stephen Zimkouski on April 9, 2012.

Carmelo hit a game winning three to top Chicago on Sunday.

With 43 points in one of the best performances of the season thus far, Carmelo Anthony shined again as the Knicks continue to push forward towards the playoffs.

In the Knicks victory over the Bulls on Sunday, Anthony hit two huge deep pull-up three pointers to not only send the game to overtime, but to ultimately win the game. Those are two shots that would usually have Knicks fans cringing and yelling at Anthony for his poor shot selection, but, it’s been different lately, because Melo is being Melo.

He’s playing the game free and loose and the ball is going through him. Melo is at his best when he is the focal point of a team, and it has shown with his effort and effective play as of late. Through the past six games, Anthony is averaging nearly 30 points and eight rebounds. However, the key statistic is that Melo is shooting the ball again with confidence, taking over 20 shots in four of those games. He is also being more aggressive than ever by getting to the free throw line over 8.5 times a game.

These stats are important because neither Jeremy Lin nor Amare Stoudemire has played in the past six games, fully giving Anthony the green light. Anthony has also started each of the past six games at the Power Forward position, which looks to be a great adjustment made by coach Mike Woodson. The starting lineup has played much better with this new look, and mostly because of the mismatches that occur when Anthony is lined up against the ‘4’ of another team.

It also looks as if Stoudemire will return to a bench role, which could be another amazing move by coach Woodson if he chooses to do so. Stoudemire would provide a superstar talent off the bench while dominating the touches of the second unit and letting Anthony still have his offensive freedom with the starters.

With a huge win against the Bulls and another matchup coming on Tuesday, the Knicks could make a major statement to the rest of the league with another victory over the top team in the East. If Melo can continue his production and the Knicks can keep playing some of the best defense across the league, they should be able to be a tough out for the rest of the season and in the playoffs.