3 Reasons Melo Really Won

My man Melo, gone too soon…well, one round too soon to be exact.  This year, the Puerto Rock baller advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in his career before falling to the Los Angeles Black Mambas in six games.  Brutal!  I pulled hard for Carmelo Anthony and really wanted to see him battle (preferably LeBron) for the NBA Championship.  For various reasons, Melo ranks high on my list of favorite athletes: NYC origins, the Latino connection, I like the name Carmelo.  Watching Anthony drop to Kobe (a player I genuinely love and hate) felt like seeing a cool character get killed off in a movie or TV show – you’ll be fine 20 minutes later, but the experience kind of hurts.  For me, Anthony’s demise was the NBA equivalent of Leonardo DiCaprio getting popped at the end of The Departed.  Yet, despite losing in the Conference Finals and falling short of an NBA Championship appearance, I still see Carmelo’s Anthony’s 2009 playoffs as an unequivocal success for him, both personally and professionally.  Let’s see why…

First off, in 2009 Melo finally shook the pre-op Star Jones-sized monkey off his back by snapping his streak of first round exits.  Seriously, advancing to the Conference Semis immediately removed Anthony from the Land of the Underachievers (otherwise known as T-Macenburg) and at least put him back into the same discussions as LeBron and D-Wade (not really seen since the trio’s rookie seasons).  Not only did Melo break his first round jinx, he jumped his NBA status two levels higher by winning the semifinals and making the first Western Conference Finals appearance of his career.  You can never understate the importance of the postseason on a player’s legacy.

Second, Melo legitimately shined in the spotlight.  Take Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals for example.  Easily the biggest moment of Anthony’s career, and how does he respond?  He goes Nike-to-Nike with the Black Mamba and drops 39 points on 14-of-20 shooting.  In fact, of the Nuggets 16 playoff games, Carmelo lead the team in scoring 11 times, and broke the 30 point mark on three occasions in the Lakers series.  After losing five straight playoff appearances, Melo shook any doubts of not being able to produce in the clutch.  Remember, it’s not about making the postseason, it’s about what you do when you get there.

Third, and maybe most importantly, Melo showed a level of maturity and leadership not seen before in his career.  Previously famous for blemishes like the “Stop Snitchin’” video and the 2006 Knick vs. Nuggets brawl, Anthony carried himself like a professional both on the court and in the post-game press conferences.  He showed just enough toughness in the Lakers series, yet never lost his head or made any costly decisions (what’s a technical foul here or there really).  In the 2009 Playoffs, we saw the end result of Melo’s transformation from talented underachiever to bona fide NBA superstar.

See, sometimes when you lose, you actually win.