Can Anthony Lead Knicks to Title?
If (Dirk) Nowitzki could do it with (Tyson) Chandler and Co., why can’t (Carmelo) Anthony?
“He’s really put this team on his shoulders,” said Chandler, who hit the Celtics for 20 points and seven rebounds, “and yes, it does remind me of what Dirk did for us [last year]. I talked to [Anthony] a couple of times after games and said, ‘If you continue to play like that it will just lift the other guys’ play and we can make a heck of a run.’”
Chandler was walking out of his locker room, heading for the Garden exits, when asked if Anthony could do for the Knicks what Nowitzki did for the
“For sure, for sure,” the center said. “They’re two different players, but I put them both right at the top and I definitely think we can duplicate what we did [in Dallas].”
Beyond Nowitzki and Chandler, the Mavericks who averaged double figures in minutes during last year’s playoffs included Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, Jason Kidd, Jose Barea, Peja Stojakovic, DeShawn Stevenson, and Brendan Haywood.
Beyond Anthony and Chandler, the Knicks already have a rotation (when healthy) in the same ballpark. An aging Baron Davis is no aging Kidd, but Marion is no (Amar’e) Stoudemire, either, even with Amare in a diminished physical state. The Terrys and Bareas and Pejas more or less line up with the Smiths and Lins and Novaks, and Iman Shumpert is a better stopper, and prospect, than Stevenson is or was.
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