“It was like a f**k you 62” – Carmelo Anthony recalls dropping 62 points after the media and fans were over him for the Knicks losing streak

The New York fans and media are not just passionate, they are intense. When the Knicks are on a winning streak, they are hailed as heroes, their every move celebrated. But the pressure is palpable when the team is on a losing streak, and all hell breaks loose.

This was the situation former NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony encountered during the 2013-2014 season. The Knicks were on a five-game losing streak, and Melo was receiving heavy criticism from fans and media alike. People were questioning his leadership, skills, and whether or not he was committed to bringing success to New York.

Things eventually came to a boil on January 24, 2014, when the Knicks hosted the Charlotte Bobcats at Madison Square Garden. The former Syracuse standout had enough of all the negativity and decided to let it all out on the Bobcats.

Inspired by the iconic Muhammad Ali

Melo is known for his mellow personality. Typically cool as a cucumber, the 6-foot-7 forward was under fire during that stretch and began feeling the heat. Fortunately for Carmelo, the Knicks had a motivational speaker who helped put the star's mind in the right place.

"New York was all over me—the media, everybody. We had this guy who used to come to our team and talk to us, more like a mentor. He wasn't a shrink, but he helped us out and made sure our mentality was right," Melo said on "Podcast P."

"He knew I liked Muhammad Ali, so he sent me a Muhammad Ali motivational tape—'I'mma show you how great I am,' that kind of thing. I watched that all day. From shootaround, waking up from my nap, in the car, in the locker room—I was just watching the same thing all day. Before the game, I looked over at Shump (Iman Shumpert) and said, 'Yo, follow my lead today. It's on today,'" the native of Brooklyn added.

It was definitely on that night that Melo performed for the ages, scoring a career-high 62 points to lead the Knicks to a dominant 125-96 win over the Bobcats. He started the game on a tear, scoring 20 points in the first and added 19 in the second. The six-time All-NBA selection poured in 17 in the third before tailing off with only six in the fourth.

He went 23-for-35 from the field and grabbed 13 rebounds in a performance that established a record at MSG for most points scored in a single game, surpassing the previous record of 60 points held by Kobe Bryant.

Didn't have a care in the world

New York media can be scathing with their critiques, but on this night, Anthony was untouchable, and there wasn't anything anyone could do to deter him from putting the ball in the basket.

"I went out there, and I was in such a zone. Nothing or nobody could say anything to me. It was like a bubble. I was angry—the fans were on me, the media were ridiculing me, we were losing. That can cause a lot of stress, but I was determined to show how great I am and that I wasn't worried about that other stuff," Carmelo said of that game.

Little did the fans know Melo was letting all his pent-up frustrations out with every made basket.

"It was like a 'f**k you' 62. People think it was just happiness, but I was really trying to prove a point. I was scoring and looking at the fans like, 'f**k y'all,'" the 75th Anniversary Team member underscored.

As most players and fans say, the NBA is a marathon, not a sprint. It can be a very long season filled with highs and lows. Melo's determination and resilience were displayed against the Charlotte Bobcats during that game. Despite facing criticism from fans and media, he didn't let it get to him. Instead, he used it as motivation to prove his doubters wrong.

Related: Carmelo Anthony talks about the iconic Banana Boat photo: "I'm not on the boat"