On April 2, 2013, Carmelo Anthony was looking forward to playing against the Miami Heat, featuring two of his best buddies, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. He had the date circled on his calendar as he was eager to find out where he and the New York Knicks stood against the defending champions. However, when game day arrived, Melo didn't see either player until they entered the arena wearing street clothes.
This unexpected absence of two key players from the Heat lit a fire under the versatile forward, who destroyed their defense and scored a then-career-high 50 points.
Melo was upset
Speaking to Paul George and Mikal Bridges on the latest episode of "Podcast P," the ten-time All-Star admitted he was peeved with Wade and Bron's actions. He wasn't by any means angry, but rather, he was "competitively upset."
Although Anthony prides himself in being a mellow guy, underneath that calm demeanor lies a fierce competitor determined to win against the best. And seeing two of his fellow NBA stars not suit up just didn't sit well with him.
"That was, like, not angry, but competitively upset because I really wanted them to play," Melo shared . "It was like we were going into the playoffs, and they sat out. They rested. But I'm thinking, you know, they're gonna play."
"They didn't play. I didn't even see them on the bench at first. They came out while the game was going on," the 6-foot-7 forward from Brooklyn continued.
With LeBron and D-Wade taking the night off, the Heat were left with All-Star big man Chris Bosh carrying the offensive load. Meanwhile, outstanding defender Shane Battier took on the unenviable task of checking an already-miffed Melo.
"So, competitively, I was tight. Like, 'Damn, why y'all didn't play?' I'm in Miami, like, 'Let's go.' And the way it was happening, that flow was just—I was tight that Shane Battier was guarding me. You know what I'm saying? I was mad that they didn't play," the 19-year veteran stressed.
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Locked in
Before learning that his friends wouldn't play, Carmelo admitted feeling something different about the game. His then-teammate, Jason Kidd, also felt it.
"I was already in my zone, already felt what was about to happen. I didn't know it was going to be 50, but Jason Kidd looked at me, and he was like, 'I ain't saying nothing to you. You locked in.' I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm locked in today,'" the six-time All-NBA member revealed.
As the game tipped off, Melo got off to a fast start, hitting one long jumper after another. Before long, it began raining threes, and the crowd was on its feet. As the points piled up, Anthony started to feel something special happening. He described it as a feeling of being in a flow state, where everything clicks, and every shot feels like it's going in.
"That game was just more like— I wasn't thinking, it was just flowing. Every time I was rocking, bouncing in my flow, it was like I was dancing. Shane Battier was there, and it was like, 'Nah, not today. You're a great defender, but not today.' Whatever happened was going to happen that day," Carmelo stated.
Anthony finished that game, making 18 of his 26 shots, including seven triples. He finished that season as the league's scoring champ, averaging 28.7 points per game.
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