In his prime, Carmelo Anthony was the league's most preeminent scorer. The 6-foot-8 forward possessed a lethal combination of quickness, physicality, athleticism, and natural scoring ability. Players who had to match up with him often had to call in sick to avoid the tough assignment.
One player who never shied away from defending Melo was Paul George . However, the 6-foot-9 wingman often paid the price for it. In an interview on "7PM in Brooklyn," the newest All-Star of the Philadelphia 76ers revealed that he usually was covered in ice packs after an evening spent trying to guard the high-scoring dynamo.
The toughest player to cover
PG is the latest to admit how incredibly challenging it was to contain Melo on the hardcourt. However, he wasn't the first. From the get-go, not long after the Denver Nuggets selected him with the third pick in the vaunted 2003 NBA Draft, the former Syracuse star was causing all sorts of problems for defenders.
One of the biggest reasons Melo was so difficult to guard was his unique combination of size, strength, and skill. At 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, he had the physical tools to dominate in the paint and overpower smaller opponents. However, he also possessed a smooth shooting stroke and impeccable footwork, making him a threat from anywhere on the court.
"I tell people all the time, Melo was the toughest coverage that I ever had to go against because that guy was fast. That first step was crazy, he could shoot it from anywhere, you know what I mean? He had the quick first jump," PG stated .
Most defenders also had trouble dealing with Carmelo's physicality; the man wasn't afraid to mix it up with anyone who stood in his way, often using his wide frame and strength to create space and finish through contact.
"After we played them, I'd have ice packs here, ice pack elbows, my whole body was full of ice packs because I was just so beat up," Paul admitted, eliciting laughter from Carmelo himself.
Had no choice but to foul
The nine-time All-Star, who previously starred for the Indiana Pacers in his first seven NBA seasons, admitted that often, he was left with no choice but to hack Carmelo if he made his way to the basket. PG explained that this was his way of telling Melo that he may have to get his points the hard way.
"I'm gonna hack you early because the ref has to understand how I play, right? I'm gonna foul, ref. 'Come on now, this ain't about y'all tonight. Let us play, let us play.' I'm gonna hack for sure. It helped when I was in Indy because that was the only thing I could do," the six-time All-NBA team member divulged.
"He had me on the strength, he had me on the size, so the only thing I could do was try to be physical, knowing that I got Roy waiting for him at the rim," PG added, referring to the Pacers' All-Star center, Roy Hibbert, who was a feared rim-protector back then.
PG and Melo had some ferocious battles in the Eastern Conference. These were not just regular games but intense showdowns where both players left everything on the court. The former sought to lift the Pacers to the top of the East, while the latter tried to do the same for the New York Knicks. Ironically, the two elite forwards teamed up for one season on the Oklahoma City Thunder but fell to the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Related: “I was just an All-Star in New York the year before” - Carmelo Anthony recalls being told to play off the bench for the first time
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