Carmelo Anthony arrived at the Garden quieter than usual, more focused. Nobody realized he was about to have his loudest, most historic night of his career and the most prolific game in Knicks history.
One game after it appeared his frustration level had hit a new low, Anthony made Friday a magical, memorable evening by scoring a franchise and Garden record 62 points, topping Bernard King and Kobe Bryant, respectively. He carried the Knicks to a 125-96 victory which snapped a five-game losing streak.
"I didn't know I'd have this type of performance,'' Anthony said after the game in an on-court interview. "It's unbelievable. My teammates helped out a lot. It's a special moment.''
Anthony, whose previous career high was 50 points (accomplished three times), racked up 20 after one quarter, 37 by halftime and carried 56 points into the fourth quarter. The Garden crowd cheered each time he brought the ball upcourt, chanting "Me-lo'', wanting more, wanting history. And they got it.
Anthony scored the golden points on a beauty — spinning away from a double team on the low post and burying a running bank shot with 7:23 left. The Knicks called a time out seconds later and pulled him from the game with 7:18 left. Several of his teammates took turns hugging him on the bench as he let loose with the biggest smile of this depressing season with free agency looming.
Anthony acknowledges the fans at Madison Square Garden as he leaves the floor following his record-breaking performance.Photo: AP
The Knicks' franchise record for points in a game was Bernard King's 60, accomplished Christmas Day in 1984. King is Anthony's idol as both hail from Brooklyn. He hit 23 of 35 buckets and all 10 of his free throws. His 62 points were complemented by 13 rebounds.
Bryant's Garden record of 61 was set 2009. Coincidentally, the Lakers, who have some interest in Anthony as a free agent this summer because of their cap space, visit the Garden on Sunday, but Bryant is injured.
The fans chanted "We Want Melo'' for several minutes as play carried on without him. This was the first game of the season without injured Andrea Bargnani and the Knicks played loose and looked to be having a great time.
With the Knicks taking a 30-21 lead after one quarter, Anthony hit jumpers from all sectors, scoring 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting. The Knicks shot 61.9 percent in the quarter.
Anthony capped his 37-point first half with what else — a buzzer-beating 41-foot halfcourt shot after getting the rebound and flashing upcourt. He got swarmed by teammates and he didn't even crack a smile. All business tonight as the coaching staff noticed he was particularly quiet and focused beforehand.
Anthony was coming off a discouraging performance against the 76ers during which he cursed out a Garden fan in the final minute for heckling him.
He was 15-of-21 by halftime and then hit his first five shots of the third quarter. In the first quarter, seven of his eight field goals were on jumpers from at least 14 feet. He had one monster slam-dunk on a drive, bursting past Anthony Tolliver.
All seven of Anthony's field goals in the second quarter were from at least 16 feet. He hit his first five shots of the third quarter in the opening five minutes. That gave him 49 points. He broke 50 on a fastbreak layup with late in the third quarter, setting his career high.
He didn't miss a beat to start the third quarter. He hit three quick shots to put him at 43 with 9:30 left, making it 18-of-24 from the field as the Knicks built a 21-point lead. Then he drilled another 3-pointer after the Bobcats converged on Iman Shumpert and left him open again.
After another offensive rebound, the ball kicked back to Anthony, who drained another 3-pointer. At that juncture it was Bobcats, 52, Anthony 43.
Anthony dribbled out the final seconds of the third quarter, but got fouled with 6.9 seconds left, forcing them to inbound, but he air-balled a step-back 3-pointer at the buzzer, keeping him at 56 points after three quarters as the Knicks led by 35, 101-66.
With Knicks legend Patrick Ewing sitting on the Bobcats bench, Anthony plowed on and did something Ewing never did.
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