"They didn't get ME the ball enough" "I don't want to sound selfish" "I don't want to make excuses" What exactly did he think he would gain by saying this? And how did he think he wasn't making an excuse and sounding selfish by saying this? Asking for the ball in the media is pointless.
What is he talking about? He even had the phantom 6th foul on Tim Duncan go his way. He had the ball and slipped on his backside. He shot the ball 4 times in OT and only made a tip-in shot. Missed layup Missed layup Tip in Shot blocked by Ginobili
He's not "asking" for the ball through the media. One of them being that they didn't get him the ball enough, which definitely hurt their chances of winning. Even if he does sound selfish, he's telling the truth. Not a suprise to see these comments from a LeBron/Cavs fan. Even though he might have had the ball in many situations, I think he's talking in general, as he believes that they didn't run enough plays for him overall in the game.
I believe the reporter asked him what they could have done differently at the end, and Carmelo gave the answer above. He did have the hot hand, but I agree that making that statement in a press conference accomplishes nothing except show how young and naive he is and how honest he is. As a fan, would you rather hear a cliche answer or an honest answer from a player?
Actually he DIDN'T have the hot hand, Boykins did. I'm not really surprised by these comments coming from Carmelo. I'll just remember them as the most recent of a long list of silly things that he has said and done.
They did get him the ball enough, and as it was said above, Boykins was the one with the hot hand. Melo was the one that got his shot blocked by Manu in clutch time. Write me off as a Melo hater if you must, but when you are asked what could have been done differently, and you answer they could have gotten me the ball more, you aren't being a leader, you are blaming others for the loss. That is both selfish and an excuse.
He just felt he wasn't getting enough touches to be comfortable leading the O. He still was good though with 3 straight successful possessions... two baskets, and a pair of free throws to tie the game. The concern was not about the lack of points he scored... but the lack of points and the blown chance of winning the game thereof.
Well Carmelo and Boykins DID have the hot hand. But regardless, Carmelo is just Carmelo. Hes not just going to feed you loads of crap that you obviously want to hear. He was asked a question he responded with a truthful answer. When somebody is having a good game, and they can score you need to get them the ball to win. Carmelo didnt feel like this was done enough, so he spoke his mind. He didnt say those with an angry tone. PS:Big surprise , the first time I have ever heard somebody complain about those comments is on jbball. Even in the newspapers in Denver, where most of the writers do nothing but rag on Melo, didn't have a mention those at all.
I think Carmelo will learn how to answer those questions better as he gets older. He's a young buck with a desire to win. That much you can give him credit for. By the way getting blocked doesn't mean you don't have a hot hand, it just means the other guy made a solid defensive play. Now if he was missing his shots, then you could say he wasn't hot.
isn't that by saying those words he can ruin the team's chemistry? i mean what will his other teammates think about his comments? I'm just afraid it can create an awkward atmosphere in denver's basketball team.
^ Well since his teammates didn't have anything going... they might as well give him the ball the last 10 trips except for Earl. Again, I haven't watched Game 4 myself ... yet... but I think it's all been the same in the last three losses... no movement on O... players just stood watching the one with the ball ball. The way the entire Detroit Pistons team used to just watch Jerry Stack play. Half-court ugliness that got Jeff Bzdelik fired early in the season. Melo is our most talented one-on-one player, and if we don't utilize that, or question why, it's the other guys who are jealous, which I never thought is the case.
Maybe they didn't give him the ball enough, I don't know, I haven't seen the game. To say this publicly, though, just proves that he isn't particularly bright. He could have just said something in the change-rooms, end of story. He could have done something about it on the court, surely, like tell everyone more forcefully to give it to him. If he doesn't have the hot hand, fair enough he doesn't get it, though.
When the Nuggets went to him in Game 5, he completely choked. He was just dribbling it, one time he lost the handle and turned it over, and then he lost it like two times when it was passed to him. They went to him and he didn't deliver. Him and Boykins were on fire in the 4th Qtr of Game 4, him especially in the last 5 minutes. He should've gotten the ball more because he was going to the rim more rather than shooting jumpers. In the OT he along with the rest of the Nuggets choked.
At what time did he turn it over? Because I watched the whole game, and he was getting to the basket against Bowen and Robinson. I don't remember him making a mistake that could've cost the Nuggets the game/series. He was playing good (maybe even great) against the Spurs defense.
