Melo’s Day to Forget

The Knicks attempt at a clean sweep did not come to fruition on Sunday as Jason Terry offered the Celtics some instant offense and Kevin Garnett offered a herculean effort.  Even with big games from the Celtics veterans, the Knicks still controlled their fate; however, franchise player Carmelo Anthony simply did not have his shot falling.  In fact, his inability to drain a three ranks amongst the worst playoffs performances in franchise history:

By attempting 35 shots, Melo actually set a franchise playoff record for most field goal attempts in the postseason (since 1986).  His increased role in the offense was a definite result of the suspension of fellow scorer JR Smith, who learned a valuable lesson after an elbow to the face of Jason Terry drew the ire of the NBA.

The good news for the Knicks is that Melo is typically an above average shooter and his poor performance is not indicative of what may follow.  In fact, looking at the five worst shooting performances with at least 35 shot attempts since 1986, you’ll notice a player named Michael Jordan struggled immensely in the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals, and yet he managed to rebound to still come away with the NBA title.