If the Knicks' star keeps shooting like that for the rest of the series, the Celtics can see from here to a clean sweep in the first round. But realistically, they have to expect Melo to bounce back soon.
"Hope not," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "I really do. But I expect it. He's a great player, and great players aren't held down long. He had a great first half; he just had a bad shooting second half. I think when he looks at the film, he's not going to be upset with some of his shots. They just didn't go in."
Anthony shot 4-of-7 in the first half, including a pair of deadly deep 3s. He scored 12 of the Knicks' 28 points in the second quarter, acting as a driving force behind their double-digit halftime lead.
Then in the second half, the wheels came off for Melo. He kept getting to his spots and putting up jumpers, but they weren't going down. The Celtics' defense took away his mid-range game and forced him to test his range, and that didn't work. He missed 3 after 3.
It's easy to credit Paul Pierce, who played 39 minutes with relentless defensive energy, for the turnaround in Melo's performance. Although even Pierce isn't totally sure he can explain it.
"I really didn't do too much different," Pierce said. "I thought even the shots that he made were pretty tough shots. I just tried to get on him, keep a body on him, not give him any space, and just try to challenge a lot of his shots. I really didn't try to change too much."
Melo shot 46.1 percent over the final third of the season in New York, his best mark in three years. He's constantly had the ball in his hands in Mike D'Antoni's system, and he's thriving under the bright lights in the big city.
Given the circumstances, there's no way he puts up another 1-for-11 stinker of a half.
"A great player like Carmelo, you can't anticipate him shooting the ball the way he did last game," Pierce said. "At the end of the day, our awareness has still got to be up to where he is on the court. Just like most scorers, when they don't shoot the ball well, they really come in aggressive the next game. I know that's the way I am. He can't go nowhere but up, and we have to do a better job at taking away his easy opportunities, playing help defense."
This is another one of those grueling two-way series for Pierce. Every time he goes up against an elite wing player for a seven-game series — a LeBron James, a Kobe Bryant — he's forced to give maximum energy on both ends of the floor.
This is only the first round, too. It's a rude awakening to playoff basketball — but Pierce is ready for it.
"I have to be great on both sides of the ball," he said. "That's the way I'm looking at this series. I have to be the scorer that the Celtics need me to be, but I also have to be the defender, because I'm guarding one of the premier players in the game. It's a lot of responsibility, but it's a responsibility that I've been used to. That's how I approach it — I've got to be just as aggressive offensively, and I've got to be even more aggressive defensively.
"It's not going to be easy, but Doc always says that winning isn't easy."
