Thursday Roundup: LeBron Shows Why He's Better Than 'Melo

The chasm that separates Carmelo Anthony from reaching the plateau of greatness LeBron James has already achieved was made manifest in the early stages of the fourth quarter. Anthony went up for a shot under the basket and leveled James in the face with an inadvertent elbow. After writhing on the floor in pain for a few seconds, James stoically got up, worked out his re-arranged jaw, and went to work. No, he didn't go for 20 fourth-quarter points. The following offensive possession, James led the fast break and delivered a perfect bounce pass to Wally Szczerbiak for a dunk and a point: LeBron James is willing to beat you the most effective way possible at the expense of personal glory. Now, reverse the situation. ‘Melo takes a ‘bow to the mug. What would he do? He’d take it upon himself to shoot his way to vengeance, regardless of the intent of his opponent. If Anthony is on a fast break, no matter the advantage in numbers, he’s forcing up a shot himself. Another ... (link)