Hot-shooting Melo Sits On Top Of World

Planet Earth is populated by more than 6 billion people, but none is more dangerous with a basketball in his hands than Carmelo Anthony.

In all the world, is there now a more unstoppable scorer than Melo?

"My record speaks for itself," Anthony said Thursday, speaking by telephone only minutes before scoring 18 points as Team USA defeated Argentina 91-76. "When the ball's in my hands and the game's on the line, I feel like there's a 99 percent chance the shot's going in."

At the Tournament of the Americas, where the United States needs one more victory to qualify for a berth in the Olympics, Anthony has been the top performer on a roster that includes Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd. By averaging more than a point per minute of playing time, the 23-year-old Nuggets forward has left even his stellar teammates star-struck.

Anthony has given the team a killer instinct, according to Jerry Colangelo, managing director of USA Basketball. The emergence of Anthony as a scorer capable of leaving any foe defenseless clearly demonstrates how America can regain worldwide basketball prestige at the 2008 Summer Games in China.

What makes Melo so dangerous is how many different spots on the court he has learned to exploit. He bangs in the lane for layups, rises above the rim for lob passes and swishes 3-point shots without putting the ball on the floor. Whether Anthony takes the rock while facing the defense or with his back to the hoop, it's the opponent who usually finds himself in a position of weakness.

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source : denverpost.com