Melo set to have shoulder re-examined after troubles throughout postseason.
New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony believes that his team didn’t underachieve this season, despite their inability to reach the Eastern Conference finals.
Having finished in second spot in the East at the conclusion of the regular season, the Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs before falling short against the Indiana Pacers and bowing out following a 4-2 series defeat.
It was a disappointing end to what had been an impressive year for Anthony, who went from shooting 45 to 40 percent during the transition into the playoffs.
With on-going concerns over his injured shoulder, the 28-year-old defended himself and his team-mates from accusations that their season was a failure.
“I don’t think we underachieved. We made strides forward. We took huge steps. I always said when I got to New York, this is a process, this will take a couple of years, two or three years. This was the first year the pieces of the puzzle starting to fall into place. We’re only going to get better from here on out,” he told the media as quoted by ESPN.
However, considering the Knicks’ run throughout the year, much more was expected of them considering the form and scoring numbers of Anthony as well as Sixth Man of the Year winner J.R. Smith.
Aside from a slump around the All-Star break, they showed signs of being a genuine championship contender, with their ball movement and three-point shooting making them a dangerous outfit for any team to face.
However, it didn’t quite translate into the playoffs as Anthony and Smith were forced into more of an isolation game and the Knicks suffered as a result.
While they can call it progress considering their dire form in the postseason before this campaign, they will be expected to build on what they have achieved and go much further next year.
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