He knew that wasn’t going to be the case when he arrived in Oklahoma City Youth Corey Crawford Jersey , though it’s safe to say things haven’t gone as he expected when he signed up to be part the league’s next Big Three.Playing alongside Russell Westbrook and Paul George, Anthony and the Thunder are headed to the playoffs . He is the Thunder’s third-leading scorer, yet at
times it feels like he the fourth option behind center Steven Adams.Anthony isn’t complaining.”Acceptance of what I have to do here and what is needed of me,” Anthony said. ”I think the other guys on the team, after they started playing with each
other more and more, we started figuring out each other’s game. We figured out
what each other brings to the game.”He has said he wants to win, and he is not just talking the talk.Late in a critical game against the Denver Nuggets a few weeks ago , Anthony chose not to re-enter in the closing minutes of regulation. Instead, he walked
away from the scorer’s table and let 24-year-old Jerami Grant stay in the
game.”I didn’t want to break his rhythm,” Anthony said. ”A lot of guys when they have it going like that Kevin Shattenkirk Jersey , especially role player guys, bench guys, that gives them confidence. You believe in those guys.”Anthony returned to action when the game went to overtime and his actions left little doubt where he is mentally. A likely future Hall of Famer, Anthony
is one of the top 20 scorers in NBA history, a three-time Olympic gold medalist
and former NBA scoring champion in 2013.Not long ago, the thought of Anthony being out of a game at crunch time would have been dismissed as senseless. Now, he’s 33 years old, no longer in his
prime. He averages 16.2 points per game, by far the lowest of his career, and
his minutes also are at a career low.He’s fine with it all because his goal is his first NBA title.Anthony’s teammates respect how he has adjusted.”He’s just an overall good guy Joonas Donskoi Jersey ,” Westbrook said. ”Does a lot of different things that goes unnoticed. His ultimate sacrifice is number one, and his being a team
guy is always important as well.”Anthony has been an isolation specialist for most of his career, having the ball in his hand and his team clearing out so he can go one-on-one. This season,
he has been at his best when taking advantage of the attention Westbrook and
George have drawn.”Those guys are finding me in transition, they’re finding me in when guys collapse on the defensive end and we’re just sharing the ball,” he said. ”I
think when we share the ball and we move the ball, everybody feels a part of the
game. The rhythm comes, the flow of the game comes because the rhythm is a lot
different than what we (the Thunder) had in the past, so we’ve got to find ways,
find that rhythm.”Anthony has had struggled at times finding his rhythm – he’s barely shooting 40 percent from the field. Still Tanner Pearson Jersey , he has shown glimpses of being the prolific scorer he once was. In Sunday’s win over the Houston Rockets, he scored 22 points on 7
for 14 shooting. He scored a season-high 29 points in a win over Cleveland on
Jan. 20.And there are times where his track record still matters.In a loss to Portland on March 25 , Anthony missed what would have been a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds after Westbrook fouled out. Coach
Billy Donovan was fine with Anthony having the ball in his hands.”Carmelo is a proven scorer in this league and has made shots, big shots for a large portion of his career, and I’ve got confidence in him,” Donovan
said.The coach also believes Anthony is a team player.Donovan said he was fine with when Anthony chose not to re-enter the game against Denver ”because to me, that’s a sign of unselfishness – wanting someone
else to do well.”Grant is averaging 9.4 points per game since the All-Star break in just under 20 minutes of action per game. Anthony is teaching him to be more assertive.”Since I’ve been here, he’s been with our group – me, him and Paul – the shooting groups,” Anthony said. ”Just talking to him and encouraging him to take
a little bit more.”Anthony believes mentoring is as important as anything he does at this point in his career.”I’ve been around for a long time http://www.officialpenguinsproshop.com/authentic-adidas-justin-schultz-jersey ,” Anthony said, ”and I want to give that insight and that knowledge to the young
guys.”And capture his first NBA title along the way.—Cincinnati’s Phillip Ervin singled off St. Louis reliever Jordan Hicks with one out in the eighth inning, ending a no-hit bid started by Daniel Poncedeleon
in his major league debut 14 months after he suffered a life-threatening head
injury on the mound.Poncedeleon was hit on the right temple by a line drive while pitching for Triple-A Memphis on May 9 last year, fracturing his skull and causing bleeding
in the brain. He had emergency surgery followed by months of slow recovery.The 26-year-old was one of the top pitchers in the Pacific Coast League when St. Louis called him up to help its injury-depleted rotation.Poncedeleon walked three and struck out three, using 116 pitches. He was hit for to begin the eighth inning.Hicks, also a rookie, got Adam Duvall to pop out before Ervin singled up the middle. Billy Hamilton and Jose Peraza grounded out to end the inning.Catcher Yadier Molina’s single in the sixth inning gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.— Houston Texans Jerseys
