Carmelo Anthony feels wronged. It fuels him in practice, keeps him hungry, and serves as a constant reminder that he has to hit the court every night in an effort to prove someone wrong.
Wronged by whom, you ask? Why, the ever-ambiguous media bogeyman, of course. From Chris Tomasson of NBA FanHouse:
Forget the fact that the Nuggets have been considered the only non-Laker contender in the Western Conference all year long, and stand as the nearly-unanimous #2 in the conference hierarchy. Never you mind that Carmelo Anthony was generating legitimate MVP buzz at the start of the season, or that Denver had two representatives in the All-Star Game. Everyone on the planet is out to get the Nuggets, and they don’t like it one bit.
Players and coaches use all kinds of motivational tactics to give themselves the strength to face an 82-game regular season. Plus, regardless of what you think of Anthony’s assertion, it’s hard to argue the results; the Nuggets have been rolling all season long despite injuries to prominent members of the rotation, and most recently they bested the Boston Celtics on national television.
If you look hard enough, you can find a media member to represent just about any perspective. I’m sure there are writers out there who don’t believe the Nuggets to be an elite team, and have written as such, just as you could find writers who genuinely believe that the Lakers aren’t good enough to win the West, LeBron James isn’t the MVP, or that the Cavaliers trading for Antawn Jamison was a mistake. There are countless voices out there with just as many perspectives. But hey, if Carmelo needs to use the big, bad media as a reason to play some beautiful and effective basketball, just as the Nuggets have all season long, then that’s just fine.
