Almost exactly 11 years ago, New York Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony gave the Miami Heat Big 3 a night to forget — but LeBron James and Dwyane Wade didn’t have anything to do with it.
Anthony dropped 50 points on the Heat on April 2, 2013, in a game the Knicks won 102-90. It was a dominant performance by the New York native, but he recently admitted that he was upset that James and Wade were sidelined for the matchup.
“I was mad that Bron and them ain’t play,” he said. “They sat out that game. … Every jumper I made, I’m lookin’ over there. … They laughin’. They like, ‘Ohhh!’ Every shot, I hear, ‘Ohhh!’ I wanted y’all to be out here!”
James missed the game due to a hamstring issue, and an ankle injury kept Wade out of action. With a majority of the Big 3 missing, Chris Bosh did his best to carry the Heat to a win, but his 23 points weren’t enough.
Anthony’s 50 points came on 18-of-26 shooting from the field and 7-of-10 shooting from deep. No other player on the Knicks finished with more than 14 points, so the 10-time All-Star was truly a one-man show that night.
Fortunately for the Heat, Anthony’s 50-point masterpiece was merely a bump in the road during their journey to a second consecutive NBA title. Miami won the 2013 NBA Finals months after Anthony’s big performance.
The injuries to James and Wade that kept them out of the game in question didn’t linger enough to hurt the team’s chances in the playoffs, as both guys played crucial roles during the 2013 postseason.
On the other hand, despite his best efforts, Anthony never won an NBA championship. He appeared in the playoffs in 13 different seasons but was never able to capture an elusive ring.
Of James, Wade, Bosh and Anthony, only one player is still active: James. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer is still with the Los Angeles Lakers, trying to bring another title home to Southern California. But it won’t be long before he joins some of his peers in retirement, a reality that he is entirely aware of.
Maybe one day, James and Wade will be able to convince Anthony to forgive them for missing his 50-point gem.