There was a kind of hush all over the Nuggets’ locker room. All that could be heard was the sound of silence late Monday night as Carmelo Anthony sat in front of his stall.
The Nuggets forward was still in full uniform well after the end of Game 4 against San Antonio. After yet another playoff loss, the frustrated Anthony rested his head in his hands.
In each of his first three NBA seasons, Anthony and the Nuggets trailed 3-1 in a best-of-seven first-round playoff series before it ended in five games. The Nuggets, trailing 3-1 again this season, face elimination tonight in San Antonio.
The postseason struggle has remained constant, but Anthony’s offense has improved.
“This is the best I’ve played,” Anthony said after scoring 29 points in Monday night’s 96-89 loss to the Spurs. “But, obviously, it ain’t good enough.”
In his rookie season, Anthony averaged 6.0 points less in the playoffs than in the regular season. In year 2, he scored 1.6 points less in the playoffs. Then last year, it was 5.5 points less.
“I used to sit at those (playoff) games frustrated and say: ‘That’s all right. He’s taking all this in. They’re not going to be able to stop him in a couple years,”‘ said Anthony’s agent, Calvin Andrews.
Anthony’s challenge hasn’t been any easier this season.
San Antonio led the league in defense, allowing 90.1 points a game. Although Allen Iverson’s arrival has taken pressure off Anthony, he still often faces double- or triple-teams.
Despite the Spurs’ defensive challenge, Anthony is averaging playoff career highs in points (28.3), field-goal percentage (.500), 3-point percentage (.500), offensive rebounds (3.8) and minutes per game (41.8). He scored a playoff career-high 30 points in Game 1 and has not scored fewer than 26.
“He’s improved a lot,” said Spurs center Francisco Elson, who played with Anthony in Denver from 2003-06. “He’s a beast. Offensively, he’s a beast. He’s getting his own shots and putting them back in there. Seventeen feet and in, getting it on that (isolation play) where he likes it, when he gets it rolling, it’s tough to beat. Tough to stop.
“He’s grown a lot. He hasn’t made a lot of crazy mistakes this year. He’s been playing well. You have to give him credit for not allowing the past to influence how he’s playing now.”
Anthony’s experience has made him a different playoff player. Several factors have contributed.
“Just probably confidence,” he said. “Taking my time. Not getting frustrated. Keeping my composure out there.”
Anthony is glad he has elevated his game, but he wishes it would translate into more victories. Denver is 4-15 in the playoffs in his four seasons.
If you thought winning a national championship at Syracuse was big to Anthony, just wait until the Nuggets make it to the second round. Denver hasn’t been that far since 1994, when he was just short of 10 years old.
“It would feel like winning a championship if I got out of the first round,” Anthony said. “It’s been three years already. I’m still young, but there are guys in this league who have played eight, nine, 10 years and haven’t been past the first round. Hopefully this can be the year for me. … (If not), I’ve got to keep fighting next season.”
The odds are against the sixth-seeded Nuggets this season. But with a continually improving offensive game, Anthony, 22, is confident playoff success eventually will come.
“I’m not really worrying about that,” Anthony said. “Something good is going to happen in my career.”
Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-954-1098 or mspears@denverpost.com.
