As Carmelo Anthony tries to help figure out the remedy for his ailing Knicks, he comes back to a city he said will always have a special place within him.
“This was a city who brought me in when I was a kid. And I was here for seven-and-a-half years. So we were able to grow together as a city, as an organization, as a team,” Anthony said Friday prior to New York’s shootaround. “And it was some good moments we had here as an organization and as a team. It will always be hard to just forget about that.”
But forget he must as the Knicks badly need a victory Friday night against Denver. Losers of seven consecutive games and owners of the NBA’s third-worst record (3-11), Anthony and the Knicks would love nothing more than to end a dismal four-game road trip on a high note.
“This is one of the toughest stretches I’ve ever been in,” Anthony said. “I’ve never lost seven straight games like this. Never been in a situation like this where you have to figure it out the way we have to figure it out right now.”
He was asked if he thought he would be cheered during pre-game introductions.
“I don’t know,” Anthony said. “That’s not my concern. I’ll be surprised. I understand that. They’ve got to cheer for their team and boo the other team.”
The Nuggets are looking for their fifth consecutive victory in advance of a six-game road trip, which starts Sunday in Toronto.
Both Anthony and Knicks coach Mike Woodson were fixed on the old model of Nuggets basketball when asked about them.
“They’re a pretty good basketball team,” Woodson said. “Especially here at home. They get out and run, so we’ve really got to come in and not get in a track meet with them, but try to make sure that we’re back and defending the ‘3’ and hopefully we can find some offense and put some heat on them as well.”
Said Anthony: “The Nuggets’ makeup will always be kind of the same – just get the ball and go. They are a fast-paced team, like to score in transition. Score off turnovers. That’s always kind of been the makeup of a Denver Nuggets team. Especially at home.”
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or
