(CRAFT)[CARMELO’S A BEAR.]

I liked playing against him because he’s old-school. When you hit a lot of guys repeatedly—pound, pound, pound—they’ll move off the post. Not him, though. Carmelo Anthony enjoyed the physicality of it, enjoyed being hit and hitting.

Nothing was more grueling than when we matched up in the playoffs. At that point, in spite of our size difference—or maybe because of it—everything boiled down to positioning. In this instance, I’m not pushing him as much as I’m looking at the angle of the pass. I’m sizing up where they could potentially throw him the ball, and I’m using my left arm to discourage that from happening. Meanwhile, I’m using my right hand, which is out of sight, to clamp down on his arm. That way, if the pass comes, I can push his arm down, move in front, and steal the ball. Little tricks of the trade.