Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony's footwork is still a thing of beauty even to this day. Even Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry was left mesmerized by Melo's mastery of the art, as he re-tweeted a fancy highlight of the 10-time All-Star against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
The 36-year-old Blazers scorer took Hawks defender Solomon Hill to school, as he torched him with a series of jab steps followed by a slick stepback. Melo capped off the highlight by swishing a perimeter jumper over his hapless defender's face.
Stephen Curry admitted that he was waiting for Carmelo Anthony to move his pivot foot on that play. The Blazers forward, however, has been torturing defenders with that reliable signature move for several years. Apart from impressing the two-time NBA MVP with that highlight, Melo also gave Portland a big boost against the Hawks in their 112-106 victory.
With CJ McCollum leaving the game due to injury in the first half, Anthony aided superstar Damian Lillard on offense and pitched in 11 markers on 4-of-11 shooting in 29 minutes. With the win, the Blazers improved to 8-5 while the Hawks dropped to 5-7.
While Anthony is no longer the walking bucket that he once was in his heyday, Blazers fans still witness vintage Melo from time to time. That simple yet effective move right there proves that Anthony is indeed one of the best perimeter operators the league has ever seen.
Stephen Curry, on the other hand, is known to have plenty of tricks up his sleeve as well. Still, he can't help but give a real OG like Carmelo Anthony a well deserved salute after displays like that for the Blazers.