PORTLAND -- Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony, now in his 18th season out of Syracuse, doesn’t mind that Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball often times goes by the same truncated version of his name, “Melo,” as he does. And it doesn’t bother Anthony that Ball also mimics his “three to the dome” three-point celebration, though his execution if a bit different.
“I embraced it, I’ve vouch for it,” said Anthony. “(Ball) can do it. He only do it one time, but he can do it... I blessed him, let him know he can carry it on.”
While Anthony surely means what he says, it is also much easier to be magnanimous after a win, especially one that breaks an extended losing streak.