Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant met for what could have been the final time on Sunday, a 99-95 victory for Anthony's Knicks over Bryant's Lakers. Bryant scored 18 points on 6-of-19 shooting, while Anthony plugged in 24 points on 8-of-20 shooting. (It's kind of appropriate that they both may have finished their career battle by taking many shots and hitting less than half.)
After the game, Anthony spoke with Bryant at mid-court. Here's what Anthony said the two spoke of:
If this is indeed the end of Bryant's illustrious career, something that Ken Berger notes seems to be more likely by the day, here's how the Melo vs. Bryant matchup finishes.
And of course, their playoff numbers, including the stats from their infamous 2009 battle in the Western Conference Finals before Anthony demanded a trade to New York from Denver two years later:
Anthony and Bryant have been friends for some time, as Bryant found a kindred soul in Anthony. You could argue they're two fierce competitors who never doubt their ability to come up big with a shot when their team needs it. Or you could argue they're two chuckers who have made a habit of putting their pride ahead of the team, with Anthony abandoning a successful team in Denver for a mess in New York and Bryant blowing up the Shaq-Kobe era. Both have their merits, but watching these two shot makers go at it was always fun.
If this was the last one, at least it ended with Bryant on the court, and mutual respect between the two.