The NBA is back and we already had some incredible blunders. On the first day of action of the 2021/22 season, the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center, trying to break their losing streak.
Even though they looked better than before, they couldn’t get past Stephen Curry, who recorded a triple-double to start the season with a W for his Warriors. The people in L.A. got to see the team’s new faces, including Carmelo Anthony, who landed in California this season trying to win that elusive ring.
It was Melo who starred in one of the weirdest moments of the night when he pump-faked a free throw, which led to a violation. During the last minutes of the third quarter, the veteran went to the line to take an FT. He did his usual routine but pump-faked the shot, which the refs called a violation.
He tried to play it cool initially, but the officials didn’t let him go away with that. They blew the whistle and asked for the ball while Carmelo returned to the defensive end laughing.
This was a hilarious but strange moment. It’s hard to see somebody with the experience of Melo doing this, but even Hall of Famers make mistakes.
S**t happens, they say. Last season, DeMarcus Cousins purposely missed a free throw, which sparked a lot of reactions around the league after the refs called a violation. Perhaps Melo is still rusty and trying to find his touch with the Lakers.
Still, this doesn’t change the fact that he’s a great addition to the team and they’re expected to come out of the West. Even though things aren’t good right now, the Lakers remain a solid candidate to win it all next year. They just need time before things get on track.
