"And making that sort of pass out to the wing requires a lot of anticipation." "His court vision from the block has gotten way better in the past year or two," said coach Mike Woodson, who has played Anthony primarily at power forward. In fact, the Knicks have scored an NBA-high 1.38 points per play this season and own a league-best 71.7% effective field-goal rate off Anthony's passes out of double-teams from the left side of the floor, according to Synergy Sports. When Anthony is double-teamed in the post-a defensive conundrum he often creates intentionally-he almost always finds an open shooter on the opposite wing. So as long as I can get by my man, I'm confident I can figure everything else out."Īnthony is often criticized for his lack of passing, but does not lack the vision to be a capable set-up man for others. "I'm looking at his help, or the guy behind him. "A lot of times, I'm not really even looking at my defender," he said. In January, he briefly explained how he was able to consistently torch a good defender such as Detroit's Josh Smith. ![]() But with chess, you're calm and you have to think things out ahead of time."Īs one of the league's best one-on-one players, Anthony's generally has been able to score by seeing things unfold a frame or two ahead of time. ![]() "On the court, you're running and jumping, trying to do things on the fly. "Chess requires so much concentration and thought, and it calms him," she said during an interview in Atlanta. But Anthony's wife, La La Anthony, said he's begun to play more often, even teaching their 7-year-old son, Kiyan, the rules. Smith, Anthony's good friend, teammate and videogame partner for the better part of nine seasons, was not aware that Anthony had taken up chess. (Anthony has an affinity for first-person shooting videogames.) "I begged the dude like, 'Please, man: It's a hurricane, and I'm not going to come outside for the next two days! Let me get a game!' And they kept the store open for me," he said in an interview last year. And the day before Hurricane Sandy hit the New York area in October 2012, the Knicks' star made a run to an Upper West Side videogame store, knowing he'd be stuck indoors for the next day or two. In October, when a number of his teammates went to visit the historic Lambeau Field during the club's preseason trip to Green Bay, Anthony used the time to slumber. He misfired badly on a 25-foot heave when he could have gotten a better shot had he been aware of the clock situation.īy his own admission, Anthony, like most NBA players, has typically bided his time with simpler activities. And in a crushing loss to Washington, Anthony slowly brought the ball up the floor, only to realize at the last moment that time was expiring. There was the early-season loss to Houston, in which he intentionally fouled Dwight Howard away from the ball-a foul that, because it occurred in the final two minutes, resulted in the Rockets getting an extra free throw and the ball. Anthony, for all his physical prowess, has been prone to costly mental errors. To put it bluntly, it's likely a surprise to some that Anthony plays chess, a game that involves planning several moves ahead. According to figures compiled by the United States Chess Federation, the average player is between 9 and 10 years old when he or she joins the organization. What sets Anthony apart is the age at which he chose to pick up the game. But I've figured out the basics to where it's something that I'll have for life." ![]() I still don't have it down pat to where I'm some expert. "It's something I always wanted to do, but after a while I figured it was so complicated that I'd never be able figure it out. "Just over the last couple years," said the 29-year-old forward, who posted an Instagram photo of famous chess player Bobby Fischer earlier in the month.
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