BY FRANK ISOLA / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013, 12:37 AM
The Daily News reported last week that Anthony played with a partially torn left shoulder that may require surgery.
Pacers’ Paul George says it was tough to tell if Carmelo Anthony was playing with an injured shoulder, based on the number of shots the Knick star took.
MIAMI — Carmelo Anthony played injured during the Knicks’ six playoff games against the Indiana Pacers, but Paul George, who defended Anthony brilliantly in the series, never detected a problem.
“Not really,” George said on Thursday. “Any time he’s putting up 20, 30 shots a game, there are no signs of him being hurt. I didn’t really see it. Every now and then when he got banged, he winced. I don’t think it had an effect on his shooting.”
The Daily News reported last week that Anthony played with a partially torn left shoulder that may require surgery. His field-goal percentage fell during the playoffs, which could be related to the injury as well as having to face two quality defensive teams, Boston and Indiana.
The Knicks lost all three games at Indiana, and in the fourth quarters of Games 3, 4 & 6, Anthony missed a combined 12 of 14 shots and scored just six points. He also had one assist and four turnovers.
George has moved from defending Anthony, arguably the league’s best offensive player, to guarding LeBron James, the reigning MVP, in the Eastern Conference Finals.
“They both have a high motor and are very physical players,” George said of Anthony and James. “Those are probably the only similarities between the two.”
PACERS: BATTIER A KNEE JERK
Roy Hibbert has already accused Shane Battier of kneeing him in the groin, and now teammate David West says the Miami forward is aiming much lower to inflict damage.
LeBron James is fined $5,000 for flopping during Game 4.
“I (learned) to always have my guard up and protect my knees,” West said. “(Battier) has got this funny way of moving into your knees. We’re very conscious of that. We talk about making sure we protect our knees.”
Battier’s aggressive style caught the attention of Hibbert, the Pacers center who took a knee to the groin in Game 1 when he jumped to block Battier’s shot. “I know what (Battier) brings to the game and it’s worked for him in the past. He has to do whatever he has to do to make sure his team wins,” Hibbert said during Thursday’s morning shootaround. “I’m going to watch my knees, watch my groin. . . . To tell you the truth, I don’t care. I’m in there, I’m playing tough. He has to do what he has to do.
“Obviously I don’t like it, but it’s a part of the game. I don’t want to look back and say I gave in to a dirty player.”
The Eastern Conference finals between the Heat and Pacers were tied at 2-2 heading into Thursday’s Game 5.
FLIP, FLOP & FINE
The fallout from Indiana’s physical Game 4 victory was three players fined for flopping, including James. West and Pacers teammate Lance Stephenson were also fined $5,000.
“We accept it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Thursday morning. “We don’t want the attention and the focus to be on the officiating. We want it to be on the competition, which is a great series. Our focus is taking care business at home (in Game 5).”
James may have unintentionally placed a target on his back when he admitted before Game 4 that flopping is a way for a player to gain an edge.
“Some guys have been doing it for years, just trying to get an advantage,” James said Monday. “Any way you can get an advantage over the opponent to help your team win, so be it.”
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/melo-didn-hurt-george-article-1.1359425
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