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Carmelo Anthony was having one of those days for the Knicks: 20 points in the first half, 18 in the third quarter. Caron Butler, the Clippers small forward who had much of the early defensive responsibility against Anthony, was scratched at halftime with a back issue. Matt Barnes got roasted guarding Anthony, so the Clippers turned to the venerable Grant Hill.
And how did that go?
“Grant was the difference in the game,” said Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro.
Hill made the differences in the benches of the two powerful teams even more pronounced while helping to limit Anthony to just four fourth-quarter points in the Clippers’ 102-88 victory yesterday at the Garden.
After all, the matchup of Sixth Man Award candidates, Knick J.R. Smith (1-of-9 shooting, six points) and Clipper Jamal Crawford (12-of-22 shooting, 27 points) was a mismatch of Alabama-Notre Dame proportions.
The Clippers’ reserves outscored the Knicks’ subs, 48-15. It helped that the Clippers have Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups back starting, though they are on minutes restrictions. Their presence lengthens the rotation and deepens the bench.
“Everybody contributed,” Crawford said. “Grant Hill sits the whole game and comes in … nobody can stop Melo, but he made things pretty difficult. We probably don’t win that game without him.”
Nor do they win without Crawford, who loves playing at the Garden, the joint where he labored for four-plus seasons.
“[It] will always have a special place in my heart,” Crawford said. “I spent more time here than anyplace else and I went from a young guy to a man here.”
It also is the place where Anthony yesterday went from irresistible force for three quarters to stoppable object in the fourth. In 10 fourth-quarter minutes, Anthony got off just two shots. Hill joked he predicted a shutdown effort.
“I was on the bike [and said,] ‘I’m gonna come out with Superman energy,’ ” Hill recalled. “I was kind of joking. … But I kind of did.”
Hill used his experience — he’s 40 — and length in the Clippers’ team defense concept against Anthony, the guy Paul called “the best scorer in the league.”
“He’s one of my favorite players to watch, but you try to make it difficult and you (must) have a selective memory, be able to move on to the next play,” Hill said.
“Collectively, we just did a good job. … He’s been playing out of his mind this year. You just try to work him and not let him get anything easy. … As soon as we change ends, it’s, ‘Where’s Melo?’ It’s not something he did last year.”
What the Clippers did — thoroughly dominate the Knicks bench and make Anthony mortal in crunch time — has been something not many have done this year.