NBA

Melo rips Knicks’ effort after blowout

After the final buzzer and the boos died down, Carmelo Anthony stood alone quietly for a long moment by the Knicks bench, soaking in the harsh reality Saturday night.

The Knicks had just lost their fifth straight game at the Garden — a disastrous 110-90 clunker to the Hawks.

Anthony was not quiet in the locker room, making alarmist remarks after the club fell to 3-6, allowing the Hawks to shoot 56.4 percent and score 48 points in the paint. He said the club isn’t “trying.” Anthony all but hit the panic button, even suggesting the team may soon dig themselves too deep a hole to recover.

“I’m disappointed in all our effort,” Anthony said. “We’re not getting it done from an effort standpoint. It’s like we’re not even trying right now.

“We can’t worry about the boos. We got to play harder. We’re not playing worth a [expletive] right now.”

The last time the Knicks had lost five in a row at home was February 2010, when they broke down the team for cap space in advance of the LeBron James free agency sweepstakes.

There was hope of a brighter future back then. Now? Even Anthony doesn’t know after more fans called for coach Mike Woodson’s job, chanting “Fire Woodson,’’ as the season hit a new low after getting booed off the court.

“I can’t believe it,” said Anthony, a free agent this summer. “I don’t even know what to say. I’m in awe. I don’t know how to explain it. I don’t know If there is an explanation.

“It’s surprising. To come into the season with a mindset of being better than we were last year and to be where we’re at right now. I know it’s 3-6, but we got to turn this around quickly. It’s a nasty feeling within the team.”

Anthony talks as if he’s hoping for a shakeup.

J.R. Smith reacts during the first quarter.Paul J. Bereswill

“I know it’s early in the season, but at the rate this is going, we’re going to be in too deep a hole to dig out,’’ Anthony added.

Anthony never has seemed this gloomy. And there are excuses. The Knicks were missing defensive specialist Metta World Peace with a sore left knee, as he joined center Tyson Chandler on the sidelines.

J.R. Smith, still rusty after missing the first five games, shot a dreadful 3-of-18, and Woodson said afterward he may “reevaluate” him as a starter. Plus, the Iman Shumpert trade rumors are a distraction.

Anthony, however, doesn’t want to hear about it and said the boos are warranted.

“It ain’t got anything to do with making shots and missing shots,” said Anthony, who finished with 23 points on 8-of-21 shooting with 12 rebounds. “We’re just not getting it done on the other end. We’re not defending, giving any effort.”

Shumpert was asked about Anthony’s remarks about “not trying.’’

“As a unit, it’s got to be effort every play,” Shumpert said. “When you allow layups, the only thing you can look at is effort. I think that’s what he’s pinpointing. I don’t think he’s not saying we’re not playing hard. We’re playing hard. It’s the lack of being mentally tough after we miss a shot and the air goes out of the building. We got to get back and get the stop and get revved up again.”

When Anthony was on the bench, the Knicks bench suffered and their switching defense was disorganized. The Hawks, filled with one of the most anonymous rosters in the league, capitalized to move to 6-4 as eight Atlanta players hit double figures, led by point guard Jeff Teague’s 16 points.

“I just thought they played harder than we played,” Woodson said. “You’re not going to beat anybody playing soft and not hard like we did. The breakdowns are coming from all over the place. Right now we are not playing well as a basketball team and that is on me as a coach.

“Defensively we have to figure out who we are. Right now I don’t know who we are.”

Smith didn’t sugarcoat his anemic shooting. He didn’t even take a free throw.

“Excuse my language, I’m playing like [expletive],” Smith said. “I played terrible since I got back.

“It’s probably going to be the lowest point of the season.”