Steve Popper

Staff Writer, @stevepopper

PHILADELPHIA - Friday morning, getting ready for a meeting with the Sixers that represented mostly a battle for NBA Draft Lottery positioning, Carmelo Anthony spoke passionately about not being interested in talk about tanking for a draft pick.

After watching the Knicks' performance against an injury-depleted Sixers squad, maybe it’s not up to him.

Knicks' Carmelo Anthony not interested in 'tanking'

The Knicks squandered an early 11-point lead and fell, 105-102, to the Sixers at the Wells Fargo Center. It wasn’t just the final score that had the Knicks cringing, but the chances that were wasted. And big picture, this is just the sort of soul-crushing defeat that the Knicks can’t afford, not after spending three days talking about maintaining playoff hopes as the season winds down.

“This one, it hurts,” Anthony said. “To lose this game knowing that we had this game in our hands and should have won it, this is a game we should have won. On to the next now. No need to harp on this one.”

That next one, though, comes against Golden State on Sunday against a surly Warriors team upset about losing two games in a row and losing Kevin Durant. The Knicks, on the other hand, have not won two straight since Dec. 22.

Sometimes you don’t even have to think about it to tank.

“As a player you will always disagree with that, because we’re the ones that are out there playing and trying to win basketball games,” Anthony said after the Knicks morning shoot-around. “I think it’s easier from the outside looking in, from a fan perspective, to say, ‘OK, just tank or just lose games.’

“I don’t know how you do that as a player. I don’t know how you go into a game saying today we’re going to try to lose this game or these next 15 games, 20 games, we’re going to figure out ways to lose and tank the season and try to start thinking about draft picks. That’s a terrible way to think. I don’t think no player in any sport should be thinking like that.”

Facing a Sixers squad without Joel Embiid - or Ben Simmons - the Knicks seemed to have the game securely tucked away late even after having their troubles. But Rose missed a layup with 45.5 seconds left.

“I missed a wide-open layup,” Rose said. “I think that’s why we lost tonight. I think I put this game on myself. I just missed the layup.”

Still, with the Knicks up one saw their defense break down. Dario Saric was trapped under the rim, but Justin Anderson cut from the corner into the lane and took a pass and scored in the lane to put Philadelphia ahead with 24.3 seconds left. Rose drove again, this time stripped by T.J. McConnell and after a review the officials ruled it out off of Rose.

The Sixers lost the inbounds pass, giving the Knicks another shot. But Anthony, who had beaten the Sixers last week with a buzzer-beating shot, missed a similar jumper with 7 seconds left that rimmed out. Lance Thomas, who led the Knicks with 21 points, had a point blank tip-in attempt that missed, too.

Saric grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 3.0 seconds remaining, hitting a pair of free throws to push the lead to three. Lee then missed on a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Anthony made the playoffs in each of his first 10 seasons in the NBA, but is closing in the possibility of missing out for the fourth straight season. The first time it happened in 2013-14 with the Knicks missing out on the eighth seed by one game Anthony expressed frustration and a desire to never be on the outside looking in again.

But since then Knicks’ president Phil Jackson’s rebuilding plans have sputtered and the Knicks have endured seasons of 17-65, 32-50 and now are 25-36 entering Friday’s game against Philadelphia, With 21 games remaining they are four games out of the eighth seed but sit in 12th place, needing to jump four teams to make it. They are closer to dropping behind the Sixers, who are 2 1/2 games behind the Knicks, while toiling through another injury-riddled season of “The Process.”

“It seems odd,” Anthony said. “Yeah, something that you know, when you sit back and think about it it is something you miss. I miss it. It’s something that I’d gotten used to throughout my career, just being there, giving myself a shot of at least seeing what can happen in the playoffs. I miss it. I miss it a lot, it’s something that I think about.”

While the Sixers have lost star rookie Joel Embiid for the remainder of the season, after he sat out the first two seasons of his career, played without No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons for the entire season, and traded away another lottery pick, Nerlens Noel, the Knicks have been relatively healthy.

They have lost Joakim Noah, but he was struggling even when healthy. The one way for the Knicks to actually tank would be to rest Anthony, who has missed just one game this season.

“I think it’d be hard,” Anthony said. “I think more for me than anything just because I love to play and it would be hard for me knowing that I can play, just sitting out, watching the games. that’ll have to come from the organization. It’s not something I would make a decision. I haven’t even ever thought about that.”

And Anthony is quick to point out that getting in the lottery assures a team of nothing. It’s not just the spot that the Knicks wind up in the lottery, but that, as the Sixers have shown, the best-laid plans can fall apart when dealing with potential.

“I consider (Embiid) a guy that can be a great player in this league,” Anthony said. “His only thing is just being healthy. I love the draft. I love guys coming in. It’s a draft, it’s a gamble. You just never know what you’re going to get. Everything is just based off what could happen or potential. So when it comes to the draft if you’re not getting something you really want you’re taking a gamble.”

Email: popper@northjersey.com