OKLAHOMA CITY — Carmelo Anthony wasn’t just the face of the Knicks. For the better part of six years, he was perceived to be the biggest reason for every underachieving season.

Once seen as a savior, the superstar was often labeled as a scapegoat; a player who could raise his game on any night, yet infrequently elevate his team.

Disappointment was always near. Dysfunction was, too.

Then, it all disappeared.

Putting on a Thunder jersey for the first time Monday, Anthony was seen as the reason that Oklahoma City could win its first NBA championship.

“It was a big for me to be able to exhale and just close one chapter of my life and my career, and be able to focus on moving forward,” Anthony told The Post on Monday. “That was a big relief for me.”

That was clear when Anthony arrived in Oklahoma City.

The recently traded, 10-time All-Star stepped off a private plane on Sunday, and smiled wide, seeing hundreds of fans welcoming him, and chanting his name, from behind a chain-link fence.

The big-city baggage was gone. The small town had provided a pristine slate.

“Unbelievable, unbelievable, like unbelievable,” Anthony said of the reception. “To go from a situation where it was such an emotional roller coaster for me back in New York, at times it was very strenuous on myself and my family,” Anthony said. “[There were] long nights and lonely nights, but to come here on the flip side of that and just feel that passion and feel that energy, anytime you feel wanted and appreciated, you can’t really put those feelings into words.”

Entering his 15th season in the league, Anthony is now on the most talented team of his career, joining reigning MVP Russell Westbrook and four-time All-Star Paul George, on a team which has missed the playoffs once in the past eight years, and has never finished with fewer than 45 wins during that span.

When Oklahoma City expressed interest in Anthony, he was no longer going to allow money to prevent him from incredible possibility, with the 33-year-old waiving an $8 million trade kicker to complete the deal with the Thunder, after missing the playoffs for four straight years.

In 2011, Anthony could have become a free agent, but he wanted to be traded from Denver, so that he could land a larger contract, stripping the Knicks of several key assets. As a free agent three years later, Anthony re-signed with the Knicks, worth slightly less than the max.

“I’ve stayed with teams, stayed in situations because of contractual reasons and money, and not wanting to leave money on the table, but also wanting to believe in New York and the organization and my teammates,” Anthony told NBA TV. “But then it came to a point where it was like, ‘OK, now I gotta get serious about my career.’ I’m not getting younger, and the only thing I’m missing is winning and getting that joy back, and feeling refreshed and I feel like that now.”

For now, Anthony’s family remains in New York, the hometown he penned a love letter to on his website, calling it “the hardest goodbye.”

Despite the prolonged trade talks and constant issues with former team president Phil Jackson, Anthony said he holds no anger against the Knicks.

“There’s no hard feelings,” Anthony said during his introductory press conference. “There’s no bad blood between myself and that organization, or anybody over there.”

When Anthony arrived in New York, he often struggled sleeping, thinking about the incredible potential ahead. Over the next six years, he would lay awake, wondering why, and how, the vision rarely aligned with reality.

“I was just trying to figure things out, and everything that comes along with the stresses of life, when you lose,” Anthony said.

Coming to Oklahoma City wasn’t Anthony’s first choice, but the choice he felt he had to make. Here, his career can be forever changed.

With the Knicks, Anthony’s legacy remains as complicated as ever.

“I think that every fan will give you a different answer to that,” Anthony said. “Win, lose or draw, I came and competed every night. I stayed professional throughout all the ups and downs that come along with being in New York.

“I don’t think the fans will have anything bad to say. I think they understand. They’re very educated. They understand what it’s like to play in New York. I feel like I embraced all the challenges of playing in New York. Off the court, I was very engaged with the community and engaged with the youth. … I will always feel like I’m a major, major part of that city and that’s not going anywhere. I want the fans to understand that this was a business decision. This was a career decision. It happens. It’s sports. There’s times in sports where everyone has to go their separate ways.”