Melo appreciates PG standing up for him: 'It means a lot'

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George recently defended Carmelo Anthony after the Portland Trail Blazers forward was scrutinized for a subpar season debut in mid-November.

Anthony expressed appreciation for his ex-teammate's comments after the two clubs met Tuesday at the Staples Center.

"It means a lot," the 10-time All-Star told reporters postgame, including ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "But also, the real ones know what's going on. It's not them. I never had issues with any of my colleagues saying anything about me. It's the narratives that surround the game of basketball, the opinions that everybody has. All of these cameras have their opinion.

"So it's those things that come into play, which can easily allow somebody to get down on themselves and want to give up and want to not be motivated. I was against all of that. I stayed with it. I stayed motivated. I pushed myself."

Anthony was recently named the Western Conference's Player of the Week after averaging 22.3 points, 7.7 boards, and 2.7 assists as the Blazers posted a 3-0 record.

The 35-year-old has brought stability to the four-spot after Portland's thin frontcourt depth forced the team to rotate through a combination of Mario Hezonja, Nassir Little, and Anthony Tolliver.

But even with Anthony thriving once again, George doesn't want people jumping to conclusions just as they did a month ago.

"I'm not going to be happy with (the criticism), with how they tried to shoot him down when he first started," George said. "I am not going to be happy now that he's playing well and they want to be on his side. He is going to have a long season. Let him play. Let him hoop."