Melo: If I Quit, We All Quit

Following a loss in game three of their first round match up against the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony admitted that the team quit once they decided the game was out of reach.  The Lakers have dominated this series for every minute of play, winning the first three games by 14, 15 and 18, respectively.

"In a game like tonight, on our home court, us giving up as a whole is uncalled for," Anthony said during a post-game interview. "Yeah. We quit. Everybody. From the coaches to the players, we quit. And I said it.  I'm not blaming anyone. I'm not pointing the fingers at nobody. I didn't play worth a [beep] tonight, and I can accept that. But as a competitor, there's no way that I should lay down and quit and lay down on my team like we did tonight."

When asked for more details on the team quitting, Anthony said that they decided in the third quarter that the game was over, although it seemed as though head coach George Karl was still trying to win well into the final frame.

"You could just sense it," Anthony said. "I'm saying 'we,' because I'm part of this, too. I'm saying I quit. We all just gave up."

Anthony, who has never won more than one game in a playoff series, is looking at a mountain to climb if he wants to lead his team into the second round.  Quitting during a game is certainly not the way to get his teammates motivated to come back and compete.  I'm sure plenty will be put on the shoulders of coach Karl, but if Anthony truly aspires to be the superstar that some people think he is, he needs to remember that quitters never win.