Did you catch the peak moment of Team USA’s medal game? No, it was not the moment they won. Nothing new after eight golds and an unbeaten record. The high point was watching Carmelo Anthony back on the Olympic stage. Somewhat. One of the historymakers of Team USA was a spectator on the courtside this time. But even retired from the sport, Melo remains a benefit to any team.

It was not only how Bogdan Boganovich’s apparent ‘taunt’ to Melo riled up the American team to retaliate against Serbia. It showed when Anthony had an informal version of a timeout to tell LeBron James something. And it suddenly turned the game around.

Now that he’s back in the US and on his show, 7pm in Brooklyn, his co-hosts couldn’t let Melo gloss over it. Given that he’s reluctant to coach any NBA players, they had to ask what spurred his impromptu moment at the Paris Olympics. It sounds like the Olympic bug always gets Melo. “In this, it was no holds barred, this is real, it was us against the world. And I have to do everything I have to do to give back to this game to help you win this game. Whatever I can do from this perspective over here I’m gonna do it.”

In case you forgot, that semifinal game was a nailbiter. Nikola Jokic put Serbia on a comfortable 17-point lead and Team USA was straggling for 35 minutes of a 40 minute-game. Bogdan Bogdanovic, who Anthony beat in 2016, did the signature Melo ‘3 to the dome’ celebration after sinking a three. If it was a movie, Melo would be the one pulling his shirt off Superman style to have his old Team USA jersey on and running onto the court. But Anthony did the next best thing – put Steve Kerr out of a job.

He had a conversation with Bron, and now he revealed on his podcast what he told the team. “Bron, we gotta dig deep, we gotta go, I need you to tap into that end of the game… I also knew what we was trying to do. I seen it ahead of time. I look at the five look at the time, okay no, KD [Kevin Durant] go get the ball, Joel [Embiid] go get the screen, flare for Steph [Curry]. They go set the screen, slip out, they gon’ switch. This is what we want.” This is the closest we get to seeing what it would be like to have Coach Melo.

Further it also showed how Anthony’s basketball IQ was built for the Olympic arena. And it’s cute that he talks like he was more than a spectator because we certainly felt he still has an active role on Team USA. He made it clear he was not out to step on toes. “I was just havin’ fun with this s*** and talkin’ basketball and being competitive from the sidelines. I felt like I was on the team again.”

Under his instruction, Steph Curry was open to make nine threes and at put Team USA in a narrow lead at crunch time. Would being this effective change Melo’s mind about the profession?

Melo doesn’t want to make a career out of it

Just before he went to Paris with Kiyan, Melo said on the same podcast he’d never consider NBA coaching. He’s involved in youth leagues, including Team Melo in the Nike EYBL, and his son’s team. He said he’d consider coaching at the high school level because he’d have good control. But he doesn’t want to be another coaching fail in the league.

Giving Magic Johnson’s example, he said too many players have failed to transition from the court to the sidelines successfully. And, “That is exactly why I can’t be a coach.”

Seeing as how he’s groomed Kiyan into a top prospect already and his improvised moment with Team USA, it’s our loss really.

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Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.