Carmelo and Kyrie saved the U.S. Basketball team.

Kyrie Irving already proved he was clutch in the NBA, as his playoff run and late three-pointer in Game 7 of the Finals catapulted his Cavaliers over Golden State for the world championship. So we weren’t surprised to see Irving take over the game against Australia Wednesday night to preserve the 71st consecutive international win for a Mike Krzyzewski-coached team.

But, no question, the Americans would not have been in that position without Carmelo Anthony, who continued his hot shooting from the 2012 Games in London by hitting 9 of 14 three-pointers, each one seemingly saving the game the Aussies were about to snatch with their own tough-minded NBA lineup. If Anthony could always play and shoot like that, he would not be considered the scapegoat of his beleaguered New York Knicks.

Melo was fabulous, no doubt, firing that weird looking international ball toward the rim from behind the three-point line, which is not quite as far as the NBA arc but nevertheless far enough away to make his percentage pretty astounding. Australia really looked like a match for the Yanks who have not lost an international game of any kind since the 2004 Olympics in Athens, after which Coach K took over the USA Basketball program.

Anthony’s 31 points was the difference in giving the U.S. a working margin, as NBA stars from down under led by the Spurs Patty Mills put the Americans down a halftime – another first for the U.S. since Athens — and kept them within range until the last few minutes. If the Olympic TV ratings weren’t down 35 percent, Melo might actually have a chance to become a true cult hero like Dream Teams of yore. This was only a prelim to the medal round, where Australia might be waiting for a rematch in the gold medal game.

Why exactly is Anthony considered a bad egg in pro basketball here? His team doesn’t win, but that’s more the fault of the roster around him. And he has certainly become an articulate spokesman for social issues more than most current pros and those who have preceded him. New York fans consider him a selfish ball hog who wants to be the first option and objects to any trades that might take him out of that role. But he clearly wants the rock in Rio. And we might need him to have it if another gold medal is to be had.

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