This is what was imagined when owner James Dolan threw $60 million at Phil Jackson last March. When a standout player experienced tough times, the Knicks president would sprinkle some Zen on the problem and it would disappear.

He has done that for Carmelo Anthony, who said Monday Jackson provided clarity a week ago.

Last Monday after a shootaround before the Knicks hosted Atlanta, with Anthony enduring the worst four-game shooting stretch of his career (26-of-84, 31 percent), Jackson cornered Anthony for a meeting.

Two nights later, against the Hawks at the Garden, Anthony began a slow emergence from his funk. By the next game against the Magic, he was back on track. Across the last three games, Anthony has shot 36 of 57 (63 percent), and is 20 of 27 in his last six quarters.

There was the 46-point night Friday against Utah, when he tried single-handedly to win the game and nearly succeeded. His work finally paid off with a smooth 10-of-14, 28-point destruction of Denver on Sunday, when the seven-game losing streak was snapped.

We had a long conversation, Anthony said. I wont go into detail exactly. We had a great conversation, a very positive conversation and gave me some clarity, whether it was the system or things I should do out there for myself or things I should do out there for the players, for my teammates. It was a conversation. I took it extremely well.

Anthony, whose Knicks embark on a Milwaukee-Minnesota road back-to-back starting Tuesday, admits he has not mastered the triangle. And the Knicks, at 3-8, have a long way to go before they can consider themselves definite playoff material. But if a massive turnaround occurs, the turning point could be that talk between Anthony and the Zen Master, who has tried to stay out of rookie coach Derek Fishers way.

Carmelo Anthony celebrates during his 46-point outburst.Photo: Getty Images

If we continue doing what were doing, Anthony said, not just in the game but in practice, with the mindset of getting better, by Game 50 or Game 60, we would be looking back at this time right now and say it helped us get where we are today.

The talk with Jackson didnt necessarily help Anthonys shooting touch, but his mind. Anthony said he discovered some problems with his mechanics, technique that smoothed his shot. During the slide, he was 8 of 23 with seven turnovers against Washington, 5 of 21 in Detroit, 5 of 20 in Brooklyn and 8 of 20 in Atlanta, when he became invisible in the final three quarters.

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A little Phil Jackson Zen helped solve Carmelos problems