Carmelo Anthony will return to Madison Square Garden when the Los Angeles Lakers face the New York Knicks on Tuesday, bringing the 10-time All-Star back to his home city and the arena in which he starred from 2010-17.
Considering LeBron James's suspension and Anthony Davis' illness, Anthony may claim the center-stage spotlight in what will mark his third game in front of fans at his old stomping grounds since being traded in Sept. 2017.
One month into his first season with the Lakers, Carmelo has been enthusiastically embraced by the Staples Center crowd. They erupt when he heads to the scorer's table, collectively stand up as he elevates to shoot, and go bananas when the ball splashes through. Considering Anthony is averaging 15.3 points, shooting 46.1% from deep (including many clutch buckets), and is a leading candidate for Sixth Man of the Year, Lakers fans have had plenty of reason to cheer.
Anthony was popular with the Portland Trail Blazers, too, but he hasn't been showered with this kind of admiration since his first few seasons in New York. Clearly, the feeling is mutual.
“For me that love is different,” Anthony said Monday about his relationship with New York. “That fanbase is different for me here in New York and like I said it goes deeper than basketball. They embrace me, I embrace them. I don’t think that bond between myself and New York City will ever go anywhere. That’s why I embrace it the way that I do.”
“But I’m looking forward to tomorrow, the crowd” he added. “It’d be great to get a win in the Garden, I’ll tell you that.”
"It goes deeper than basketball…that bond I have with New York City will never go anywhere." @carmeloanthony talks about returning to MSG with the #LakeShow. pic.twitter.com/1nnlAQLXE2
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 23, 2021
Anthony averaged 24.7 PPG with the Knicks. He won a scoring title in 2012-13 (28.7 PPG) and led the Knicks to 54 wins, finishing 3rd in the MVP race. The end of his Knicks tenure was defined by a messy breakup with Phil Jackson, but he's undoubtedly one of the greatest Knicks of all time.
As the Lakers have already realized, few players can energize a basketball arena like Carmelo Anthony. He surely did it on numerous occasions whilst wearing orange-and-blue. Let's reflect on his greatest moments at The World's Most Famous Arena.
(FYI, his brawl with Nate Robinson nor alleged conversations about Honey Nut Cheerios will not be on the list.)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ZkB0Afb0eKhGDSO3sDGR4?si=YHDGLZAgRR2VCN3Hq7-4LQ
5) Melo beats LeBron after Hurricane Sandy
The Knicks 2012-13 season opener was delayed as Hurricane Sandy devastated the Tri-State area. On Nov. 3, one day after the storm subsided, they took on LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and the Miami Heat — coming off a title.
Before tip, Anthony addressed the crowd, who were looking for temporary relief in the form of Knicks basketball.
“It’s an important time for the city to come together as one and help build the city back up,” he said.
Anthony scored 16 in the first quarter, finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds, and led the Knicks to a 104-84 feel-good win.
4) Game 1, 2013 first round
The Knicks' 2012-13 season was one of the most magical campaigns in franchise history. It's probably Anthony's best season-long performance, as a scorer and a leader.
After winning the Atlantic Division, Knicks fans were eager to see their team make a deep playoff run. It began against their most hated opponent: the Boston Celtics.
In Game 1, Anthony started slow but grinded out a challenging 36 points against a championship-caliber Boston defense. He nailed two huge buckets late to cinch the 85-78 win. A glorious old-school, Eastern Conference playoff game by two heated rivals at MSG. Nothing better.
3) Melo's Knicks debut
Every Knicks fan remembers where they were when Melo got traded. As flawed as the trade was (he could have signed outright a few months later, costing the Knicks no assets), Anthony's arrival — on top of Amar'e Stoudemire's presence — symbolized an exciting new chapter of Knicks basketball. There were stars again in New York.
I'm not sure there was a single Knicks fan who missed his debut, on Feb. 23, 2011. The moment lived up to the hype. The Garden played that instantly-iconic “I'm Coming Home” hype video before introducing Melo in epic fashion. It was perfect.
He followed that chill-inducing intro with 27 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Knicks to a win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
2) 62 points
On Jan. 24, 2014, Melo torched the Charlotte Bobcats in the highest-scoring performance in the history of the Knicks franchise and Madison Square Garden.
Anthony poured in 37 points in the first half, culminating in a three-ball from half-court. Overall, he shot 23-of-35 from the field, 6-of-11 from 3, and grabbed 13 rebounds on his way to 62 points in 38 minutes.
Like Kobe Bryant's 61-point outing at the Garden — the venue's previous scoring record — Anthony was utterly clinical on this night, dazzlingly displaying his full offensive bag.
1) Easter, 2012
I'd venture to guess that, for most Knicks fans, this stands out as the most indelible highlight of Anthony's Knicks career. If you think Staples gets loud when Anthony pulls a J, the decibels at MSG when Anthony drained two identical pull-up triples in a thrilling overtime battle against the Chicago Bulls were at a whole nother level.
On his way to 43 points on this Easter Sunday, Anthony first walked into a deep three to send the game to overtime after two Derrick Rose missed free throws kept the Knicks within 3. In overtime, with 8.2 seconds remaining, Melo hit the same exact shot, only this time it put the Knicks ahead and secured the 100-99 win. Each three elicited peak-Bangs from Mike Breen.
“This is my f*ckin' house!” he shouted to the New York faithful.
Along with Linsanity and the Bing Bong video, Melo on Easter might be the best Knicks moment of the past…20 years?
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