Carmelo Anthony Recalls Knicks-Nuggets Brawl

Ali, Frazier, Holyfield … Carmelo?

New York Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony had his share of bouts at Madison Square Garden and he has offered behind-the-scenes look at the extracurriculars on his “7PM in Brooklyn” web series, a Wave Sports + Entertainment Original. Anthony previously expounded his famous showdown with Kevin Garnett and used the latest episode to discuss the infamous brouhaha he waged against the Knicks when he was a member of the Denver Nuggets.

Prompted by guest and rapper Fat Joe, who was in attendance for the unexpected heavyweight bout in December 2006, Anthony described his involvement as getting “caught in someone else’s beef,” namely that between head coaches Larry Brown, George Karl, and Isiah Thomas.

“I see Zeke … he’s trying to get my attention,” Anthony recalled about the lead-up. “[He said] ‘Yo, don’t go to the hole.’ I’m like, what? He said tell your teammates, don’t go to the hole.”

At the time of the incident, the Nuggets had a healthy lead on the Knicks but Denver coach Karl kept his starters in the game, which was said to be a way of humiliating Thomas and New York for supposed mistreatment of prior boss Larry Brown, Karl’s close friend. The decision to keep starters in and inflate the lead was widely criticized at the time, as was Thomas’ relatively indirect threat to an opposing player.

Tensions boiled over in the penultimate minute with Denver holding a 119-100 lead: Knicks rookie Mardy Collins took down a driving JR Smith, leading to confrontations under the basket. Smith, a future Knick, attempted to confront Collins but was intercepted by Nate Robinson, who engaged Smith in a one-on-one fight that spilled into the courtside photographers’ area.

“I knew [Smith] was going to do something crazy on the dunk,” Anthony said. “Once he’s about to go up, I see Mardy Collins come flying down the court and grab him. I’m looking at Isiah like ‘you motherf***er.”

Coaches and security managed to prevent further escalation but Anthony launched a punch at Collins, striking him in the side of the face before retreating to the Denver bench with a restrained Jared Jeffries in pursuit. An insistent Fat Joe reminded Anthony that he “punched a guy in the face” several times and of his subsequent attempt to flee, giving the All-Star a chance to address his escalation.

Fat Joe claimed that Anthony was backing up to watch his work, but Anthony reminded him that the Knicks immediately sought revenge.”

“I ain’t watching the work,” Anthony said. “I had [guys] coming from this way and that!”

Anthony was on the other end of the court when Collins committed the excessive foul, which was a Flagrant 2 charge. He told his fellow panelists that, when he confronted the rookie, Collins claimed that Anthony wouldn’t do anything, leading to the mad dash.

All 10 players on the floor were ejected from the game, which Denver eventually won by a 123-100 final. The league threw the book at Anthony in the eventual discipline, charging its leading scorer at the time with a 15-game suspension, the longest among the offenders.

Robinson and Smith got 10 each and many (including Anthony) viewed the lengthy departures as the NBA attempting to set an example, as the fight came just over two years after the infamous “Malice at the Palace” between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers, where on-court fighting spread into the stands after a fan threw a cup of beer at Metta Sandiford-Artest (then known as Ron Artest).

The Knicks and Nuggets, of course, wound up burying the hatchet well enough to pull off a monumental deal just over four years later, as Anthony was traded from the Rockies to his hometown team in February 2011. Smith joined the Knicks as a free agent in the following year, setting the stage for the memorable “Knickstape” era at Madison Square Garden.

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