Knicks honor Carmelo Anthony in return to Madison Square Garden

The Knicks did an incredible job of honoring their former star on Saturday night during his return to MSG.

Saturday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder are on the road just one night after a thrilling, three-overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers to take on the New York Knicks inside the famed Madison Square Garden. Of course, all the focus in regards to this game was solely on the return of Carmelo Anthony to the place he used to call home.

Prior to the season getting underway, Anthony was traded to the Thunder, ending his seven-year stint with the Knicks. Many saw it as a long time coming, as the team was never really able to find the success it thought it would with Anthony as the face of the franchise when he arrived from the Denver Nuggets.

Still, he was mostly a beloved figure in New York, and Saturday night, he returned to his former home for the first time as a member of the Thunder. During the introductions, the Knicks did a tremendous job of honoring their former star with an excellent video package, and afterward, the response he received from those in attendance was pretty much positive, for the most part.

You can knock the Knicks for a lot of things — and most of the time it’s very much warranted — but they should definitely be commended for how they handled Carmelo’s return on Saturday night. That was an amazing video package, and kudos as well to those who cheered Anthony when his name was announced. Sure, you could hear some boos but … well, it is New York, after all.

How did Carmelo respond to the warm welcome back? Well, he promptly hit a 3-pointer on the Thunder’s first possession, so in that instance, all of the boos are then necessary.