ICYMI: The unforgettable brawl in the NBA involving Knicks’ star players

It was late in the fourth quarter, and the New York Knicks were getting badly beaten. The Madison Square Garden crowd was cheering for Denver’s Carmelo Anthony.

By the time Denver’s J.R. Smith made another fast break that Saturday, the Knicks had reached their breaking point.

Mardy Collins decided to put an end to it with a hard foul, but instead, it sparked a chaotic brawl — something the NBA could hardly afford just two years after its last major fight, and the Knicks certainly didn’t need in a season already on a downward spiral.

The fight spilled across the court. Carmelo Anthony landed a punch that knocked Collins down, Smith and Nate Robinson ended up in the stands while brawling, and eight players were ejected.

Anthony, the league’s top scorer at the time, apologized on Sunday, but he likely faces a suspension of more than five games. The NBA is reviewing the incident and interviewing those involved, with penalties possibly being announced before both teams play on Monday night.

So what led to this outburst? It appears the Knicks felt disrespected

“The score and the players they had on the floor,” Robinson said after the game. The Knicks, with a 9-17 record, skipped practice on Sunday and declined to comment further.

Anthony, Camby, Smith, and fellow starter Andre Miller were still on the court with Denver up by 19 points and 1:15 left to play when Collins stopped Smith from an easy basket by grabbing him by the neck and taking him to the ground.

Smith got up and immediately started arguing with Collins, and Robinson stepped in to separate them. Anthony pushed Robinson away, leading to Robinson and Smith tumbling into the front row as they fought.

Just when it seemed like things were settling down, Anthony threw a hard punch that floored Collins. New York’s Jared Jeffries then sprinted from the baseline toward half-court, trying to get to Anthony but was tackled by a Denver player.

By the time security finally subdued Smith, they were nearly at the opposite end of the court from where the fight began, making it the NBA’s most alarming scene since the brawl between Pacers players and Pistons fans at Auburn Hills, Michigan, two years earlier.

“Without being there, I can tell you the power of emotions can be an underrated thing in our game,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.

Anthony expressed regret

Anthony expressed regret on Sunday, admitting that his emotions had gotten the better of him.

“Last night’s altercation with the Knicks escalated more than it should have. I take full responsibility for my actions,” Anthony said in a statement. He apologized to fans, the Nuggets, the NBA, his own family, and to Collins and his family.

“My actions were inexcusable, and I’m sorry for making an already embarrassing situation even worse,” Anthony added.

Knicks coach Isiah Thomas, who replaced Larry Brown after one season, mentioned that he told Anthony and Camby they shouldn’t have been in the game once it was already decided. A league source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing investigation, said that Thomas had also advised Anthony not to go near the basket shortly before the hard foul happened.

Nuggets coach George Karl had just sent three players to the scorer’s table to sub in while the Knicks were bringing the ball up the court. However, before play could stop for the substitutions, New York turned the ball over, leading to Smith’s fast break.

Just two minutes earlier, Smith had executed a reverse dunk on a fast break, with both he and Anthony seemingly trying to impress their fans. Smith hails from New Jersey, and Anthony, who scored 23 points in the second half, is a native of New York.

The Knicks were not pleased with the spectacle.

Robinson said the Knicks were “just trying to fight, come back from the deficit, and they had their star players still in. It’s a slap in the face to us as a franchise.”