This urge was hard to resist last night, when the Knicks fell to the Indiana Pacers for the second time since Carmelo arrived. (They've also lost twice to the LeBron-free Cleveland Cavaliers.) As you'll see in the video below, the Pacers' Danny Granger hit a jump shot with .3 seconds left on the clock -- time enough only for a tip-in, not a set shot. Nonetheless, Anthony screamed for the ball from a position outside the three-point line -- and in post-game interviews, he seemed pissed that he hadn't gotten the ball, even though passing it to him would have been pointless.
Not pointless? New York opponents, who've been scoring in droves -- and why not, since Melo and the Knicks seem to view defense as optional rather than a key component of the game.
With the Knicks at 6-5 since the trade (the Nuggets are 8-2), the pressure's already on in NYC, as was made clear by a New York magazine headline this morning that reads, "The Knicks Are Starting to Look a Little Scary, and Not in the Good Way." As the heat ratchets up beneath coach Mike D'Antoni, some observers are beginning to wonder if the deal was such a good idea. And while the likes of ESPN Radio's Jason Smith believe it was, particularly if the Knicks obtain a third superstar lured by the prospect of playing alongside Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, others don't seem so sure anymore.
Are Nuggets fans assholes for glorying in this situation? Hell, no. Given the protracted drama we survived, we deserve to blow off a little steam at Carmelo's expense, at least in the short term. That old saw about being careful what you wish for because you just might get it is ringing truer than ever these days.
Look below to see highlights from the Knicks' latest loss to the mighty Pacers:
More from our Sports archive: "Carmelo Anthony trade drama harder for George Karl to deal with than cancer? (VIDEO)."
