Carmelo Anthony makes his return to the Garden

On Saturday night the New York Knicks will face the Oklahoma City Thunder at home. This game will be Carmelo Anthony’s first return to the Garden since he was traded to the Thunder. Anthony played six seasons with the Knicks as their star. After some very visible frustration Anthony spent his summer deciding on which teams he would drop his no-trade clause for. The Thunder was a speculative destination at best. However, Oklahoma City ended up landing Anthony over the Houston Rockets and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now with the Knicks and Thunder set for a rematch the stage is set for what may or may not be a warm welcome for  Anthony.

Many Knicks fans are divided on where they stand with Carmelo Anthony. Some were beyond happy when Anthony’s tenure with the team had finally ended. Others were appreciative for everything he tried to do while wearing the blue and orange. Knicks star forward Kristaps Porzingis is a member of the latter group, speaking out earlier this week in hopes of a warm welcome for his former teammate and mentor. Porzingis may actually be sidelined this game due to a sore knee. However he would probably prefer to lace up for this game. After all, this rematch has all the hype of being a worthwhile thriller.

The last time these two teams met it was not a close contest at all. The Thunder absolutely routed the Knicks in a 105-84 season-opening victory. Since then both teams have had their share of struggles this season figuring out how to win both at home and on the road. While the Knicks have been far more dominant at home then on the road, the Thunder have played the same in both home games and road games. Both the Thunder and the Knicks sit at the eighth seed in their respective conferences and are both on small winning streaks. Porzingis could obviously be a difference maker for the team at home, but the Knicks may choose to play it safe and keep him benched this time around. Anthony, back in his old arena, will obviously come out swinging against his former squad, and rightfully so.

Aside from the hype and mixed feelings, both of these teams need a win. A victory at the Garden for either squad on Saturday would be a huge and symbolic success. Warm welcome or not, this game will be one that has fans locked in from jump ball.