Why Carmelo Anthony is Placing Knicks in 1st

"I think, this year, with [head coach] Mike Brown, putting Jalen Brunson, allowing him to play off the ball, along with Jordan Clarkson coming in the game, Malcolm Brogdon, who gives us a shot in the arm off the bench ... [Brown's] bringing a different energy," Anthony continued. "I watch them in preseason. I see the fast pace that they playing with, I see the system that they playing with. I just believe that Knicks would be the number one seed, and I've just dropped the microphone."

As if to show off the chemistry Anthony's gaining with his fellow accomplished studio hosts, his analysis was interrupted only by brief New Yorker Tracy McGrady humorously lamenting the fact that he and the other NBC talent gathered would have to hear his Knicks takes "again." McGrady argued that the defending top seed Cleveland Cavaliers are a "clear cut" favorite to repeat, but did place the Knicks in second.

Nonetheless, NBC's own schedule certainly sees the hype surrounding the Knicks, who have been pegged by many as early favorites in the East amidst transformative happenings befalling the usual suspects like Boston and Indiana. The Knicks have eight showings on broadcast NBC alone, tied for the most in the league with the Dallas Mavericks (whom New York hosts in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on NBC on Jan. 19).

"New York, we know that's the epicenter of the world," Anthony told Knicks on SI about the excessive showings. "The team is good and I just think there's a different energy and a new energy in New York. I think when New York is playing well, and they're winning, and they're in the fold, and they have excitement, the whole country is better, the whole world is better."

"So I think the Knicks have an opportunity to do something special. I think everything comes down to who's healthy, who's not, but I think just the pieces that the Knicks put together gives the Knicks an opportunity to do something special."

New century stars Anthony, McGrady, and Vince Carter will be stationed in NBC's Stamford studio under the moderation of Taylor for the network's bigger showcases, which include a package of "Sunday Night Basketball" games that will kick in once NFL season ends. The trio has been engaged in what Carter referred to as "training camp" in Stamford, rehearsing and shadowing the staff of "Football Night in America," the network's pregame show that precedes "Sunday Night Football."

Having previously taken to the Association airwaves in 1990, the NBA on NBC returns to the broadcasting fold for the first time since 2002 as the Association's new media deal tips off with Amazon Prime Video also in tow. Many metropolitan hardwood dramatics aired on the program's prior iteration, including a good bit of the team's last run to the NBA Finals in 1999. allowing the network to leave a lasting impression on the modern stars of the game.

It's a self-described perfect first step forward for the newly-minted Hall-of-Famer Anthony, who seeks to provide "that 90s nostalgia" while "moving the company and the conversation forward."

"It was just the opportunity to build something new, build something special," Anthony told Knicks on SI of what drew him to NBC. "I just think it's something new for me. It's another way for me to stay a part of the game, giving back to the game, giving my take, trying to help these young guys kind of understand what it takes to be a pro, but also giving these young guys grace, too, because we don't give them enough grace. But, for me, I love being over here, kind of just being able to talk the game of basketball and have real conversations about the game of basketball."