Down to the floor the Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett tumbled on Thursday night, a failed lob pass leaving him stretched out on the Garden court. Out of nowhere, a most improbable arm reached down, clasped Garnett’s hand and lifted him back to his feet. Out of nowhere, the message was unmistakable: The New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony had come to beat Garnett with grace and guile, calm and composure.

“He fell,” Anthony said later, “and I helped him up. I don’t hold grudges.”

Once, Anthony might have consumed himself with this feud, might have needed to validate an adolescent code and mete out some kind of retribution. Only, Anthony didn’t come to Boston to escalate the embarrassing episode of Madison Square Garden. Anthony had come to eviscerate Garnett and an 11-game losing streak in the Boston Garden.

via Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports