They can go from rivals to friends to colleagues but there’s no undoing that energy between the Pacers and the Knicks. Carmelo Anthony and Reggie Miller will be analysts on NBC this season. Which means that the Knicks Killer is not only going to be back in Knicks turf, but he’s also upgrading his relationship with an MSG legend. Do we expect the NBC studio to get trash-talk heavy when the Knicks and Pacers meet in December? Not really But Melo just gave a glimpse of what it’s going to be like working with Reggie.

That came during NBC getting some preseason vibe check from its new panelists. They asked Melo to rank some of the most memorable celebrations from one to five.

Starting from last place, fellow Knicks star Jalen Brunson’s ‘Off the Mask’ celly is at five, a spot under the suave ‘Dame Time’ celebration by Damian Lillard. LeBron James’ ‘Silencer was bumped down from second to third for Steph Curry’s ‘Night Night’ to take its place. Given Melo’s viral reaction to the iconic Paris Olympics ‘Night Night,’ this wasn’t a surprise. But…

“Three to the Dome is number one… That’s just what it is.” You know that thing when players hit a three and point to their heads, that’s what it is.  It’s iconic for sure. Why else did Bogdan Bogdanovic doing that at Melo in the Paris Olympics send Team USA into a rampage?

But surprisingly, one celebration barely gets honorable mention in this list. You know, that celly Knicks fans hate because it was made just for them, that had the NBA in a ‘chokehold’ once more in 2025? Reggie Miller’s ‘choke’ became the most viral gesture in 2025 when Tyrese Haliburton and Caitlin Clark, Indiana’s newest stars were hitting that. But due to technicalities and not pettiness, Melo left it out of the list.

“3 to the Dome is number one… [Not Reggie Miller’s choke] yeah, yeah, he only did it once. Like if that was his thing, then I’d be like… ” Remembering that they have to work together soon, Melo added a cautious, “I can’t really tell him that either you know, Knicks fans and s— so.” Yeah Knicks fans feel some ways about Reggie Miller, awesome as he was. But there won’t be any animosity as Melo says on behalf of the Knicks, “We still welcoming Reggie over this side.”

This side would be the NBC booth at Knicks games. Melo is obviously going to be welcomed as he always is. Miller Time with the Knicks though, is now going to be rewritten.

Carmelo Anthony and Reggie Miller could revive Knicks-Pacers rivalry on NBC

Reggie Miller’s career with Melo’s barely overlapped. They played at most four games against each other and were evenly matched.

Too bad we never get to see a Three to the Dome against Reggie Miller. He was already on his way out in 2005, when Carmelo Anthony was still with the Nuggets. It was originated by former Knicks player, Rasheed Wallace’s taunts during practice. Carmelo Anthony did that often to mock his opponents in The Garden with that celebration when he hit threes.

The more he repeated it, the more iconic it became. Melo retired in 2023 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame this September. But players like Austin Reaves can’t let go of it.

If frequency by their originators makes Dame Time and 3 to the Dome official celebrations, then tragically, Reggie’s doesn’t meet the criteria. He made the choke gesture only once, in 1994, was NBC was still in the NBA media landscape. Miller was public enemy #1 for New Yorkers and diehard Knicks superfan, Spike Lee, who wanted the Pacers to ‘choke’ during the Eastern Conference Finals. After a dominant fourth quarter with 25 points, Miller made that choking gesture at the acclaimed director and led the Pacers to a Game 5 win.

This year, Lee and Miller finally buried their beef. But the choke became iconized with Tyrese Haliburton doing it after a game-winner. After Caitlin Clark did it too, it became symbolic for Indiana’s basketball fans. It’s technically a celebration only now. The first time it was just a big ol’ clapback.

Melo’s simply channeling the famous New York sentiment that Miller Time caused. He thought he was pretty hilarious too when he reposted it with a laughing emoji. These players never really had a rivalry. But it’s going to be fun when Melo reps New York next to its archnemesis when NBA on NBC kickstarts its debut season on October 21.