You remember the controversy — Kevin Garnett said something that got under Carmelo Anthony’s skin, they earned double technical on the court then Carmelo waited by the Celtics team bus to continue the conversation.

The league suspended Anthony one game for taking the tiff off the court and into the halls of Madison Square Garden. Then Knicks owner James Dolan started having people tape what opponents were saying to ‘Melo on the court because it was so, so mean and everybody just loves Carmelo so much (or whatever his reasons were).

That one game suspension cost Anthony $176,000 and he is appealing trying to get his money back, reports the New York Post.

After discussions between Melo’s agent, Leon Rose, and the Players Association, the decision was made to file within the 20-day allowable period, with the legal argument that the Jan. 7th episode was strictly a verbal skirmish.

“In light of the circumstances, in light of the circumstances that it was not a physical confrontation, the suspension seemed excessive,’’ union’s lead attorney Ron Klempner told The Post.

There was no physical fight, but the league’s issue was continuing the confrontation off the court after the game had ended.

“There are no circumstances in which it is acceptable for a player to confront an opponent after a game,” said Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations, in a released statement at the time of the suspension. “Carmelo Anthony attempted to engage with Kevin Garnett multiple times after Monday’s game and therefore a suspension was warranted.”

We’ll see how that appeal goes. Players rarely win these, but that’s a lot of money (even for ‘Melo) so might as well.

via Pro Basketball talk