Minutes before the brawl started, Knicks coach Isiah Thomas asked Carmelo Anthony not to go into the painted area around the basket, despite the fact that they were not members of the same team.
Thomas later said that because Denver head coach George Karl kept his team's starting players on the court for the closing minutes of the game, which Thomas thought showed a lack of sportsmanship, his orders to Anthony were to "show some class."
However, Karl responded by saying the brawl "was directed by Isiah".

Thomas was not penalized after the brawl, as an NBA investigation ruled that they did not have "adequate evidence upon which to make a determination," but several writers criticized the NBA for not including Thomas in the suspensions.
ESPN analyst Marc Stein called Thomas' explanations of his comments "laughable," and commentator Greg Anthony, a former Knicks player, said he "never had a coach say that to an opponent."
It was also suggested that Thomas was attempting to resurrect the physical tactics of his former team, the "Bad Boy" Pistons.

In response to Thomas saying that keeping the Nuggets starters on the floor in the final minutes of the game was unsportsmanlike, Karl said that he "never thought about running up the score," and only wanted to "get a big win on the road."
However, several sportswriters criticized his decision, and some said that he should also have been penalized.
It was also suggested that Karl was trying to humiliate Thomas due to the perception that Thomas had mistreated Larry Brown, a friend of Karl's.
Karl was also blamed for putting his players in a position to start a fight.
Minutes before the brawl started, Knicks coach Isiah Thomas asked Carmelo Anthony not to go into the painted area around the basket, despite the fact that they were not members of the same team. Thomas later said that because Denver head coach George Karl kept his team's starting players on the court for the closing minutes of the game, which Thomas thought showed a lack of sportsmanship, his orders to Anthony were to "show some class." However, Karl responded by saying the brawl "was directed by Isiah".
Thomas was not penalized after the brawl, as an NBA investigation ruled that they did not have "adequate evidence upon which to make a determination," but several writers criticized the NBA for not including Thomas in the suspensions. ESPN analyst Marc Stein called Thomas' explanations of his comments "laughable," and commentator Greg Anthony, a former Knicks player, said he "never had a coach say that to an opponent." It was also suggested that Thomas was attempting to resurrect the physical tactics of his former team, the "Bad Boy" Pistons.
In response to Thomas saying that keeping the Nuggets starters on the floor in the final minutes of the game was unsportsmanlike, Karl said that he "never thought about running up the score," and only wanted to "get a big win on the road." However, several sportswriters criticized his decision, and some said that he should also have been penalized. It was also suggested that Karl was trying to humiliate Thomas due to the perception that Thomas had mistreated Larry Brown, a friend of Karl's. Karl was also blamed for putting his players in a position to start a fight.
Knicks–Nuggets brawl