All fall in line for anthem

After a lot of talk over the last month about national anthem statements, the Knicks and Cavs mostly stood in a standard line before Tuesday night’s season opener — with only a few Knicks, including Joakim Noah, draping their arms over a teammate.

With Commissioner Adam Silver in attendance, LeBron James and the defending champs, who just wrapped up their ring ceremony, all followed standard anthem protocol as the crowd led a rendition of the anthem. Same with Carmelo Anthony, who recently said he’s “past the gestures.”

“I just don’t think the gesturing is creating anything,” Anthony told Bleacher Report. “I think it’s bringing awareness, but I think doing stuff and creating awareness in the communities (is more effective).”

Silver, who is in the middle of negotiating a new CBA with the union, has threatened repercussions to any player who does not stand during the anthem.

“I’d only say that we have a rule that requires players to stand respectfully for the anthem,” he said. “That is our rule. I’m not going to prejudge any player conduct. We’ll deal with any situations that present themselves. But I’ve been very clear that our expectation is that our players will stand for the anthem.”