National Basketball Association

Carmelo in NBA Finals-texting spirit with former Knicks teammates

Published Jun. 1, 2015 7:35 p.m. ET

foxsports

If you can't play in the NBA Finals, at least you can stay in touch with your ex-teammates who are in the Finals.

That's what Carmelo Anthony is doing, chatting and texting with his former New York Knicks teammates J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, now members of the Finals-bound Cleveland Cavaliers.

"I heard from him; he's excited for us,'' Smith said Sunday, as reported by the New York Post. "He's excited for us. I talked to him for a while. I can't say everything he said, I'd probably get fined. It was a great conversation.''

Shumpert told the Post: "Melo's texted us throughout the playoffs. He's always a supporter. I can always lean on him if I have any questions about the game. He's a huge basketball guy, always watching, always trying to learn from us, and we're always going to take advice from him.''

And they know whom Anthony is rooting for.

Anthony is "always going to be cheering for our success unless he has to play against us," Shumpert said.