NBA

Comment about wife of Knicks’ Anthony sparked tiff with Celtics star: source

LaLa Vazquez

LaLa Vazquez (WireImage)

DID I HEAR THAT RIGHT? According to a source, the heated exchange between Knicks star Carmelo Anthony (inset) and Boston’s Kevin Garnett on Monday was because of a comment Garnett made about Anthony’s wife, LaLa Vazquez. (
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The Carmelo Anthony-Kevin Garnett chaos during and after Monday’s Knicks game was prompted by a comment from Garnett involving Anthony’s wife, LaLa Vazquez, according to an Anthony confidant.

“He really, really had a reason,” the confidant said. “KG must’ve never gotten hugged [as a child], but Melo’s OK now.”

Anthony and Garnett got into a heated exchange during the Knicks-Celtics game at the Garden, one that saw the two players receive technical fouls and resulted in Anthony pursuing Garnett after the game ended. Anthony yesterday would not reveal the specifics of Garnett’s on-court spewing but admitted things went beyond smack talk.

The website Black Sports Online reported that Garnett told Anthony that La La “tastes like Honey Nut Cheerios.”

“There’s certain things that you just don’t say to men, another man,” Anthony said. “I felt like we crossed the line.”

Anthony’s relentless postgame pursuit of Garnett has resulted in an ongoing NBA investigation for possible discipline, but the Knicks star said his actions don’t warrant a suspension.

Anthony said that he went looking for Garnett merely to talk to him about what Boston’s trash-talking forward was saying to him on the court.

Anthony, who recklessly ventured to the tunnel near the Celtics’ locker room on Monday and to Boston’s team bus, said he and Garnett have spoken. According to a person close to Anthony, “They spoke on the phone and resolved it.”

Meanwhile, a source close to Anthony’s wife claimed the comment was not about her. Now, the issue is whether the NBA will let the incident pass.

“It will be investigated,” league spokesman Tim Frank said yesterday.

Anthony went to the tunnel near Boston’s locker room after Monday’s game and shouted at a number of Celtics before being dragged away by his teammates. The website CSNNE.com also showed video of Anthony waiting for Garnett near Boston’s bus. Multiple policemen and MSG security officials as well Knicks PR man Jonathan Supranowitz were on the circus-like scene as well.

Reportedly, it was Mike Woodson who convinced Anthony to leave, and on the video Woodson can be seen talking to his player. Anthony appears to be resistant to what Woodson is telling him. Woodson yesterday said that it was “between me and Melo.”

“Nothing happened for me to be suspended,” Anthony said. “I went and I wanted to talk to KG. … No altercations. It was just some words and a conversation that we needed to have.”

Garnett is a notorious trash-talker who once said the Pistons’ Charlie Villanueva resembled a cancer patient due to his baldness (Villanueva is bald due to a condition called alopecia universalis).

“I just wanted to know what was being said, where was all that coming from. What was said on the basketball court, where was it coming from?” Anthony said. “I just wanted to have a one-on-one conversation with him, talk it out like two grown men.”

As of the latest All-Star balloting, Anthony and Garnett are slated to start in the East frontcourt, and are likely to be teammates for at least a day. That would be reminiscent of when Mike Piazza caught nemesis Roger Clemens in the 2004 All-Star Game.

Ironically, Garnett’s wife and LaLa are said to be friends.

If Anthony is suspended, it would add to the six games the star already has missed because of injuries. The Knicks are 3-3 in his absence.

Anthony admitted he did not exercise the proper restraint but was hesitant to be overly self-critical.

“I lost my cool [Monday]. I accept that. But there are just certain things that push certain people’s buttons,” he said. “You guys will never know what those certain things [are], and I would never sit and tell you what those certain things are or what was said [Monday], what was done. What’s done is done. Like I said, I accept that. I lost my composure [Monday]. For the most part, I’ve been very positive this season.”

mark.hale@nypost.com