New York Knicks guard Baron Davis left Game 4 in the third quarter after injuring his kneecap. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Baron Davis is an old basketball warrior, and sometimes they don’t know when to quit. Well, on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks guard may have played his last game in the NBA but it’s probably not the way Boom Dizzle wanted to go out.

With 5:15 left in the third quarter of Game 4 between the Knicks and Miami Heat, Davis drove in for a layup on a fastbreak, something he’s done a thousand times. When Davis planted his right foot he slipped and went down in obvious pain, holding his knee.

As fans chanted his name — “Baron Davis, Baron Davis” — Davis acknowledged the crowd with his fist in the air.

The Knicks later announced the injury as a dislocated right patella. Tests will be done Monday.

If this was the last time we’ll see B.Diddy in a NBA game, it will be a career that included more than 13,000 points and some fantastic seasons when he was a Hornet and Warrior.

His best season came in 2003-04 as a member of the New Orleans Hornets. That season, Davis averaged a career-best 22.9 points per game. His most memorable moment came in the 2007 playoffs when he led the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors to a monumental upset in the first round over the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks. He punctuated his incredible playoff run when he threw down a monster dunk over Andrei Kirilenko of the Utah Jazz in the conference semifinals.

Hopefully, Davis will be able to return from this devastating injury. If not, he left us with some great basketball memories.

Bulls guard Derrick Rose is helped off the court in Game 1 of the Bulls-Sixers playoff series. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The NBA’s compressed 66-game schedule was the epicenter of discussion in the NBA after what happened to Chicago Bulls All-Star guard Derrick Rose and New York Knicks rookie guard Iman Shumpert Saturday when they tore their ACLs within hours of each other.

A lot players feel the frenetic post-lockout pace is to blame for the rash of injuries. However, one doctor begs to differ.

“There is no evidence that wear and tear, or that kind of issue, playing too much, really has any correlation with ACL injuries in any sport that we’ve ever studied,” Dr. David Altchek from the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York said in an Associated Press story.

Altchek argues that too much playing could actually make a player less susceptible to the injuries that Rose and Shumpert sustained in the opening round of the playoffs, because they might lack the type of explosiveness it takes to blow out a knee ligament.

“In fact, I think if you’re tired, you’re a lot less likely to tear your ACL because you’re not going to be as explosive,” said Altchek, who has operated on players such as Josh Howard, David West and Purdue’s Robbie Hummel, and been a consultant for the NBA.

According to the league, the injury rate was about the same as in a normal 82-game season. But players say they felt a difference and the evidence is alarming: Rose missed 26 games from an assortment of injuries. A back injury put Dwight Howard out of commission for the entire playoffs. Dwyane Wade was in and out of the lineup with a sore ankle. Kobe Bryant missed eight games in April because of a shin injury. Chauncey Billups ruptured his Achilles tendon in February and probably won’t be ready for the start of the 2012-13 season.

“You can definitely look at the season and just look at the schedule and say that guys really never got the ample amount of time to rest and heal their bones because you’re fighting for playoff position,” Knicks guard Baron Davis told AP. It’s game after game after game. So, you know, it’s tough. But there’s injuries, there’s freak injuries in basketball that’s always happening.”

Alchek said ACL tears, far more common in female athletes, are scary injuries in that there’s little explanation for how to prevent them. He said the non-contact version that Rose and Shumpert sustained are often more prevalent in the strongest, healthiest athletes. Contact ACL tears, Altchek said, are the kind that can happen to a football player hit on the side of the knee. But Rose was jumping to stop when he was injured, and Shumpert was trying to maneuver with a behind-the-back dribble when he crumbled to the court.

Bulls general manager Gar Forman said Rose’s previous injuries or the schedule did not lead to the ACL tear.

“There really is no evidence of that, in any athlete, that wear and tear, like gradual wearing away of the ACL, is an issue in terms of the injury,” Altchek said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Clippers forward Blake Griffin excited Staples Center - and the World Wide Web - with his dunk against the Oklahoma City Thunder. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Before we go completely gaga over Blake Griffin’s thunderous dunk (or throwdown) over Kendrick Perkins, let’s take a step back and avoid being a prisoner of the moment.

Griffin’s aerial assault on Jan. 30 against the Oklahoma City Thunder was spectacular and deserved all the attention it received the past couple of days. But to proclaim it as the best dunk in NBA history, like many were calling it on Twitter, is a complete knee-jerk reaction and a little farfetched. There was a whole lot of hyperbole going around the Web when Griffin posterized Perkins. Even LeBron James, who has seen or done better dunks in the past, got caught up in the moment.

In case you haven’t seen Blake’s dunk, click here.

Was it the best dunk ever? Before you answer that question, slow your roll and check out these 10 dunks. They all may be equal to or better than Griffin’s slam.

10) BARON DAVIS LOWERS THE BOOM ON ANDREI KIRILENKO AND THE JAZZ

9) SHAQUILLE O’NEAL BRINGS DOWN THE HOUSE (AND THE BACKBOARD) IN NEW JERSEY

8) DWYANE WADE PUNKS KENDRICK PERKINS AND DOES THE CABBAGE PATCH

7) KEVIN JOHNSON POSTERIZES HAKEEM OLAJUWON IN A 1994 PLAYOFF GAME

6) LEBRON JAMES “WITH NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE!” AGAINST THE CELTICS

5) SHAWN KEMP TOMAHAWKS THE WARRIORS IN THE 1992 PLAYOFFS

4) JULIUS “DR. J” ERVING ROCKS THE CRADLE ON MICHAEL COOPER

3) MICHAEL JORDAN SPINS BASELINE AND THROWS IT DOWN ON PATRICK EWING AT THE GARDEN

2) DOMINIQUE WILKINS: THE ORIGINAL HUMAN HIGHLIGHT REEL

1) VINCE CARTER LEAPS OVER 7-FOOT FREDERIC WEIS IN THE OLYMPICS

Led offensively by the explosive trio of Baron Davis, Jason Richardson and Stephen Jackson, the 2007 Warriors embraced the “We Believe” mantra and treated the fanatic Bay Area faithful with a playoff performance for the ages. Davis, Richardson and Jackson never saw a 3-point shot they didn’t like, and that fearless attitude spread like wildfire on the entire roster. Also on that underdog team were the well-traveled Al Harrington and Matt Barnes, and two young players in second-year guard Monta Ellis and third-year center Andris Biedrins.

The architect of the “We Believe” Warriors was Don Nelson, the “Mad Scientist” who was known for his free-wheeling offense and wacky game plans. Nelson had a leg up on the Mavericks because he knows their personnel very well, having drafted the core of the ’07 Dallas team.

Forward Matt Barnes, who now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, enjoyed his finest hour when he was with the Golden State Warriors in 2007. (GETTY IMAGES)

Golden State won the season series against Dallas during 2006-07, and that template fueled the Warriors to the biggest playoff upset since the 1994 Denver Nuggets shocked the Seattle SuperSonics.

Bay Area sports fans have not been excited about its Warriors since ’07, a magical moment frozen in time it seems in the minds of Warriors fans. There is real optimism this upcoming season – once the lockout ends – because the new-school Warriors have the pieces to push for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

On Saturday, Nov. 5, at the San Jose Event Center the “We Believe” 2007 Warriors will play in an exhibition game against the current crop of Warriors, featuring young “Dubs” Stephen Curry, David Lee and Dorell Wright and one holdover  from the 2007 squad – Ellis. The game tips off at 6:30 p.m. PST.

Scheduled to participate in the exhibition game and play for the “We Believe” Warriors are Richardson, Harrington and Bay Area native Barnes, the game’s host. A few former Warriors who weren’t on the 2007 team (Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Anthony Morrow and C.J. Watson) are also tentatively on the program.

Jackson and Davis, the two leaders of the ’07 squad, are not scheduled to appear, although there is still a chance that Davis could make a surprise appearance.

“With the lockout, we’re all thirsty to do something,” Barnes told the San Francisco Examiner. “I got the idea from a friend of mine who’s a promoter in the Bay Area. He approached me about doing an old vs. new Warriors game, and then I thought how it’d be cool to do it with 2007 team. That team is pretty legendary.”

A portion of the proceeds will go to Matt Barnes’ Athletes vs. Cancer Foundation.

Newest Clipper Baron Davis shares a moment courtside with comedian Adam Sandler.

Baron Davis loves nicknames. He’s been known as: B-Diddy….BD….The Beard….Baron of the Hardwood….and, a personal fave, Boom Dizzle. His given name was simply not sufficient enough to pacify the former UCLA and Santa Monica Crossroads stud.

Or, maybe he wears too many hats off the court. When he’s not dealing on the basketball court, Davis is making deals as a businessman, producer, manager and part-time actor. B-Diddy has been associated with pop culture icons such as The Game, Jessica Alba, Adam Sandler and Kate Hudson. 

Davis’ game and his Hollywood persona belongs in Los Angeles. The match made in heaven finally materialized when Davis signed with the Clippers last summer. Davis adds starpower to a star-craving team that is looking to possibly steal some of the spotlight away from Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. OK, maybe the Clippers are not ready to steal the spotlight from the Lakers after a 38-point thumping at Staples Center on opening night.

“One of the big reasons I wanted to come back home was so I could impact the communities of my hometown in a positive way, and I’m excited to do that,” Davis wrote on his blog site. “I was trying to wear number 85, in honor of the street I grew up on and where my basketball career was truly started by my grandfather who built my first hoop in our backyard. However, I chose number 1, I’ve worn it before and feel comfortable in it. ” 

For much of his professional basketball career, Davis has been tagged with the “potential” nameplate, something that most athletes dread because the word essentially translates to “disappointment.” Whenever someone is tabbed with great potential, it usually means there are several flaws in that player’s game.

In Davis’ case, at least earlier in his NBA career, he was a bit reckless on the court and his game was more suited for the And 1 Mix Tape Tour. He was also built like a fullback, causing him to miss several games for various ailments. The most serious one was the back injury that plagued him during his days with the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets and his first few years with the Golden State Warriors. 

But once Davis was able to overcome his back problem, he not only shed the “streetball” off his game but he was able to shed a few pounds as well.  He played 82 games in 2007-08, the first time he’s played a full regular season since 2001-02. The defining moment of his career came in the 2007 NBA playoffs when his underdog Warriors eliminated the heavily-favored Dallas Mavericks in the first round.

Though his time with the Warriors was priceless, Davis needed to be home. He opted out of his Golden State contract and signed a free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Clippers this past summer. With a fat new contract and a more slimmer body (he’s lost 19 pounds during the offseason), Davis looks like he’s ready to re-establish himself as one of the top point guards in the Association and make the Clippers a contender in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.