Take away the new outfit and Carmelo Anthony looked about the same last night as he did all of last year.Dominant.Anthony scored 23 points and grabbed four rebounds as his Denver Nuggets lost to the Detroit Pistons, 93-91, in a preseason game at the Carrier Dome last night. Anthony swished three long-range jumpers and drew seven fouls, flashing the inside-outside game that made him famous last season with the Orangemen.’Overall, I think I played pretty well,’ Anthony said. ‘There are still some things I need to work on, but my game feels good. I’m doing all of the same thing I used to do.’He seems to occupy the same role as he did last season, too. Whenever the Nuggets needed a basket, they looked to Anthony. And each time, Anthony delivered. With less than a minute left and the Nuggets behind, 89-87, Anthony drove past Detroit forward Tayshaun Prince and nailed a lay-up to tie the score.On the Nuggets next possession, Anthony drove again, this time drawing a double team and passing to an open Rodney White for an easy jumper.’He special,’ said fellow Nugget Mark Pope. ‘He already plays like a veteran. He comes through in the clutch. He’s the type of guy that can control a game. And, if you’re on his team, you want him to control it.’The other big-name rookie playing last night, Piston’s center Darko Milicic, looked lost compared to Anthony. Milicic, whom Detroit selected ahead of Anthony with the No. 2 pick, played four minutes – all in the fourth quarter. After the short stint, Piston’s head coach Larry Brown pulled Milicic aside and chastised him for giving up an easy basket.’I always thought Carmelo was the best guy in the draft this last year,’ said Denver center Marcus Camby. ‘He proved it (last night). We’re going to get him Rookie of the Year.’

Quite a followingBy all accounts, Carmelo Anthony seemed impressed by his Carrier Dome reception last night. The size of the crowed – 20,315 strong – surprised him. It’s level of support – three standing ovations – left him nearly speechless.But make no mistake. Anthony’s getting used to being treated like royalty. It happens to him in Denver, too.When Anthony went to a Denver Broncos game last weekend, he had to leave at halftime to avoid relentless autograph seekers. When he goes out to eat downtown, he often wears a hooded sweatshirt to avoid being recognized.Fans even hound Anthony in the downtown apartment complex where he lives. ‘Our apartment is right across from a high school,’ said Troy Frazier, Anthony’s mentor and Denver roommate. ‘The kids at the school know where Carmelo lives now. So on their lunch breaks, they’ll come over and just scream for him to walk outside and sign. It’s crazy. They all want a piece of him.’

This and thatThe Syracuse freshmen basketball players served as security guards for last night’s game. Terrence Roberts, Demetris Nichols and Louie McCroskey all wore yellow security shirts and sat near the court. ‘That was our ticket in,’ Roberts said. ‘We had to do it if we wanted to come watch.’ … Anthony attended SU’s first practice on Saturday. His take on this year’s team? ‘They looked a little out of shape,’ Anthony said. ‘But I’m sure they’ll get there.’