Amar'e and Carmelo hit Sesame Street

  Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony used their day off on Thursday to pay a visit to one of New York's famous neighborhoods, Sesame Street. The two shot a scene for an upcoming episode and were joined by Grover, who was decked out in a Knicks sweatsuit.

The lesson of the day was about comparisons -- sames and differences -- and at one point Carmelo turns to a basketball hoop tacked up over a garage (nice touch, stagehands), swishes a shot and says, "I can shoot the ball in the basket."

Amar'e then turns and takes a shot that clanks off the rim. Undaunted, he said, "And I can shoot the ball in the basket" and then burst into laughter.

While Carmelo was cracking up with the rest of the crew, Grover quickly took up for his co-star when he looked at the camera and said, "He can, he can! He just didn't want to."

It took two more takes before Amar'e made the shot -- tired legs, for sure -- and the shoot was completed. It's not yet known when this segment will air.

Meanwhile, according to the New York Post, Carmelo will appear in a segment on Saturday Night Live this weekend. Several members of the cast, including the show's founder, Lorne Michaels, were sitting courtside at Monday's game against the Magic.

That's a pretty good week for Carmelo: three straight 35-plus point performances, two wins, a huge billboard near the Garden and television spots with Sesame Street and SNL. Yes, he was definitely considering signing that extension to stay in Denver...

Here's some raw video from the Sesame Street shoot, courtesy WPIX: