The Knicks got quite the black eye last night.
They’re clinging to the ropes after dropping a meekly-fought game against the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls and now own the eighth seed by just a single game over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The 76ers won, a small punch to the gut, putting Philadelphia ahead and into the seventh slot by one game.
The Celtics beat the Heat, making the task of catching Boston and getting the four seed—likely critical for any hope of advancing to the second round—that much closer to impossible.
And now, tonight, after mopping their poor performance off the United Center floor and arriving in Milwaukee in the wee hours this morning, the Knicks have to face the season’s true nemesis, the damn pesky Bucks, who just won’t go down (and by the way, own the tiebreaker).
But you have to look at the bright side. Thankfully, there aren’t any other teams vying for those bottom postseason berths.
The Knicks are going to have to shrug last night off, splash a little water on its face and get back in the ring for the remaining bouts of 2011-’12.
These five (ok, six) cagers playing at proper peak performance are the only way back into any sort of playoff or title contention.