For a few seconds in the first quarter, there was a reason to smile. A brief respite when winning didn’t just seem possible, but almost certain.
A “Let’s go Yankees” chant broke out. In the fourth quarter, another one sprang up. It is hard to blame the fans in attendance for looking months ahead.
It was a diversion from another long evening at the Garden, another night when it was obvious how inferior the Knicks were to the team wearing road jerseys. They started as they did Friday night in Miami — trailing the powerhouse Bucks 23-6 and missing nine of their first 10 shots — and never really recovered in a 123-102 setback that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.