In the fourth quarter Thursday night, Taj Gibson threw down a dunk to help the Knicks as they rallied for a 105-103 come-from-behind victory over the Magic and it got the crowd on its feet, even in the front row where Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan joined the rest of the fans standing and cheering.
It was a far cry different from the last game at the Garden on Jan. 29 when fans were chanting, “Sell the team.” Before the Knicks could take the home floor again, president Steve Mills had been removed from his post, a new president was found in prominent player agent Leon Rose from Creative Artists Agency, and the trade of star Marcus Morris had pushed the team a few more steps forward along the path to rebuilding.