Round 1 of the battle of the boroughs went to the Knicks. It was a first-round knockout.
Madison Square Garden was abuzz in anticipation of the first matchup between Robin and Brook Lopez, but the home team turned it into a downtown party early and never let up en route to a convincing 108-91 victory.
Derek Fisher's club trailed, 6-4 in the opening moments, but a 16-0 run sent The Garden crowd into a frenzy and turned the contest into a romp. By the end of the first quarter, the Knicks had doubled up their cross-town rivals -- 42 to 21 -- behind seven 3-point makes -- more than they'd made in any of the previous three games in total.