To lose a game by 45 points in the NBA is downright disgraceful. There are no excuses for a ‘Harlem Globetrotters-Washington Generals’-type of score. 10 points in the third quarter? You tell me.

After winning two straight games and actually looking fairly competitive, the Knicks took a “giant step back” (as Isiah Thomas said after the game) in the 104-59 rout against the Celtics. It was the second worst defeat in team history, only saved by Nate Robinson’s three-pointer from 37 feet out at the buzzer.

Boston’s Big 3 were barely needed to dominate the weak Knicks. Kevin Garnett played a mere 22 minutes before taking a seat with 8 points and a 69-34 lead. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, who played 29 minutes each, enjoyed the blowout from the bench next to Garnett the entore fourth quarter.

Robinson was the only Knick to finish in double digits with 11 points. Need more evidence on how bad this game was? Boston went up by 50 points with nearly 9 minutes left in the game, had at least a 10-point lead with 4:11 to go in the first quarter, a 20-point advantage with 5:27 to go in the second quarter, upped it to 30 before the first three minutes of the second half were played, and only needed less than five minutes to make their lead swell to 40.

Isiah and the Knicks Torn Apart During Skid

The losing streak stands at eight with no relief in sight. With the Knicks’ last defeat on Wednesday night in Detroit, it has been over two weeks since they last won a basketball game. With all the controversy surrounding Isiah Thomas and Stephon Marbury, it is no wonder that things have gone so bad this season.

After playing the defending Eastern Conference champion Cavaliers close on opening night in Cleveland, the Knicks actually put together a modest two-game winning streak before matching that on the losing side. On the flight to Phoenix, things came to a head between the head coach and starting point guard. Everything from threats, strong words and actual physical contact between the two has been reported, but the Knicks have tried to keep things in-house and not make it worse by publicly airing their dirty laundry.

Marbury bolted from the team and missed the 113-102 loss to the Suns, but returned a day later for another defeat, this time a 84-81 decision in Los Angeles to the Clippers.

The problem was that Thomas had Quentin Richardson take a vote in the locker room prior to the game in LA if Marbury should be benched the entire game. The team voted to leave him on the bench, but Thomas not only brought him in the game after starting Mardy Collins, but gave him over 33 minutes of playing time.

The Brooklyn native had his starting job back following two more defeats at Sacramento and Denver, and the crowd at Madison Square Garden let both Marbury and Thomas hear their disappointment all throughout the 108-82 crushing at the hands of the Golden State Warriors.

It didn’t take long for the fans to be heard. During pre-game introductions, both Thomas and Marbury received a loud chorus of boos, and each time the point guard touched the ball it continued. The Knicks fell behind early in the game and played sloppy, giving the crowd more ammunition. With 4:19 left in the first period and the Warriors ahead by double-digits, the first ‘Fire Isiah’ chant began.

“I didn’t necessarily understand what they were chanting,” Thomas said in his post-game press conference. “You try to focus on the game. You know it wasn’t nice. When you are watching a game we played tonight, the venom comes out, you deserve it. That’s what comes with the territory and the place we live in.

“That is on Isiah” the head coach continued. “That’s not the player’s fault, this was on me.”

Marbury looked at the stats for the blame, not the bench. “We had too many turnovers (27). Boos or no boos, we didn’t play well. You can never control how somebody feels.”

The Garden hierarchy was front and center and heard all the venom that Thomas spoke of. Both James Dolan and Steve Mills were in their customary seats right by the Knicks bench and could not hide their feelings. Dolan slumped in his chair while Mills had a blank look on his face as the boos and chants grew louder.

This is a team that may be putting on a charade that things are better and they have worked out their differences. But the proof is on the court.

With the Knicks trailing by 13 at halftime, the ‘Fire Isiah’ chant became more and more pronounced and the team was booed heavily as they entered the tunnel. This is not a good situation at MSG and with the bad shot selection and turnovers, the players themselves do not look as if they will be able to turn it around any time soon.

OK… at the end of 1, the blue & orange are trailing 31-24. It could have been worse if not for a few late buckets by David Lee. The Knicks were throwing the ball around and committing foolish turnovers, taking bad shots, etc.

Oh - the first ‘Fire Isiah’ chant began with 4:19 left in the opening stanza.

Marbury pulled from the game on the first substitutions and Fred Jones, Mardy Collins and Fred Jones all saw action. Marbury did return at the start of the second quarter, still with 0 pts.

During pre-game introductions at the Knicks first home game following their awful west coast sojourn, the crowd at MSG let both Isiah Thomas and Stephon Marbury know their true feelings with a loud chorus of boos for each. During the first quarter, Marbury had no relief each time he touched the ball. Even for a point guard such as he, he still had to bring the ball up the court on practically every possession.

When he misfired on a shot from beyond the arc halfway through the quarter, the crowd booed and did not seem to be letting up on the Brooklyn native.

Win Battle Against Nuggets at MSG

Every game is an uphill battle for the New York Knicks. After a dismal season a year ago and an offseason full of off the court issues (i.e. – the Isiah Thomas sexual harassment lawsuit trial), a new season can either be the cure or more poison for a troubled franchise.

Dropping the season opener in Cleveland and squeaking by the weak Timberwolves at home did not tell us anything. The first early season test came on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden versus the Denver Nuggets, one of the Western Conference’s potent teams and the opponent in perhaps the Knicks’ ugliest game last season.

It was on December 16, 2006 that a blowout loss at the Garden became an black eye on not only the pitiful Knicks, but on the NBA, as well. In the closing minutes of Denver’s 123-100 victory, a brawl broke out that began when Knicks’ rookie guard Mardy Collins fouled J.R. Smith hard on a fast break. The Denver guard retaliated, and then Nate Robinson and star Carmelo Anthony joined the fray, resulting in suspensions and accusations that Thomas had given Anthony a verbal warning prior to the Donny brook.

So an inter-conference match-up in the third game of the season took on a different meaning. The sellout crowd of 19,763 was vocal during pre-game introductions and very supportive of the blue and orange from the opening tip-off. Both Anthony and Smith were serenaded with a chorus of boos each time they touched the ball.

Maybe the team is clearly better than a year ago, or they just fed off the crowd’s energy on this night. Either way, it is hard to explain how the Knicks responded after being down by 13 points in the second quarter, 10 after three, and 10 again during the final stanza.

When the final buzzer sounded and the happy crowd filed out towards the chilly Manhattan night, the scoreboard showed a 119 to 112 final, advantage – Knicks. Jamaal Crawford led the club with 25 points, which included going three for five from downtown, and sees the win as a stepping-stone for bigger and better things.

“This is a game that we could look back on for confidence,” the eighth-year guard out of Michigan said in the victorious locker room. “We have confidence that we can play with anybody, even if we get down by 10 [points].”

Thomas, although happy with the win, realizes that his team is still figuring out where they are. “I think we have the type of players collectively, when they come together, can be a pretty good basketball team and we are working towards that,” the head coach said. “We are not there yet. We have a long way to go.

“We are still a relatively young team in terms of the age of the guys,” he continued. “If we can keep these guys together for three or four years, they can do a lot of good things. This upcoming season, we have a lot of room for growth.”

One of the players Thomas was referring to was second-year forward Renaldo Balkman, who had 11 points, four rebounds and three blocks in 27 minutes off the bench. On one particular play at the beginning of the third quarter, Nate Robinson found a streaking Balkman for the jam to cut Denver’s lead to five, causing Nuggets’ head coach George Karl to call time out.

His impressive play did not go unnoticed by his head coach. “I thought Renaldo came in and changed the game for us, “said Thomas. “He can do so many things for you. His ball handling ability, his shot-blocking ability and his ability to defend on the perimeter. He is a special kind of athlete. He was huge for us.”

Crawford added, “He brings so much energy,” referring to Balkman.

Although he was playing in Portland last year and was not a part of the brawl, offseason acquisition Zach Randolph seemed to get right into it and scored his third consecutive double-double with 22 points and 17 boards. The forward also took an errant Nene elbow to the face to be the second player to draw blood on the evening. Allen Iverson had his lip bloodied after tight defense by Stephon Marbury near the baseline, so this was by no means a game with light emotion.

Even someone who has just arrived such as Randolph sensed that he was a part of something special. “It was a big win for us,” he admitted afterwards.

Especially after being shown up last December.

The Knicks appeared to be left for dead once again in the first six minutes of the third quarter, but cme right back to cut it to 81-76 on a pretty pass from Nate Robinson to a streaking Renaldo Balkman for the jam, causing Denver head coach George Karl to call time out.

The Knicks appeared to be left for dead once again in the first six minutes of the third quarter, but cme right back to cut it to 81-76 on a pretty pass from Nate Robinson to a streaking Renaldo Balkman for the jam, causing Denver head coach George Karl to call time out.

The Knicks cut into a 13-point Nugget lead and actually tied the score at 60 woith 1:30 left in the first half. Sloppy play leading up to the end of the second quarter resulted in a 66-60 Denver lead heading into the locker room.

Leading by a score of 37-32 after one, the Denver Nuggets’ lead swelled to 13 at one point before the Knicks made a modest run. The home team cut the deficit to 55-50 after Zach Randolph scored on a baby hook.

Although the game seemed to be slipping away early, the crowd remained positive and stood behind the Knicks as they cut into Denver’s lead.