Clippers 126, Knicks 113: “Be okay Payne”

The weirdest thing about the Knicks losing to the Pacers in last year’s playoffs was how simple the experience was emotionally. Usually when the Knicks are eliminated, there’s a white water rapids of feelings and vibes to navigate. If you were there in 1993 and 1994, there will always be a little blood in your mouth. 2004 left a bad taste behind. We don’t talk about ‘97. But one way or the other, every playoff run’s ending left me surfing some emotional wake. Except last year.

Last year the Knicks were just so beat up and banged up by the end, there was no longer a competitive frame of reference by which to measure them. Bodies were dropping like the team had the plague. How emotionally…