ATLANTA — About 45 minutes before the Knicks faced the Hawks at Philips Arena on Monday night, Dennis Doyle was among the first patrons seated in Section 112.
His ticket, which he had purchased before the season, was a remnant of a bygone era, back when the Knicks employed Iman Shumpert and J. R. Smith, back when Carmelo Anthony had two functional knees, and back when Doyle believed the team was capable of making the N.B.A. playoffs.
The season, the worst in franchise history, has been more difficult than any of them could have imagined.