The Knicks and the Rangers share two buildings, an owner and not much else.
That has been especially true this season, with the Rangers claiming the Presidents’ Trophy after assembling the N.H.L.’s best regular-season record, and the Knicks setting new marks for futility on an almost nightly basis. It turned out to be one of the great peculiarities in pro sports: the best team in hockey and one of the worst teams in basketball, living side by side.
On Wednesday, the juxtaposition was more glaring than usual. As the Rangers went through their final preparations before opening the playoffs Thursday night against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, the Knicks took the court at Madison Square Garden to close out their 82-game slog by facing the Detroit Pistons.