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Think about where the Knicks stood somewhere around 9:30 p.m. on the evening of Sunday, April 17.
That was exactly seven weeks ago today, exactly 49 days ago. They were leading the Celtics by a point, 85-84, and there were fewer than 15 seconds left in Game 1 of their opening-round series at TD Garden.
Amar’e Stoudemire, the centerpiece of their off-season, had gone off. The much-maligned defense had done a fine job on the Celtics, made them look old and vulnerable. Yes, Chauncey Billups had gone limping off the court a few minutes before, but surely that was just a minor bump.
Knicks fans had waited a decade for this. On the floor were two legit stars. On the scoreboard was a lead. One stop is what they needed. One stop. One.
“Sports are funny sometimes, and basketball is funnier than most,” an NBA executive told me recently. “And if I’m the Knicks, at that one moment in time, you think: Hey, we really have something going here. Too bad you can’t push a button and freeze-frame life sometimes, right?”
Right. Because what happens when you hit the “play” button instead is an epic chain reaction right out of the Book of Genesis. …
Ray Allen’s 3 wins Game 1 for the Celtics … which begets Stoudemire’s freak back injury before Game 2 … which begets Kevin Garnett’s game-winner after a forever game from Carmelo Anthony … which begets two woeful close-out games at home … which begets the Heat thrashing the Celtics, offering an initial idea of how far away the Knicks really are from the elite in the East … which begets the Heat amplifying that statement by clobbering the Bulls, who only won 62 games … which begets the Heat looking, through two games in the Finals like they can turn it on and off whenever they want, which may not win them these Finals but sure makes them look unsolvable for years to come … which begets …
Well, which brings us back to the old familiar reality that the Knicks are owned by James Dolan, and Dolan doesn’t have the slightest idea what he is doing in that role, evidenced by the low-rent, low-class treatment of outgoing team president Donnie Walsh, who only helped make Dolan’s team watchable again, bearable again, professional again.
OK. If Allen’s 3 had bounded off the rim, if the Knicks had won Game 1, there is no guarantee anything that followed would have gone differently. It’s as plausible as anything else to think the only change would have been the Celtics winning the series in five, rather than four.
It’s easy to see flaws in retrospect. And Dolan being Dolan, it’s not only plausible but probable he would have bungled the Walsh situation anyway, because bungling is what he does best. He is a bungling outlier.
But it does make you realize how quickly darkness can descend in sports. Forty-nine days ago today, the Knicks actually gave you a brief injection of hope. Allowed you to dream. Allowed you to wonder, and ponder.
Now they have you rooting for a lockout. What an outfit.
For a daily dose of Vac’s Whacks, click nypost.com.blogs/vaccaro.
WHACK BACK AT VAC
Carlo Cerilli: Just when you think Fred Wilpon has taken the lead, James Dolan reminds you who the worst owner in NYC is. He takes down two teams. Fred only hurts one.
Vac: I picture the Wilpons and the Dolans in a suite somewhere, channeling Eddie Murphy in “48 Hours,” giggling, “Let’s see what we can bleep with next . . .”
Jeff Sanders: I go back to 1962. The Mets drive me crazy! But I will be in Milwaukee next week for all three games. I will be in Cincinnati July 25 for all four games, then I’ll follow the Mets to Washington for all three games.
Vac: I think the Mets — I think all teams, but especially the Mets — have no real idea how deep a connection they have with fans. Whether they deserve it or not.
Ted Forsyth: Since Tom Seaver, there have been three Mets who have been franchise changers: Hernandez, Carter Piazza. Mets fans are an easy group to please and it upsets us that we have an ownership who doesn’t care about history. Little things mean a lot, and getting back to Gary Carter, his number must be retired. Please keep this on the front burner.
Vac: The men who run the Mets are so tone deaf, I wonder if even an outcry will penetrate their arrogance and aloofness. But it’s worth a try.
Andy Romanic: Mike, do you think Fred Wilpon would like his players more if they were named “Duke” Beltran, “Pee Wee” Reyes and “Campy” Wright?
Vac: Yes, Andy. Yes, I do.
VAC’S WHACKS
* Someone asked me on Twitter the other day, when was the last time America fell in line so squarely behind one team as so many have behind the Mavericks? And the only one I can think of is SEAL Team 6.
* I’m not much for tell-alls or as-told-tos, so you will have to believe me when I tell you that “Basketball Junkie,” Chris Herren’s tale of redemption co-authored with the great Bill Reynolds, is as worthwhile a read as you will find this summer.
* By my unofficial estimate, Knicks fans were allowed to enjoy the Heat’s collapse the other night for exactly 11 hours and 53 minutes before Ebenezer Dolan spilled coffee all over their happiness.
* Every time I see Bartolo Colon pitch now, I feel the need to paraphrase Rob Reiner’s mother watching Meg Ryan in “When Harry Met Sally”: “I’ll have what he’s having.”