The Knicks lost to the Celtics Tuesday, 108-97, just two days after thumping the Lakers. What did you expect? Back-to-back victories over NBA royalty?

OK, maybe thats a wistful, throwback, 80s kind of viewpoint. Todays standings amount to a cruel joke played on all NBA fans of a certain age. This aint your daddys big-market league, and these certainly arent your daddys Knicks or Celtics. What kind of weird world is this, in which Atlanta, Toronto, Portland, San Antonio, Memphis and Oakland command respect? Not a good one, unless youre one of those parity freaks.

The loss to Boston snapped a four-game Garden streak, but then losses are victories now, as long as were counting lottery Ping-Pong balls a worthwhile pastime that the Knicks foolishly had abandoned in recent weeks. They thankfully resorted to bad habits against Boston, falling behind early. Carmelo Anthonys knees looked very sore for much of the evening.

We didnt start the game with a purpose and an energy, and the Celtics did, Derek Fisher said. We never really could get the game back under control.

Or, as Anthony put it, We seemed dead out there.

Just another dreary day at the office. If you scripted the worst season possible for an NBA team, it would surely resemble this campaign of 2014-15:

Start with high expectations, due to the arrival of a high-paid, luminary executive, a well-hyped offensive system and the healthy return of a superstar scorer. Then commence with one gigantic losing streak after another, eliminating the team from any remote chance of a playoff spot, demoralizing athletes, coaches and spectators alike.

Next, dump some players, sign a bunch of 10-day-contract guys to fill the roster and retain the cap space. And then, just when it seems that a top draft pick is inevitable, begin to win some meaningless games against weak opponents while utilizing players who surely will not be playing major roles next season. The recent string of wins against bum-of-the-night opponents had served to propel the Knicks above the Sixers and Timberwolves, threatening to lower the Knicks chances of getting Jahlil Okafor.

So there is really no reason to celebrate much of anything. And yet, the fans came again to the Garden. They always do. It is to the great credit, or shame, of this citys loyal, curious spectator base. The Ranger fans are loyal. The Knick fans are curious, though it is hard to imagine what mystery they see in this squad.

Phil Jackson basically declared the season dead last month during one of his rare press conferences, then repeated his funereal speech recently to the New York Times.

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The spandex-clad Johnny JamBoogie wont be seen leading any aerobics classes for a while. WithBrowns quarterback Johnny Manziel recently checking himself into a rehab facility, the folks at Mars, parent company of Snickers, have decided to pull that ad.

The news comes on the same daythat Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon was given at least a one-year suspension by the NFL for repeated substance-abuse violations. ESPNs Darren Rovellposteda tweet Tuesday afternoon which included this quote from a Mars spokesman:

The decision to seek treatment is an important personal choice, and we would like to respect Johnnys privacy during this time.

As always planned, we currently are running the brand new Youre not You When Youre Hungry spot that aired during Super Bowl XLIX.

After falling in the NFL draft before being takenby the Browns with the 22nd overall selection, Manziel hada rockyfirst year in the NFL. He received almost no playing time behind starting quarterback Brian Hoyer until the teams 12th game, when Manziel led a touchdown drive against the Bills.

RELATED: Browns can no longer count on Manziel, Gordon

Manziel finally got a start in Clevelands 14th game, but he performed dreadfully against the Bengals, completing 10 of 18 passes for 80 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions, adding just 13 yards on five rushes. In the next game, versus the Panthers, Manziel was just 3 of 8 for 32 yards before injuring his hamstring.

That injury ended his season, but Manziel got himself suspended for the Browns final game after he missed a treatment session for his hamstring. The quarterback adamantly denied reports that he had thrown a party the night before andwas hung over, but he did acknowledge that he needed to stop looking like a jackass.

Either Im going to learn or Im going to be finding something else to do, Manziel added, but it wasnt long before he was back to making news for his late-night habits. In one January instance, the quarterback reportedly had drinks thrown at him at a Houston nightclub.

Manziel has made severalcomments about the need to get his act together, but his decision to go intorehab serves as the first concrete sign that the former Heisman Trophy winner is actually attempting to do that. He has much bigger problems than whether or not his Snickers commercial continues to see airtime.

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With Johnny Manziel in rehab, Snickers pulls Johnny JamBoogie ads