Garden party's over

Madison Square Garden image-makers bill the building as "the world's most famous arena," so I'm guessing you've heard of it. The Garden is that giant concrete pod on the West Side of Manhattan, a long three-pointer south of Hell's Kitchen and a slap shot north of the meatpacking district and, brother, you sure can have a pretty good time in there. Pros play basketball and hockey and tennis in the Garden. It's the home of the nation's best indoor track meet (Millrose Games) and woolliest dog show (Westminster). When people like *NSYNC or Ralph Nader swing through New York, they play the Garden and shout out "Hello New Yawk!"

Every spring for more than a quarter century -- since the Carter administration -- Madison Square Garden has packed 'em in for either Rangers playoff hockey or Knicks playoff basketball or, most often, both. Players on either team will tell you there's nothing like it. It's not so much the history in the rafters (plenty of arenas have that), it's being the center of attention in a city that is itself the center of attention. It's playing in front of raucous fans who know their sports, fans who, whether they're swearing at you or cheering for you, always let you know exactly what they think. The booing can get bad at the Garden, but when things go well the fan music is sweeter than anywhere else.

This year nobody's going to hear a thing. Come playoff time next month Madison Square Garden will spend most nights alone. If you want suspense at the Garden this April you'd better get there before the high-wire acts of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus caravans out of town. Postseason sports tension will have to wait 'til next year.

After the Rangers squandered a late 2-1 lead and lost to the Islanders on Monday night, star defenseman Brian Leetch declared, "We're still in it." Hah! The Rangers may be mathematically alive, but any Garden rat will give you 2-to-1 on beers at Charley O's that the Rangers skate off into the summer without playing a postseason game for the fifth straight season. The Rangers trail both the Capitals and the Canadiens in the chase for the Eastern Conference's last playoff spot. They've lost six of their last seven games. Of the Rangers' eight remaining matches, five are against either the Bruins, the Flyers or the Maple Leafs -- the three best teams in the East. Their goalie, Mike Richter, is recovering from a hairline skull fracture.

The Knicks have been out of the playoff race for many weeks now. Tuesday's home loss to the Nuggets -- yup, the NUGGETS! -- was significant, mainly because the Knicks blew a 19-point lead, fell to 26-43 and officially desensitized their fans to further agony. Things cannot get worse in Knick land. How do you like Van Gundy now?

Of course, the twin misfortunes of the Rangers and Knicks have delighted many people across the nation. No teams are more hated in their respective sports. People resent the money and the limelight and the hubris. They hate the Knicks for their swagger. They hate that Rangers general manager Glen Sather could swing a deadline deal for Pavel Bure last week primarily because the Rangers have the budget to take on Bure's $10 million annual salary while most teams do not.

The Bure deal was a desperate attempt to revive the Rangers' playoff chances, and Sather felt pressured to make it both because of his team's failings and those of the Knicks. The executives who oversee the Garden couldn't bear the prospect of so many dark nights ahead. It's not just proximity that links the Rangers and Knicks. Each team can look into a mirror and see the other: They've both spent money foolishly, played poorly, and gotten exactly the lousy results they deserve.

Don't cry for New York sports fans. The nearby Nets lead the NBA's Eastern Conference. The Devils and Islanders are playoff bound. The Mets and Yankees are about to open the baseball season as playoff favorites. For a region, these are heady times. For a building and its inhabitants, though, these are not.

At times, the Rangers and Knicks have conspired to make Madison Square Garden the most dynamic place in the sporting world -- just think back to the spring of 1994. Today, however, they've conspired to turn off the Garden lights way too soon.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Kostya Kennedy takes sides every Tuesday at CNNSI.com.

 

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