In a disaster of epic proportions, the Knicks squandered a 17-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 1 and are the first team in NBA playoff history to blow a lead of 14 or more points with 2:45 remaining. Teams were previously 994-0 in the playoffs, but the Knicks’ collapse didn’t come from nowhere.

And what should have been a 1-0 series lead instead landed the Knicks on the wrong side of history. They played 45 minutes of winning basketball — and still became the first team in NBA playoff history to blow a 14-point lead with under 2:50 to play in regulation or overtime.