I Need a Vacation

The Knicks go into the All-Star break as only they can.

Good morning. Pass the Whispering Angel. Vacation starts now.

Game 54: Knicks 149, Hawks 148 (OT)

• I’m too spent for bullet points. Recapping the highest scoring game in the NBA this season would take a novella.

If ever a single basketball game was a Rorschach test for an entire season, we saw it last night at Madison Square Garden.

Regardless of what thoughts, hopes, dreams and fears you had about the Knicks going into this game, they bore themselves out over the course of 53 minutes, because 48 certainly wasn’t enough.

If you went into last night believing that the Knicks were a true blue contender, not because they’re able to run roughshod over every opponent, but because they’ve finally figured out ways to win tight games, this game backed you up.

If you went into last night believing that the Knicks were frauds, destined to fail in the biggest moments because they don’t have an adequate defensive backbone and haven’t yet acquired the poise under pressure that a title contender needs, this game backed you up.

If you went into last night believing that Karl-Anthony Towns is the most gifted offensive force to ever don a Knick uniform, and there is no ceiling to how good he can be with the ball in his hands, this game backed you up.

If you went into last night believing that no team employing Karl-Anthony Towns will ever win it all because his deficiencies are just too glaring and they come out at the most inopportune times, this game backed you up.

If you went into last night believing that a win on the second night of a back to back against a feisty Hawks team, no matter how they came by it, would be a fantastic sign entering the All-Star break, this game backed you up.

If you went into last night troubled by New York’s inability to put teams away when they have them down, this game backed you up.

If you thought this team had championship mettle before last night, this game backed you up.

If you thought they had a long way to go before acquiring that rarest of sports commodities, this game backed you up.

If you had your doubts, this game backed you up.

If you’re a believer, this game backed you up.

Truly, there are no wrong answers after an inexplicable and occasionally maddening win that yielded more relief than joy.