There are a lot of ways to measure the mess and the murkiness in which the Knicks find themselves. They’ve lost four games in a row after yesterday’s 93-80 loss to the Clippers, and are a game away from taking a collar on this five-game Western Trek.

“There are no moral victories,” J.R. Smith said, stone faced, solemn, sitting on a stool inside Staples Center. “There are no positives.”

“We keep playing like this,” Smith said, “and it’s going to be an early exit from the playoffs.”

via Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post