Man, it sure didn’t take long for the Rangers to bring New Yorkers back to reality. Leave it to this heartless team to put a damper on an otherwise memorable day for this city as it honored its first champion in eight years. To think that I rushed from a HS basketball game I scored in Park Slope to see that awful display at Seventh and 33rd.

How could the same team which just beat the Flyers, Devils and Canadiens in succession all on the road be the one who looked so lackluster against the hapless Kings? Oh wait. That’s right. The Rangers don’t beat the other conference. They’re now 0-for-8 against the West. I don’t count the brownie point they got either.

We’re strictly talking actual wins. Can this team which was picked by many to go very far do that? They got two more chances. One against the defending Cup champion Ducks Thursday and the other when they host the Sharks on Feb.17. Considering that those are a couple of the best teams in a much deeper conference, who believes Tom Renney’s club will get two points against one of them? Thought so.

If you can’t beat the lowly LA Queens at home, then you don’t deserve to make the postseason. This was just a pathetic effort. There are zero excuses. Especially at this time of year when the Blueshirts can’t afford to mail in games. They have played more than everyone else in the East except for Southeast competitors Carolina and Atlanta. One is most likely taking that division while the other could sneak in along with the Caps. Speaking of which, they won again thanks to Alexander Ovechkin’s league-leading 44th and 45th including the OT winner in a 4-3 road win at Columbus. If the Russian sniper gets that team in without ex-Ranger Michael Nylander, he should be a lock for the Hart Trophy. Bruce Boudreau should also win the Jack Adams if that happens. His lookalike Claude Julien also is a candidate if the Bruins get in despite all their injuries including a season-ending concussion to star Patrice Bergeron.

I just can’t comprehend how the Rangers could come out so flat after such a character building comeback win at Montreal in which they dug out of a 3-0 hole scoring the next five against a quality club who I feel could win the East. You’d think they’d be able to carry that kind of momentum forward in front of their home crowd. Oh but what’s this? They de-proved to 0-4-1 in their last five against the Kings. Are you freaking kidding? What a nightmare.

So the Berkeley Carroll girls varsity game ended a little late. At least they won thanks to an inspired 31-point effort from star player Zoe Cohen. Well, it wasn’t all her. They played like a team and spread the ball around. A foreign concept for the Knicks. I wish I could’ve said the same for the rest of the night. I ran to the car and drove in with my Dad hoping to see the same Blueshirts from Super Bowl Sunday when the Giants made everyone proud stomping on those Patriots. You tell’em Michael Strahan. That’s what they get for holding lame ass pep rallies when they already won three rings. Arrogant, much?

The first bad sign was when the radio guys allowed PA announcer Joe Tolleson to introduce two Giants who were at the game for a ceremonial drop of the puck. You were half expecting it to be Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress. Or maybe even Michael Strahan or possibly unlikely hero David Tyree. So what did we wait for exactly?!?!?!?!

They rolled out the red carpet for right guard Rich Seubert and Grey Ruegamer (pronounced Rooooo by the MSG crowd; no not the phonies who sit on their hands and knees up close getting everything spoonfed to them). What a letdown. I like Seubert but come on. That’s the best they could do? Maybe the Super Bowl champion Giants knew something we all didn’t.

After a nice little tribute and a stirring Star Spangled Banner rendition from the one and only John Amirante (despite Dumb and Dumber Clown Mgt 101 founder Jim Dolan trying his best to replace a Ranger icon), the Rangers responded by getting outshot 14-1. By the time I parked and walked up to my usual 412 seats, it was already:

Kings 2  Rangers 0

Should’ve just turned around right then. What a joke. The Kings do boast some talent such as second-year pivot Anze Kopitar, who later put the game out of reach by burying a one-timer in the slot past Henrik Lundqvist early in the final stanza for his 21st.

You know what’s sad? When I was in the building, the actual score was 2-2. I luckily got to see two Ranger goals including Chris Drury’s latest rebounding home a nifty Nigel Dawes redirect to slice the deficit in half with 2:10 left in the first. 

Of course, they came out and dictated the play in the second generating chance after chance. We’re not talking long perimeter shots either. We’re talking goalmouth scrambles where if a Ranger stick had gotten there, it’s a tie game. They had one solid power play where they had the Kings on their heels but couldn’t bury their opportunities which cameback to haunt them.

Note: When you turn former Wolf Pack goalie Jason LaBarbera into Ken Dryden, you deserve to lose.

In any event, an awful giveaway from Sean Avery led directly to the eventual winner off the stick of Alexander Frolov. All the former King who once dated Elisha Cuthbert had to do was clear the zone. Instead, his halfass attempt resulted in a three-on-one down low and an easy Frolov tap-in sucking the air out of the building.

Who cared if he later atoned for that miscue with a rebound goal for his fifth at 17:26 just teasing us fans some more? Maybe if Avery didn’t commit that kind of glaring mistake while our team was outshooting LA 40-17 the rest of the way including an eye opening 24-10 in the middle stanza, this team might’ve comeback to win this game.

Problem was he was far from the only culprit. Our D was soft as molasses. Hey. That means you Fedor Tyutin, who failed to take out Frolov behind the net allowing his Russian comrade to walk out and setup a cutting Kopitar for the crusher only 81 seconds into the third.

My Dad figured they’d get one and tease us some more before an empty netter. Instead, the Rangers took a couple of undisciplined hooking penalties. One, I saw. The other I never stayed for as I just made the appropriate decision and left.

The ride home was quick and easy.

Final thought: How the hell do you let LaBarbera come back and finish as the game’s First Star with 39 saves?

No wonder this team is so demoralizing. Just call them the anti-Giants cause that’s exactly what they are.

See ya later.