Discreetly, the Knicks-Cavaliers Sunday matinee was pulled off ABC recently in an unprecedented move.
It was the first time in the network’s 13 years of telecasting Sunday games it has obliterated a basketball window without replacing it with another game, according to industry sources.
In place of the 1 p.m. contest will be Oscar programming, according to a source.
In fact, all of the Knicks’ final five games scheduled for national TV quietly have been pulled — vs. the Cavaliers; at the Lakers (March 12, TNT), which had been announced; at the Suns (March 15, TNT); vs. the Clippers (March 25 , ESPN); and vs. the Nets (April 1, NBATV).
The Knicks (10-44) had 23 national games on their schedule entering the season and 13 were yanked, including the last 10 appearances.
ABC replaced the Knicks-Cavaliers game by announcing a new NBA window of programming — the March 29 contest between the Rockets and Wizards. The Knicks are deemed not fit for national TV any longer — even with LeBron James coming to town and the story line of ex-Knicks castaways J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert invading the Garden for the first time since the January fire sale.
In one of the bigger embarrassments of the season, the Lakers-Knicks game on Super Bowl Sunday was pulled off ESPN for celebrity bowling.
Amar’e Stoudemire’s No. 1 apparently isn’t being retired anytime soon. Newcomer Alexey Shved, still taking his physical, will wear it.
Knicks coach Derek Fisher started disappointing rookie Cleanthony Early at small forward in place of Carmelo Anthony. Early picked up two early fouls and was yanked after three minutes in Friday night’s 111-87 blowout loss to the Heat. He didn’t score until the final two minutes (1-for-7, two points).
“It’s an opportunity that’s right in front of us,’’ Early said. “[Fisher has] me and Lance [Thomas] and he’s going to try both of us out.’’
Early, Phil Jackson’s first draft pick, has played three D-League games and hasn’t been part of Fisher’s rotation all season.
“Hopefully these minutes and having a chance to play more, we’ll see his shoulders start to relax,’’ Fisher said. “In short minutes, it’s been tough for him to find flow and rhythm to his game we know exists. We’re hopeful if he plays through mistakes and has time on the floor — he still will have to earn that — but more than three, four minutes on the floor, he’ll have feel for the NBA game and it allow his game to come out more. We need to continue to evaluate what he can do as the season winds down.’’
Dwyane Wade, who said he had the same surgery as Anthony’s patellar tendon debridement, downplayed it.
“It’s actually the last surgery I had and it wasn’t as bad as any other one,” Wade said. “It’s pretty much a scope, a cleanout. But I think the smart thing to do was shut it down and get healthy. He’ll be back by the time training camp starts, so he’ll be good. This is not one of the bad knee surgeries you have to have.”