"Carmelo Anthony says he can't tolerate being "punked" on the basketball court, and as a result, the Knicks' small forward — on the eve of facing his former teammates — was ejected with 93 seconds to play.

The fans, who apparently also don't like being "punked" by the home team, began exiting with about seven minutes left in the Knicks' dreadful 100-86 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks Friday night at the Garden. They had spent most of the night chanting everything from "Fire D'Antoni" to "Phil Jackson" to "Let's go Giants." This is what happens when fans are bored and frustrated, and this is what the Knicks specialize in doing to their paying customers.

"Tonight," Anthony said after receiving treatment on his wrist and back for one hour, "frustration set in. Especially with me."

Anthony picked up his second technical late in the fourth quarter after trading words with Brandon Jennings, who victimized the Knicks yet again with 36 points. Jennings, you may remember, was passed over by the Knicks in the draft for Jordan Hill. For most of the night, Anthony battled wrist pain, bad aim and Carlos Delfino, a feisty player who refused to back down.

"I don't like to be punked and I think that's where the frustration set in," Anthony said. "It started trickling down. Maybe it was my fault that the frustration set in. I apologize to my teammates for that. I don't like being in situations like that. I don't know how to handle punked situations too well.""