Surging Raptors Beat Knicks in Garden Matinee

The playoffs are no longer an option for the New York Knicks, but winning remains the No. 1 priority for the final six games of the season.

With Saturday afternoon’s 102-95 loss to the visiting Toronto Raptors, the Knicks have been officially eliminated from playoff contention. Now, New York will finish the season playing for pride while the coaching staff continues to evaluate the talent.

“We need to take these next six games as building blocks for next year,” said Al Harrington, whose 22 points on Saturday weren’t enough to momentarily keep the Knicks’ postseason hopes alive.

As the Knicks begin playing for next season, Head Coach Mike D’Antoni says he plans on using the same eight- or nine-man rotation to win as many games as possible this season. The players also plan on battling to the end in hopes of improving on their 29-47 record entering the offseason.

The Knicks visit Toronto Sunday evening in the second game of the home-and-home set.

“These guys should be playing for pride because this is a team that won like 20-something games (last season) and we have a chance to win 30-plus,” Harrington said.

The Knicks have lost four in a row and 11 of their last 12 after moving within a half-game of the eighth and final playoff spot just a few weeks ago. Their first-year coach believes this could have been the year to end a four-year postseason drought.

"I don't know, I was pretty disappointed that we didn't do it to be honest with you," D'Antoni said. "I just thought too many games would come down to where we could take control of it, 15 or 16 games less than five points, and we just never came up with the big play or the big stops and tonight was just another night."

After leading by as many as 12 in the first half, the Knicks watched the Raptors chip away at the deficit before building their own double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. The Knicks would make it a four-point game with 27 seconds left, but Toronto sealed its sixth straight win with free throws.

Chris Duhon had 22 points and five assists, while Quentin Richards added 13 points and six rebounds off the bench. David Lee finished shy of a double-double with 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

"Once you get a feel of being in the playoffs and playing in the playoff games, that's a feeling that you strive to continue to have," said Duhon, who played in the playoffs with Chicago. "I just think these guys deserve it. They need to deserve to understand the different level. You've got to play a different way, so the intensity is higher. It's a lot of fun playing in the playoffs."