By Michael Ventura
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — The Knicks ended their franchise-record ninth straight losing season Wednesday night with 131-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors, a fitting end to another season during the worst stretch in franchise history.
So now the weary eyes of Knick fans turn to Cleveland and begin to watch the clock ticking down to July 1, when Cavaliers superstar LeBron James will become a free agent.
DNAinfo posted a countdown clock Knick fans can embed on their own Web pages to track James' impending free agency.
The Knicks have spent the last two dismal seasons clearing more than $30 million in salary cap room to land two top-level players, with James at the head of the list, this offseason.
“That’s what it’s kind of set up for and that’s what we’re looking for and if it works, we’ll be the happiest people in the world," Coach Mike D'Antoni told the New York Times. "If not, c’est la vie.”
In Toronto, the Knicks were outmatched by the Raptors even without star player Chris Bosh, out with a facial injury. Bosh is also on the Knicks wish list.
Forward David Lee, who may have played his last game in a Knicks uniform Wednesday night, had 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Former superstar Tracy McGrady, who the Knicks acquired in a midseason trade, said he may retire after he was nagged in recent weeks by chronic knee pain.
"It's been two years of just trying to put my body back together and get it where I need to be," McGrady told the Daily News. "It's a very important summer for me. If it don't happen this summer we're riding off into the sunset, baby."
D'Antoni was asked by reporters if he expected closer scrutiny from fans and the press after he brought in star talent, implying his last two seasons at Madison Square Garden had been a honeymoon.
“This is the honeymoon?" he said, the Times reported. "I shouldn’t have gotten married.”
