Marc Berman of the New York Post reports that for the first time in 15 years it could all become official tonight.  The New York Knicks are in the lottery. A Knicks' loss to Charlotte coupled with an Indiana victory over Boston will mathematically eliminate the franchise with the league's highest payroll from playoff contention.

And out come the what if?s? ?What if?" What if Marcus Camby was healthy? What if they had won just half of the 15 games they held double-digit leads and blew? What if Jeff Van Gundy resigned in the summer, giving Don Chaney a training camp?? writes Berman.

"It would've made a huge difference because players wouldn't be adjusting still," Chaney said. "But it's hard to look back. One advantage to training camp is everyone's on the same page. Nobody's shocked about the transition."

Lattrell Sprewell thought that if the Knicks did miss the playoffs, they would at least be in contention right up until the very end.

"I never imagined this," Spree said yesterday. "I was hoping for the best back then, but I was honestly assessing our situation."