The Garden held a 70th birthday party for Walt Frazier on Friday, a night when the woebegone Knicks closed in on a franchise-record 60th loss.
In losing 96-92 to the Celtics, the Knicks notched their 59th loss to tie the franchise record for most defeats in a season.
Saturday in Chicago, the Knicks are primed to set the franchise record by becoming the first 60-loss Knicks squad. Sixty losses for the $60 million president, Phil Jackson.
Happy 70th to Walt, who has called nearly all of those losses for MSG Network.
With nine games to play, the Knicks (14-59) squandered an early five-point lead and saw Boston out-attempt them from the free-throw line, 43-14. The Knicks closed to within 92-88 with 25.9 seconds left on Langston Galloway’s 3-pointer, but got no closer.
The Knicks have posted three 23-59 seasons, but technically their worst season percentage-wise came in 1962-63, when they were 21-59.
Mike Breen, Frazier’s partner, wore an ugly loud blue suit to honor the flashy Clyde, but it wasn’t any uglier than this season.
“We got to keep our head up and not think about the record,’’ Andrea Bargnani said. “It’s about pride.’’
The “Four Tops’’ sang the birthday song to Frazier during a stoppage in the first quarter as Jackson, Frazier’s rookie roommate, and former Knick legends Dick Barnett and Earl Monroe took the court to pay homage.
The Celtics, who were banking on a lottery pick, can’t help themselves as they stayed in control of the eighth playoff seed in the Eastern Conference because of the brilliant coaching of former Butler master Brad Stevens. General manager Danny Ainge gave away Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green to prepare for a lottery that may not come.
Before the game, Knicks coach Derek Fisher noted the futility records to come, saying: “I think it’s always I guess eye-opening when you look at the box score after the game, the game notes, and you see the wins and losses. As a coach it’ll be on my résumé or record per se, but I don’t think for the players it should be a concern at all in terms of who they are as young men and who they’re trying to become as players. And so they shouldn’t carry the burden of what the franchise has done over the last 40 years when most of them weren’t even born. It’s really just about their maturity and their growth in the game. Hopefully however many of the guys are back here next year and look back on this year as a difficult learning experience, but be better for it.’’