Fans applaud Knicks' playoff return

The game and series were lost. The season was over. The building itself was about to be taken apart and reshaped over the coming months.

Before they departed, though, the Knicks took one last look around as the clock wound down yesterday and beheld a sight that, well, let's just say it's not something you see every day in New York sports.

Or anywhere else.

It was the Garden crowd, rising for a standing ovation even as the Knicks fell to the hated Celtics, 101-89, completing a first-round playoff sweep that left them still winless in the postseason since 2001.

Coach Mike D'Antoni said he noticed, and appreciated it.

"They were in a difficult situation, have been all year,'' he said, referring to his players. "They showed a lot of class and a lot of character. The fans did the same thing.''

Said Carmelo Anthony, "We've given them something they can look forward to.''

Unlike the crowd that justifiably booed the Knicks during a Game 3 blowout, this group was wowed by an undermanned unit that cut a 23-point deficit to four -- with a lineup that included Anthony Carter, Roger Mason Jr. and Shawne Williams. "We scrapped and we fought,'' said Williams, who appeared on the verge of getting the Knicks within 91-88 with a potential three-point play with 5:07 left, only to have it waved off on an offensive foul.

"I was surprised," he said. "We were fighting with everything we had left in our tank. For it to go the other way, it depletes you a little bit.''

So the Knicks at last -- and at least -- gave their home audience a postseason thrill, which for now will have to suffice in the absence of an actual postseason victory. But as classy as the fans were in saying goodbye, everyone in uniform and in the front office knew full well there was an unspoken message behind that thoughtful applause:

Don't expect this again next spring, or any spring in the near future.

The Knicks spent three seasons getting to this point, first bringing in Amar'e Stoudemire, then adding Anthony and greater expectations.

The fact that Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups were not physically sound in the first round turned the notion of playoff series upset from unlikely to impossible, easing the pain. But none of that will matter going forward. The Knicks have to win -- now. Having a renovated arena that comes with steeply higher ticket prices will only increase the pressure.

They were not bashful after the game in saying they would -- and should -- produce.

"The sky is the limit,'' Anthony said. "We have a long, long way to go. But some happy times are ahead of us.''

Anthony and Stoudemire, who played a game-high 44:24 despite a strained back, showed flashes of what they can become together when they grow more used to one another. But adding additional talent is essential.

"They're a better team,'' D'Antoni said of the Celtics. "We have to get to that level.''

Team president Donnie Walsh and D'Antoni said they learned important things about several of their players in the crucible of a playoff series.

Might it have lasted longer given better health and better luck? Perhaps. But afterward, the Knicks were determined to focus on the bigger, brighter picture -- one in which no one applauds losses. "We wanted to do more, but the 'Knicks are Back' statement is definitely true,'' Stoudemire said. "I think the league knows it now.''

The Dolan family owns controlling interest in the Knicks, MSG and Cablevision. Cablevision owns Newsday.