Frustration.

For a while it seemed as if the impossible may have been brewing.The Knicks had only turned the ball over three times and held a one point lead. They had constrained Kobe Bryant to a pedestrian 14 points. Wilson Chandler had 26, David Lee had 21; all signs were pointing to yes for the Knickerbockers.

Then the fourth quarter started.

The defending champion Lakers came out for the final period firing on all cylinders. Kobe Bryant was suddenly Kobe Bryant again. Pau Gasol was getting fed down low and getting to the hole. Before long, LA found themselves on a 20-9 run and lead the Knicks 104-93. Therein lies the difference between a championship basketball team, and a lesser one.

The Knicks hung in with the Lakers basket for basket and maintained a lead of a few points occasionally. They defended Bryant to the best of their ability, which for a long time looked as if it was enough to get a victory. But suddenly the Knicks (17-25) returned to form, turning the basketball over six times in the final period, watching Kobe Bryant regain his touch while scoring 13 in those last twelve minutes, and left with a sour taste in their mouths after a 115-105 defeat. Gasol scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth, a day after Bryant called him out following their 93-87 loss to the Cavs, calling Gasol "too nice" and saying that he needs to stop thinking so much.

The Knicks, who currently are sitting at 10th place in the East, 2.5 games out of a playoff spot, have enough talent to run with the defending champs for three quarters, which is nothing to shake a finger at. David Lee finished with a season-high 31 points and 17 rebounds while earning praise from Kobe Bryant, whom he called "the best player in the world", as Bryant said after Friday night's game that Lee should be an all-star. Wilson Chandler finished the game with 28, and Danilo Gallinari with 20 - shooting 3 of 7 from beyond the arc. But the team as a whole simply didn't have enough fire-power to finish. As the deficit increased while the time on the clock decreased, the New Yorkers just couldn't body up on Gasol down low, and no matter which way you decide to defend Kobe Bryant, if he's feeling it, the ball goes in the basket. While the Knicks attempted to cut the LA lead down as time dwindled in the fourth, they did an exceptional job of getting the ball to Lee, who is sporting an array of new post moves. Chandler also managed to penetrate the Laker defense and get to the basket. But with minimal time remaining, 20 year-old Gallinari got lackadaisical spotting up for three, getting his pocket picked and putting the game on ice for the Lakers.

The Knicks are close, no question; they make you believe, that's for certain. As a fan it's hard not to look to this summer-Free Agency 2010. But realistically, will LeBron James, Amare Stoudamire, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, or Joe Johnson (to name a few), want lock up a multi-year contract with a loser? No. I do believe the Knicks can clinch a playoff berth by the end of the season. President Donnie Walsh may have to make a deal with the interest of this season in mind, however. Will he be able to take his mind off of the summer long enough to entertain this thought though? We will soon find out.