Knicks guard Elfrid Payton dribbles the ball upcourt during the first half against the Wizards at Madison Square Garden on Monday. Dec. 23, 2019. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
LOS ANGELES — Elfrid Payton was exhausted, late Friday night, the last player left in the Knicks locker room after a long day in which he became a father for the first time. He had flown cross-country to join his teammates and played in a disappointing loss to the Phoenix Suns.
But all he could think of as he sat at his locker was the math. Out loud he started figuring out numbers — the Knicks record, what it would have been if they could have held on for a victory and what it was now, and most important, how far out of the playoff picture the team was now.