NEW YORK _ The Madison Square Garden crowd cheered for Kyrie Irving during pregame introductions, and again when he took the ball up the court early in the first quarter.
Then during the third quarter, a loud, albeit brief, "We want Kyrie" chant broke out in the stands.
The recruitment is on.
Now that the Knicks have enough salary-cap room to offer two max contracts to potential free agents this summer, Knicks fans were doing everything they could to make Irving feel at home.
Irving looked plenty comfortable Friday night, scoring 23 points while helping to lead the Boston Celtics to a 113-99 victory over the Knicks, who have now lost 12 straight games and 13 in a row at home.
Damyean Dotson had 22 points for the Knicks, while rookie Kevin Knox scored 21 on 9-for-21 shooting, including 2 of 7 from 3-point range.
The future of the Knicks took on a much different look on Thursday when they traded Kristaps Porzingis, Courtney Lee, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews and two future-first-round picks.
By trading Lee and Hardaway, the Knicks opened up about $70 million in cap space to make a splash this July.
And that shopping spree could include the addition of Irving, although that's far from a certainty at this point.
Although Irving's future is just as cloudy.
At a season-ticket holder event before the season, Irving committed to staying with the Celtics long term.
But that commitment doesn't seem like it's as much of a commitment anymore.
After Boston's shootaround at the Garden Friday morning, Irving left the door open to leave the Celtics. He said when it comes to free agency, he'll do what's best for his career.
When asked if his mindset had shifted about remaining with the Celtics, Irving said, "Ask me July 1."
Irving, who had 10 rebounds and six assists on Friday, grew up in West Orange and has been considered one of the Knicks' top targets this summer. The opportunity to pair him with another star free agent, particularly Kevin Durant, could appeal to Irving enough that he leaves the Celtics and joins the Knicks.
Irving spoke well of the Knicks on Friday.
"I respect the Knicks organization," Irving said. "Obviously they are making moves to position themselves for this upcoming summer. So I wish them the best."
Boston is still the frontrunner to sign Irving considering it has a talented young core that advanced to the Eastern Conference finals last season while Irving was out with an injury. The Celtics have the chance to be a dangerous team in the East for a long time, especially if they manage to land Anthony Davis in a trade this summer.
That optimism is part of what led Irving to say he planned on remaining in Boston.
"I think it was just the excitement," Irving said. "Feeling emotionally invested, coming off an injury last season, trying to prove something. Trying to be very much of a team-oriented player which I am naturally."
Until July, the speculation is going to continue. Signs that could indicate Irving's intentions are going to be picked apart and dissected.
Knicks fans tried to make him feel at home on Friday night. Time will tell whether the Garden will become his actual home.
"Obviously things this season haven't gone as I planned," Irving said. "That's part of being on a team where you're still trying to figure things out. I'm always going to be mature about that, professional, come and do my job every single day and see what happens. That's what it comes down to."
