KNICK NOTES

For the last two years, Latrell Sprewell has gotten up for Golden State games like no other. But now, with nobody left from the Warriors club for which Spree played six seasons, except GM Gerry St. Jean, the thrill of beating them is mostly gone.

Sure, he wants to win but it’s not with the same passion as it was.

“Not really, not as much as it did two years,” said Sprewell, who was 4-0 against the Warriors since his ugly departure when the teams battled last night.

Sprewell still has a hefty lawsuit against Golden State and the league in appeals court that was resurrected in September by a judge’s ruling. Sprewell is suing for his lost salary – some $5 million – stemming from his season-ending suspension in 1998.

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Following the loss in Indiana Friday, though he named no names, Jeff Van Gundy indicated his two stars don’t play with the same spark when the team is ahead by a big margin. Sprewell and Allan Houston were brilliant in the first half in Indiana as the Knicks built a 20-point bulge before they lost their edge in the second half.

“Unfortunately, our main guys’ personality when we get a lead is, we don’t play as well as we’re capable of,” Van Gundy said.

Spree, though, wasn’t buying the theory he and Houston taper off with a big lead. “I wouldn’t necessarily say so,” said Sprewell, who scored a team-high 18 points. “It’s just Jeff’s opinion. If that’s the case, that’s the case.”

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Only smiles from Knick faces after the game when they saw ex-Knick Rick Brunson waiting for them in the hallway outside the locker room. Brunson was in Indiana with his new Blazers team which played the Pacers last night at Conseco Field House. Brunson was the third-string point guard for the Knicks – and Sprewell’s and Marcus Camby’s best friend – for three years. His stint ended when the Knicks acquired Howard Eisley in August.