Patrick Ewing doesn’t know if he’ll be able to contribute to the Knicks in the playoffs, provided the Knicks don’t fall apart in the last three games.
The Knicks moved a game-and-a-half ahead of Charlotte for the final spot with their 85-70 victory over the Sixers Thursday night at the Garden, their fourth win in five games. Ewing played only 21 minutes in that game and had to pull himself out in the second half because his aching Achilles put him in too much pain.
When asked how he would be able to handle the difficult workload of the playoffs, Ewing said, “I really don’t know. I was hoping that my leg would have been a lot better by now, but that’s not the case. I’m just going to play it by ear.”
The Knicks are 6-5 without Ewing. What’s it going to take for Ewing to play tomorrow in Indianapolis?
“My foot to feel good,” he said.
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Here we go again. The last time the Knicks played the Pacers, Marcus Camby did not play. That decision was officially lasted as a DNP-coach’s decision, but at the time, Camby was suffering from a strained groin.
Before that game he said he wanted to play, but Jeff Van Gundy, on the advice of trainer Mike Saunders, elected not to strain Camby further.
Camby’s most infamous DNP-coach’s decision came in Miami on March 2 when he was not allowed to play. In the next Miami meeting, last Sunday, Camby proved to be the difference, scoring nine-fourth quarter points as the Knicks came away with a stunning 82-80 win over the Heat.
“I’m looking forward to playing this game because last time I didn’t play out there,” Camby said of the Pacer matchup.
Camby is hoping to be able to duplicate his Miami effort, though he has a sore right shoulder.
You just know that the Heat don’t want any part of the Knicks even though they appear to be likely first-round matchups.
The MRI on Chris Child’s right knee showed no significant damage. The injury is described as a contusion and Childs is listed as day-to-day. The team was off yesterday and will go through a short workout today before flying to Indianapolis.
Van Gundy will not be fined by the NBA for his critical comments of referee George Toliver.