He has come out of the sky before, two hands rising to the Garden rafters to put back a John Starks miss, a tip-in that six years ago sent the Pacers home and the Knicks to the NBA Finals. He soared on younger legs back then. Last night, Patrick Ewing flew again, ignoring what time and age have done to him.
Ewing at 37 went up for a play and a shot that seemed frozen in time. There was 1:57 remaining and the magnificent comeback the Knicks were fashioning was not quite complete. They trailed 70-66 and close wasn’t good enough, and what also wasn’t good enough was a spinning Chris Childs jump shot that bounced off the rim. Suddenly, as if recalling a highlight from his past, Ewing appeared from the left side, rising to the basket, slipping past Alonzo Mourning, his younger and stronger adversary.
The ball did not get far off the rim, as Ewing leaped into the air and stuffed the ball back through the basket with a mighty and perfectly timed wave of his left arm. It was a stunning play and it helped carry the Knicks all the way home, to an improbable 72-70 victory over the stunned and demoralized Heat.
“Alonzo went to help, gave me a little lane to get to the rim and I just was able to get my left hand on it and dunk it back in,” Ewing said.
Ewing is never especially eloquent when it comes to explaining his heroics, but others knew what the former All Star center had provided. “Young legs,” Childs said admiringly. “Young legs for a true warrior. He wanted that basket.”
There was plenty of want-to in Ewing, as he again showed he can hang with Mourning, who is supposed to be able to dominate his old friend. It didn’t happen in a huge Game 6 showdown, with the Knicks needing to stop a Miami rebounding barrage. Ewing answered the call. On a night when he did not find a good shooting rhythm, he still contributed 15 points and a massive 18 rebounds. Mourning was solid with 22 points and 10 rebounds, but down the stretch, Ewing had the answers.
With 3:21 left, Ewing took a pass from Latrell Sprewell and nailed a jumper to pull the Knicks to 66-64. After his incredible tip-dunk, Ewing made the defensive play of the night. Tied at 70, Bruce Bowen looked to dump the ball inside to Mourning, but an alert Ewing read the play, reached around and deflected the ball away from Mourning for a key steal, setting up the final possession that led to Allan Houston’s winning free throws.
“He’s doing the little things that a lot of people who don’t know the game overlook,” Kurt Thomas said. “He was huge for us.”
Afterward, Ewing seemed a bit drained after putting in 42 hard minutes. “We showed a lot of heart, a lot of courage,” he said. “We could have easily given up but we fought and chipped away at the lead. We could be on vacation right now, but there still is life in us.”
Someone asked Ewing if the job was nearly done. “This,” Ewing stated, “is only the beginning.”