SOMEHOW, it always comes back to Patrick. No matter how much the Knicks change – and Latrell Sprewell and Marcus Camby were tremendous changes for the better last year – it always comes back to Patrick. It’s his team, his scheme, his ball.
Once again at the Garden last night in Game 6 against the Heat, Patrick Ewing was the center of attention in the world’s most famous arena.
The Knicks were facing a win-or-go-home situation after Wednesday’s despicable 87-81 loss at AmericanAirlines, home of the Heat and the clackers, those annoying little gadgets the Heat give to their fans, the kind of giveaway you would expect at a Class A baseball park.
There were no clackers last night at the Garden, only the 343rd consecutive sellout and the fans were praying that the Knicks would find the same fire they had last year when they went to the Finals. This year’s team is going through the motions and that’s why the Knicks trail the Heat, 3-2.
Last year, of course, Ewing was aching along on a strained Achilles so the Knick world did not revolve around him. Now Ewing says he is feeling better than ever for a mummified basketball player. He’s feeling so good that Ewing and Chris Childs got into a little argument in the second quarter of Game 5 because Ewing wanted the ball and Childs preferred that the big man set a screen. He’s feeling so good that Allan Houston managed only 10 shots in that game to Ewing’s 12.
Childs and Ewing haven’t talked to the media the last two days so who knows if they are talking to one another. Earlier this year they got into a little discussion after Childs answered a question about how the rehabbing Ewing looked in practice. Ewing ripped into Childs, telling the point guard not to be telling anybody his business.
Childs responded by saying it was team business, not Ewing business and that Ewing was part of the team.
As you can see, at the age of 37 Ewing is as ornery as he has always been. Considering the Knicks went into last night’s game trailing the Heat, Ewing might be more concerned with team matters. It’s been suggested many times over that the Knicks are a better team when Ewing concentrates on rebounding, defense and taking the right shot when it is available. In Game 5 Ewing had flashbacks to his Georgetown summers with Alonzo Mourning and decided to hoist some 20-foot jumpers.
That’s a bad idea, although the battalion of Ewing kiss-ups in this town would never second guess its hero. For the most part, Jeff Van Gundy has glossed over Ewing’s selfish ways and is quick to jump on anyone who jumps on Ewing. Ewing got Van Gundy his job, twice – remember Patrick didn’t like how Don Nelson was trying to take the focus of the offense away from Ewing and Ewing didn’t like it last year when GM Ernie Grunfeld was phasing out the big man in a power struggle with Van Gundy – so JVG remains Ewing’s puppy dog of a coach.
Even Van Gundy has his limits evidently and said in yesterday’s shootaround that players who want the ball need to go out and find a way to get the ball.
“There’s a million ways to get it,” Van Gundy noted.
When you are seven-foot tall, a great way to get the basketball is to pull down an offensive rebound. Ewing had all of zero offensive rebounds in Game 5. For the series, Ewing owns 10 offensive rebounds, the same number of offensive rebounds Camby owns, although Camby is getting hammered by critics for his rebounding performance. Camby is struggling in the series, but he has 128 minutes of playing time to Ewing’s 180. Both players must do a better job of getting offensive rebounds.
Ewing has one year left on his Knick contract so it’s likely that even if the Knicks lost last night or in Game 7 Sunday in Miami, Ewing will not be traded. But there is the outside chance that if the Knicks falter, Ewing could be dealt away, perhaps to Washington. Mike Jarvis and Ewing go way back and Michael Jordan just may come up with a way to bring Patrick home to Georgetown.
All that, though, is getting ahead of this story. The Knicks needed Ewing to be unselfish last night and they will need the same thing Sunday if they hope to come back from this deficit and move on to the next series.
The Knicks have a way of bouncing back from adversity. Same goes for Ewing. Despite the shattered wrist of two years ago, and last year’s torn Achilles, Ewing has been more durable this year than any Knick fan could have hoped. Maybe he’s been a bit too durable. With that will to survive comes a price. As long as Ewing is wearing No. 33 in blue and orange the Knicks will be his team no matter how many new faces come along. Houston will defer to Ewing. Childs and the rest of the Knicks have to learn to live with Ewing’s demanding ways. It’s his nature, his team, his scheme, his ball.
SOS Knicks. Same old story. The past is present when Patrick’s around.