Playoffs 2000:Ewing sits out games in New York

Ewing sits out games in New York
Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Patrick Ewing pulled himself out of New York's lineup shortly before Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals when he saw he couldn't run on his injured right foot. He hoped to play in Game 4 but didn't.


	Patrick Ewing tried to run before the game but wound up watching from the bench.

Chris Dudley, who had played a total of 10 minutes this postseason before Saturday, started in place of Ewing as the Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers 98-95 to cut their deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

"I tried to run right before the game. I couldn't do it," Ewing said. "I tested it in the locker room. I came with the intention to try to play and that's what I did. I couldn't do it."

Ewing hurt the foot during the first quarter of Thursday's Game 2 and sat out the rest of the way. He sat on New York's bench Saturday, wearing a gray suit.

"Patrick was re-evaluated this morning. He is improving and the soreness is diminishing, but he will not play today," Knicks team doctor Norman Scott said Saturday. "His status is day-to-day for Monday's game."

The teams play again in Indianapolis on Wednesday, and Ewing said he expects to be in uniform after missing the games in New York.

"One of the reasons I didn't go today was to get my ankle, my leg, my foot, whatever it is a couple of days to rest," Ewing said.

"I think I'll be able to play."

Dudley played 25 minutes and hit two free throws in the second half for his only points in Game 3.

The teams have been in this position before. Ewing's 1999 season ended in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, also against Indiana, when his left Achilles tendon gave out. New York won three of the last four games in that series to win it 4-2.

"I think we've been through every scenario with Patrick's injury over the past few years," Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy said before Saturday's tipoff. "We're losing the best player we've had over the last four or five games of the playoffs, but there's going to be no mental effect. ...

"We can't feel sorry for ourselves. We can't have this on our minds."

Van Gundy is used to preparing his team without Ewing, who missed this season's first 20 games while recovering from a partially torn Achilles tendon. The Knicks went 11-9 during that span, and 39-23 the rest of the way, with Ewing in the starting lineup.

Through New York's first 12 playoff games -- an opening-round sweep of the Toronto Raptors, a seven-game defeat of Miami in the second round, and the first two games against Indiana -- Ewing averaged 14.4 points, third on the team, and a team-high 9.5 rebounds.