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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Another unexpected confluence of Patrick Ewing, an injury and a Game 2 in Indiana left the Pacers holding a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
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Ewing day-to-day;
tendon not torn
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An MRI on Friday revealed that center Patrick Ewing does not have a tear in the tendon in his right foot, the Knicks said.
Ewing's status is day-to-day, the Knicks said, and his availability for Game 3 of the Eastern
Conference finals will be a game-time decision. Ewing's injury has been identified as acute peroneal tendinitis.
Ewing, dressed in practice gear, did not comment Friday as he
walked into the Knicks' gym. He had an MRI in the morning at a New
York hospital.
The Knicks host the Pacers in Game 3 of the best-of-seven conference finals on Saturday afternoon. Indiana leads the series 2-0.
-- ESPN.com news services/AP
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Ewing strained a foot tendon in the first quarter and did not
return Thursday night, marking the third straight season an injury
has kept him out of part of a Pacers-Knicks series.
New York did OK without him until the end when Dale Davis
rebounded his own missed free throw and fed Jalen Rose for a dunk
with 2.4 seconds left, wrapping up Indiana's 88-84 victory.
"When Patrick went out, my first thought was, 'Here we go
again,"' Rose said. "When he went out it gave them a dose of
enthusiasm, and they played well without him."
Not well enough, though, and never was Ewing missed as much as
he was on the final play.
Davis had a chance to lock up the victory but missed two free
throws with 5.8 seconds left. Charging in from the foul line, he
only had to get past point guard Charlie Ward for the rebound.
Davis grabbed it and found Rose wide open for an emphatic slam that
sealed the game.
"Those were about the two biggest misses I think I ever have
had," Davis said. "I saw I had an opportunity -- they had two
little guys down there. I had a chance to grab the long rebound, I
took a shot at it and got it."
Rose led the Pacers with 24 points, Reggie Miller had 19 for the second straight game and Rik Smits scored 10 of his 12 in the
fourth quarter -- long after Ewing was gone. Dale Davis grabbed 16
rebounds for the Pacers, who trailed for much of the game but
scored the final six points to win it.
|  | | Reggie Miller contributed 19 points, but only hit six of his 15 shots. |
"I really felt we were lucky tonight," Pacers coach Larry Bird
said. "We're very fortunate. I really felt they outplayed us. We
just got lucky at the end. The ball went our way."
Ewing injured his foot with just under six minutes remaining in
the first quarter after going against Davis in the low post. He sat
on the bench with his foot wrapped in ice for a few minutes before
walking to the locker room with two team doctors.
The news from the locker room came quickly and was not good.
Ewing had what the team called a sprained peroneal tendon in his
right foot and would not return. Ewing will undergo an MRI exam
Friday.
Ewing played his final game of the 1999 season in Indianapolis,
suffering a partial tear of his left Achilles tendon in Game 2 of
the conference finals. The Knicks went on to win that series 4-2.
A year earlier, Ewing made a surprise return from a broken wrist
in Game 2 of the second round in Indianapolis, but New York lost
the series 4-1.
"Last year we somewhat let our guard down when he went out for
the series, and (Latrell) Sprewell and (Allan) Houston killed us,"
Miller said. "So far we've done a good job of keeping those two in
check, but we're going to their house, they're going to get the
calls and that makes it all that tougher."
Larry Johnson (25 points, seven rebounds) and Kurt Thomas (10
points, eight rebounds) had strong games in Ewing's absence, but
New York couldn't make the plays it needed down the stretch.
Marcus Camby drew a flagrant foul with 7:05 left for shoving Miller in the back, but Miller -- a 92 percent foul shooter -- missed
one of two. Camby stole the ball on the ensuing possession to keep New York ahead 73-71.
Thomas helped keep New York ahead despite playing with five
fouls, scoring on consecutive possessions and grabbing several big
rebounds on both ends. Indiana tied it, though, with 3:01 left when
Smits picked up a loose ball, dunked and was fouled for a
three-point play that made it 80-80.
Houston hit a jumper, Miller made a layup and Thomas and Rose
exchanged jumpers to make it 84-84 with 55 seconds left.
Houston missed a bank shot and Miller was fouled with 28 seconds
left, making both for an 86-84 lead. The Knicks then isolated
Sprewell and managed to get him matched one-on-one against the
6-foot Travis Best, but Sprewell's turnaround was long.
"We got what we wanted. The play worked perfectly -- everything
but the shot," Sprewell said.
After Rose's dunk clinched it, Sprewell slammed the ball off the
court in frustration to run out the clock.
Now, the Knicks have a 2-0 deficit to deal with and don't know
if Ewing will be able to return at full strength -- or if he'll
return at all.
Ewing's latest injury was not related to a problem he had in
Game 1 on Tuesday night, Knicks spokeswoman Lori Hamamoto said.
Ewing had plantar fasciatis, an inflammation of tissue in the sole
of the foot.
"It's ironic because it's Game 2 I got hurt in last year,"
Ewing said. "Hopefully it won't be the case I'll have to sit out
the whole series."
Needing someone to fill the void, the Knicks got it from Johnson
in the second quarter. Often guarded by Austin Croshere, Johnson
repeatedly got the better of the matchup and scored eight points in
the period. Chris Childs added seven points to help New York to a
43-42 halftime lead.
Miller scored eight points in the third quarter to keep it
close, but New York ended the quarter with an 8-2 run for a 66-61
lead entering the fourth.
One of the big differences from Game 1 was the lack of early
production from Smits. After scoring 10 points in the first 3{
minutes Tuesday night, he missed his first four field goal attempts
and two foul shots in the first 4:11.
Ewing left for good with 5:29 remaining, and the score was tied
22-22 after one.
Game notes
A contingent of New York fans, standing out with orange
Knicks caps on their heads and orange towels draped on their
shoulders, secured tickets in the second and third row across from
the Pacers' bench. Many of them were on their feet through out the
game, annoying the fans sitting behind them. "I know scalping is
legal in Indiana, but that's a crying shame that those
season-ticket holders sold their tickets," said Miller, who
taunted those fans after the game. "That would never happen in the
Garden. It should never happen here." ... Rose played 48 minutes,
the first time a Pacer has ever played an entire playoff game
without a rest. ... Croshere, the unlikely hero of Game 1 with 22
points, finished 0-for-8 from the field. Ward was 0-for-5 for New
York.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
New York Clubhouse
Indiana Clubhouse
Ewing leaves Game 2 with sprained foot
Bird: Pacers got 'lucky' in Game 2
New York vs. Indiana
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Larry Bird feels fortunate to be ahead in the series.
wav: 123 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jeff Van Gundy felt the Knicks didn't execute in the end.
wav: 82 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Patrick Ewing thought the opportunities to win were there.
wav: 117 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jalen Rose discusses the change in strategy once Ewing went down.
wav: 115 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith recaps Knicks vs. Pacers on Tony Kornheiser Show.
wav: 707 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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