Playoffs 2000:Are the Knicks a better team without Ewing?

Are the Knicks a better team without Ewing?
Associated Press

NEW YORK -- The New York Knicks continue to fare better against the Indiana Pacers without Patrick Ewing than they do with him.

And talk of that statistic continues to rankle Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy.

"You know, what makes me laugh about that number now is how the media can manipulate. He played seven minutes in the last game at Indiana, but we count that as 'with him.' That makes that number look a little better," Van Gundy steamed Monday after New York beat Indiana 91-89 to even the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals 2-2.

"Plus, he's never played a home game in that stretch. That makes it look a little better, too. I always like how that gets manipulated."

Asked again after practice Tuesday, Van Gundy would barely discuss it.

"I've done that enough," he said. "I'll let the foolish remain foolish and not even try to educate them."

Regardless of how Van Gundy prefers to look at the numbers, they are telling. After winning Saturday and Monday at Madison Square Garden while Ewing cheered from the bench in a suit, the Knicks are 5-1 without Ewing and only 1-3 with the center in playoff games against Indiana the past two seasons.

"Look at the percentage with or without him," said Indiana center Rik Smits, who had 21 points in the first half of Game 3, but totaled 17 over the next six quarters. "I hope he comes back."

Allan Houston doesn't agree that the Knicks are better without their veteran center.

"I don't think it's fair to Patrick," Houston said. "When you think of the Knicks, the first name you think of is Patrick Ewing. It's not fair to Patrick to have to see that and hear that. If we win the championship, Patrick has to be there."

Ewing's wasn't the only injury that affected New York on Monday. Latrell Sprewell (12 points) didn't play particularly well with a broken bone in his left foot, while Marcus Camby (five points in 18 minutes) was limited after spraining his right knee in Saturday's game.

Without the sometimes-lumbering Ewing in the lineup, New York looked like a Western Conference team in the first half of Game 4, running whenever possible and scoring a series of easy baskets in transition en route to a 57-40 lead at the break.

"In Game 1, Patrick was there, and I still got to the basket. That's not what's preventing us from attacking," Sprewell said. "I think we have the luxury of having Patrick there sometimes, so we're a little lazy and not as aggressive because we have him to dump the ball to."

The Knicks slowed in the second half of Game 4 and saw the Pacers get as close as one point, but held on thanks largely to stellar showings by Larry Johnson (25 points) and Charlie Ward (16 points, seven assists, six rebounds).

"By no means, even if they are shorthanded, is anything going to come easy. They wouldn't have come this far," Indiana's Reggie Miller said of the Knicks. "This is the team that went on to the NBA Finals, that knocked us out last year. And they were shorthanded then, too."

Last season ended for Ewing in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against Indiana, when his left Achilles' tendon gave out. New York won three of the next four games to win the series 4-2.

On Monday, Ewing was cleared to play by team doctor Norman Scott and went on the court for pregame layup drills. But after attempting a few shots, Ewing -- the team's top rebounder and third-leading scorer in the postseason -- headed back to the locker room.

His foot "feels a lot better today than it did yesterday. If it feels good on Wednesday I'll play," Ewing said, referring to Game 5 in Indianapolis. "I've improved a lot, but not enough for me to be able to play."

Chris Dudley made his second straight start in Ewing's place Monday, but was in for just eight minutes because of foul trouble. That gave the bulk of the minutes in the middle to Kurt Thomas, who scored a career playoff high of 16 points, and added five rebounds and three assists.

"No matter who played, who played was not nearly as important as how we played," Van Gundy said, "and what we had to do was be consistent regardless of who was able to play and I thought our guys did that."