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With or without? Ewing refuses to weigh in on Knicks' debate
Posted: Tuesday May 30, 2000 07:35 PM
PURCHASE, N.Y. (AP) -- Patrick Ewing wasn't talking Tuesday, depriving the basketball world of his insight into the big debate surrounding the New York Knicks: Are they a better team without him when they're playing the Indiana Pacers? The Knicks have won two games in a row without Ewing to tie the Eastern Conference finals 2-2, and it's unknown whether Ewing's sore foot will be pain-free enough to allow him to play in Game 5 Wednesday night at Indianapolis. Some Knicks fans, citing New York's 5-1 record against Indiana in the past two postseasons when Ewing has been injured, are hoping he'll continue to sit. Such a notion infuriates coach Jeff Van Gundy, who has described the theory as "asinine" in recent days. When he was asked about it following Game 4, Van Gundy gave such an impassioned response that he almost couldn't get the words out of his mouth fast enough. 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." There is no bigger Ewing loyalist than Van Gundy, and any anti-Ewing talk is considered blasphemy in his mind. "What makes me laugh about that number [the 5-1 record without Ewing] is how the media can manipulate it," Van Gundy said. Ewing's availability for Game 5 will be a game-time decision. Ewing tested his sore right foot during warmups Monday and decided the tendinitis was too painful. With backups Chris Dudley and Kurt Thomas playing center, New York defeated Indiana 91-89 in Game 4. "We were able to do more of what we're comfortable doing, like drive to the basket," Knicks guard Allan Houston said. "But the key is being able to do both. If Patrick's in, we've still got to be able to do those things, but pick our moments. It's a fine line, but ultimately if we can do it, it's going to make us the best team." The Knicks' record without Ewing looks good over the past two seasons, but injuries have actually reduced his availability against the Pacers for the past three seasons. He had a fractured wrist in 1998 and Achilles' tendinitis in 1999. Over that span, including Game 2 this season when Ewing played just seven minutes, the Knicks are 2-6 against the Pacers with Ewing, 5-2 without him. Included in those five playoff losses is Game 5 of the second round in 1998, when Ewing played his third game after returning from a broken wrist. Many felt Van Gundy stuck with him too long, playing him for 34 minutes, as the Knicks were eliminated. That memory, along with the sight of the Knicks operating a more fluid, uptempo offense in Games 3 and 4, are among the factors fueling the with-or-without debate as the 37-year-old Ewing again chases the championship that has eluded him throughout his 15-year career. "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." Of the three injured Knicks, Ewing was the only one to sit out Game 4. Latrell Sprewell played 44 minutes with a broken bone in his foot and scored 12 points, and Marcus Camby played on a sprained knee, grabbing nine rebounds and blocking three shots in 18 minutes. Two of Sprewell's points came on a soaring dunk through the lane in the first quarter. "My eyes got so big on that play, I don't know if I felt anything then. But the pain is there," Sprewell said. Sprewell also disagrees with Ewing's detractors who say he clogs the middle and slows down the offense. It's more a case, according to Sprewell, of the rest of the Knicks not turning their desperation up a notch. "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." Breaking down the statistics from the past three playoff series against the Pacers, the Knicks are a better rebounding team with him -- but a better shooting team and running team without him. The Pacers are one of the older and slower teams in the league, and their lack of quickness hurts them when the Knicks drive the lane, push the ball upcourt and look to get more shot attempts out of Houston, Sprewell and Larry Johnson. In the eight games with Ewing, the Knicks have shot 43.9 percent from the field and scored an average of 11.6 fast-break points against Indiana. In the seven games without him, they've shot 45.7 percent and averaged 14.3 fast-break points. Will Ewing come back Wednesday night? Nobody knows for sure; lots of people have their hopes. "Look at the percentage with or without him," Indiana center Rik Smits said. "I hope he comes back."
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