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Coming up short Knicks hammered by Sixers in opening of post-Ewing era
Updated: Wednesday November 01, 2000 10:18 AM
NEW YORK (AP) -- The first game of the post-Ewing era was a total humiliation for the New York Knicks. Allen Iverson scored 25 points, Toni Kukoc went 10-for-12 in adding 23, and the Philadelphia 76ers did as they pleased Tuesday night in a 101-72 thumping of the Knicks. The game was a complete debacle for New York, which played slow, sloppy basketball and had its worst defeat ever in a season-opener. The fans started booing in the second quarter as the Knicks fell behind by 10, and the humiliation reached a peak late in the third quarter as the crowd chanted "Pat-rick Ew-ing" as the home team fell behind by 26. "Down 25 or 30 points, I'm surprised they didn't say anything worse," Latrell Sprewell said. "We've set the bar so low, I can't see us not improving."
Nowhere was New York's deficiency more pronounced than in the middle, where Marcus Camby -- Ewing's replacement in the pivot for the time being -- was repeatedly scored upon. Kukoc scored nine points while being guarded by Camby in the second quarter, and the Sixers found more success by giving the ball to Theo Ratliff and Tyrone Hill when Camby was switched to them defensively. Ratliff added 12 points, Eric Snow had 11 and George Lynch contributed nine points and 11 rebounds. The Sixers shot 58 percent from the field. "We shared the ball and found the right people in the right places," Kukoc said. Allan Houston had 21 points but was the only player to find a rhythm offensively for the Knicks. Sprewell shot 1-for-9 and had six points, while Glen Rice -- the key player acquired in the trade that sent Ewing to Seattle -- came off the bench to shoot just 3-for-8 while scoring nine points. The game started turning Philadelphia's way in the second quarter as the Knicks looked uncomfortable in their halfcourt sets and began turning the ball over with regularity. A 7-0 run ending with a jump hook by Ratliff gave the 76ers a 44-32 lead and brought out the boobirds, and a 5-0 run to start the second half -- ending with Ratliff making a short hook over Camby -- made it 56-41. The Knicks committed 10 of their 22 turnovers in the third quarter, and Philadelphia outscored New York 29-13 in the period to take an 80-54 lead into the fourth. Kukoc had consecutive steals and baskets early in the fourth to increase the lead to 86-54, and the building was three-quarters empty by the time the final buzzer sounded. "I thought this game would be a good barometer for where we're at because everything we don't do particularly well they do well," Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "We were exposed tonight." Notes: Knicks rookie Lavor Postell has been assigned Ewing's old locker. Center Vladimir Stepania had it during training camp before he was cut. ... Sixers president Pat Croce will ride a motorcycle Sunday at a Toys for Tots benefit in Philadelphia. It will be his first time back on a bike since he nearly severed his foot in a motorcycle accident two summers ago. ... The Sixers have asked the league whether Joe Smith's Larry Bird rights will revert to Philadelphia if he loses his appeal Thursday before arbitrator Kenneth Dam. Smith played for the Sixers before joining the Minnesota Timberwolves prior to the 1998-99 season. Commissioner David Stern voided Smith's current contract and his two previous contracts last week. The Sixers won't get an answer from the league until Dam issues his ruling, which could come as soon as Thursday night.
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