With his heroic performance against the Heat behind him and the specter of the Hawks looming, Patrick Ewing stopped at the Knicks’ training facilities in Purchase before boarding the team plane out of Westchester Airport. His Achilles was sore, his ribs were strained, and as he left Purchase, he was limping like he was 66, instead of 36.

The stoic Ewing was wearing sweatpants and a Jordan T-shirt, and even though shades hid his eyes, you knew he was looking toward Atlanta. He brushed past reporters even easier than he had blown past Miami all Sunday afternoon. “I’m not talkin’ today, guys,” was all he offered, as he hobbled into teammate Herb Williams’ waiting car. But no matter; his actions had spoken for him Sunday, and his teammates were more than happy to do so yesterday.

“Y’all have been doubting Patrick all year. I guess he proved y’all wrong again,” Williams said of the Knicks’ oft-maligned center. “The big fella was hurt but he stepped out on the court in Game 5. We needed him and he stepped up. He showed his heart again. And that’s him, again and again. No matter how many times you count him out, he comes back.”

Many Knick fans have counted Ewing out in the past, never more so than Sunday, if only because of his battered body. But he came back to outplay Georgetown buddy Alonzo Mourning, who was stronger, healthier and more than eight years younger. And even after suffering that rib injury in the third quarter, Ewing came back strong in the fourth.

There he was cutting off Mourning’s drive and forcing Miami into a shot-clock violation with 1:20 left. And he added an offensive rebound and two clutch free throws with :39.7 left to cut the Heat lead to one and set up Allan Houston’s buzzer-beating shot.

In all, it was 22 points and 11 rebounds from a man whom many thought might not be able to play at all, and whom many others doubted just out of force of habit. But he came through with a performance his teammates are calling – dare we say it? – Willis Reed-like.

“I would say so. It ranks up there with Willis Reed, ’cause nobody knows how much pain he was in,” said point guard Chris Childs, playing through a deep thigh bruise himself. “You can see the grimace on his face, and hobbling going up and down the court, but nobody really knows but him how much pain he was in. It was just a big-time performance by a warrior.

“It’s gonna take [another] performance like Patrick had in Game 5 for us to move on and get through the next series. I was very impressed, with all the struggles he’s gone through this year, the injuries, the pain he’s going through.”