Minutes would not be an issue if Patrick Ewing repeats the formula he found Thursday night against Portland. Ewing would never be bound to the bench in the fourth quarter if he drove to the hoop with the ferocity he showed in the huge victory over the Blazers. He would never need to approach Jeff Van Gundy and tell his boss that 30 minutes a night is not enough.
Of course, it’s easier said than done for the 37-year-old Ewing to find the energy every night to plow to the basket, knowing he’s going to draw loads of contact.
Unfortunately, there could be future nights like Tuesdays against Orlando when Ewing looked like the worst player on the floor, when Orlando starting center John Amaechi faked Ewing into the air and drove left by him for an easy layup with 5:46 left in the third — one of the debacle’s lowlights.
Van Gundy has tried to convince Ewing he’d be more effective if he drove the ball more. But you know how stubborn Ewing can get. On too many nights, he falls in love with his jumper, making him easier to defend and lessening his chances of getting to the foul line. Which Ewing will show up for tomorrow’s blood war vs. the Heat is an uncertainty.
Will Ewing drop 20 points on Alonzo Mourning like he did against Portland’s Arvydas Sabonis? Or will he revert to the shadow of himself that prompted Van Gundy to play him 19 minutes — none in the fourth — vs. Orlando.
“He drove to the basket really hard,” Van Gundy raved after yesterday’s practice. “He had great energy driving the ball to the basket particularly to the middle and he made nice passes off that as well. He attacked from the start and got to the free-throw line. Getting to the line 12 times, that’s a huge number.”
Ewing would’ve done more damage had he made his free throws. But he was just 6 of 12. Asked why Ewing doesn’t just automatically drive more, Van Gundy said, “He takes great pride in his jump shot. His jump shot is a great weapon particularly after he sets it up with his drive. He made those two jumpers late that were big but he really attacked early.”
When Portland’s Bonzi Wells threatened to make the outcome close, Ewing came off the bench with 4:58 remaining and buried two jump shots within a 42-second span that put the Blazers out of their misery.
“Why’d I drive,” Ewing asked yesterday after practice. “I had a 7-4 guy on me [Sabonis]. I’m mixing my game up. On any given night, I can score any time.”
And on any given night, Ewing could be benched. Unquestionably, Ewing’s wrist is bothering him — the same wrist surgically repaired two years ago. According to Van Gundy, Ewing’s wrist is causing him to lose range on his jumper — another reason he must drive to the basket more or sit.
Marcus Camby, who has a doctorate in Van Gundy’s minutes management, said, “It’s rough. He has to go talk to Jeff. I had to talk to Jeff. If he’s playing well, he’s going to play down the stretch. That’s what the philosophy seems like. If he’s playing well, he’s going to get his minutes down the stretch. If he’s not, Jeff’s going to go to other options.”
No Knick was surprised Ewing had a stellar performance Thursday following his Tuesday stinker. Ewing also grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots in 36 minutes — a season high for a non-overtime game.
The breakout game came after a morning meeting with Van Gundy that was prompted by a Post back page in which the coach was portrayed as being unhappy with the center’s preparation for the Orlando game.
“You know he’s not going to have two bad performances like that,” Camby said. “He really played with a lot of heart and emotion. Everyone knows he’s not really healthy.”
In the Post story, Van Gundy indicated players were not doing their homework and reading scouting reports. Van Gundy made a reference to Amaechi beating the Knicks by driving to his strong side — left. Van Gundy went to war on The Post over the story, vehemently denying he was referring specifically to Ewing, despite that embarrassing third-quarter play. Van Gundy claimed he was referring to the team in general about poor preparation.
Indeed, the Amaechi reference could have been a slam at not just Ewing but Larry Johnson. Amaechi had only one other field goal that night — a 14-foot jumper. However, LJ was beaten by Amaechi in the opening 20 seconds on a drive left in which he went to the foul line. Whether Ewing believed Van Gundy or not, Ewing played Thursday as if he was out to prove to his coach he deserved more minutes — a vexing issue both parties have confirmed.
“We don’t worry about Patrick,” Allan Houston said. “We have a lot of players around him who can carry the load if he’s not feeling well. When he’s playing well, it takes the team to another level.”
