KNICK NOTES
INDIANAPOLIS – Patrick Ewing has changed his mind.
He says his infamous “I’m not going to change” Purchase parking-lot remark after last season’s Finals stemmed from frustration of his season-ending injury against Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals. He said hs patience had been worn thin because he was repeatedly asked the same questions about reducing his role.
Ewing returned yesterday to the city where his season crashed last spring in Game 2 of the Eastern finals. Ewing, who tore his Achilles tendon, missed the rest of the six-game Pacer series and all of the NBA Finals against San Antonio.
After missing the season’s first 20 games, Ewing has been a sparkplug – albeit not a star – in seven contests before last night’s game with the Pacers. The Knicks were 6-1 with Patrick entering the Christmas showdown at the new Conseco Field House.
“You get so far and then something happens,” Ewing said to a reporter before boarding a flight for Indianapolis Friday. “It was a hard thing to go through. And then I remember when I walked into the parking lot after the finals and I was asked, ‘Are you going to change?’
“After everything that had happened, it was ‘Are you going to change your role?,'” Ewing said. “I was tired of debating it. I mean, I’m going to be me and I’m not changing that. But I can be me in the way I play basketball and try to help the team win.”
Ewing’s shot attempts are way down since his return – to 9.5 per game before last night. He was averaging 12.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in 30 minutes – a vital role player that just may push the Knicks over the top in the East.
“I’m not going to change who I am,” Ewing said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to demand 20-plus shots. I don’t have to do that. If you look at my career, my shot attempts have dropped with the more talent that has been brought in.”
Although most Knicks were bitter about playing on the road in Indy on Christmas night, Marcus Camby put on a happy front.
“What better game than Indiana on Christmas Day? We’re one of the four teams playing that day. It will fun and exciting,” he said.
Jeff Van Gundy warned his players before the game that the Pacers had revenge on their minds.
“We’re going to have to be ready, just like playing Miami the first time [94-88 loss, Nov. 14] after beating them in the playoffs,” Van Gundy said.
“We have to be more ready because of the intensity factor they’ll bring from losing to us last year.”
On the Indy rivalry, Van Gundy said “It’s a good rivalry. It always has been and probably will be for a couple of years.”
Even though the Pacers traded bruiser Antonio Davis, Van Gundy believes Indiana is just as strong this season.
“They’re different,” Van Gundy said. “Their starting lineup is a little different with Jalen Rose. Dale Davis plays more minutes and with more minutes he’s played better. And off the bench, they’re younger, quicker and more athletic with Sam Perkins, Austin Croshere and Al Harrington.”