Patrick Ewing Fulfills His Promise

Patrick Ewing seems to realize that he’s ready to be mentioned in the same breath with Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.

For four years, Ewing has politely replied to questions about his performances with lines like “I’m just trying to help the New York Knicks win games” and “I just want to be the best player I can be.”

Now the 7-foot center who dominated college basketball in the early 1980s has a chance to be the NBA’s first Most Valuable Player in the 1990s.

And Ewing seems to know it.

“Winning the MVP is a goal of mine,” he says. “But winning a championship still comes first. But that’s not just true of me. Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan both would say the same thing.”

Ewing said he doesn’t mind talking about an individual goal because he believes he can’t win the MVP unless the Knicks continue as a winning team in the Atlantic Division.

“I’m playing well in part because the team is playing well,” he said.

Ewing has been a solid, but seldom spectacular, player in his first four years, averaging from 20.0 to 22.7 points and from 8-9 rebounds each season.

This year, he has been regularly spectacular, defeating any defense the opposition puts in front of him. He trails only Jordan in the NBA scoring race, averaging 29 points to Jordan’s 32.

“If he keeps playing like this, we’re playing in June,” teammate Trent Tucker said, referring to the NBA Finals.

Last season, Ewing scored 20 or more points 52 times in 80 games. In his first 18 games this season, he’s been held under 20 only once, scoring 30 or more eight times and 40 or more three times.

“A machine, just a machine,” Golden State rookie Sarunas Marciulionis said after Ewing had 44 points and 24 rebounds against the Warriors on Nov. 29. “Never have I seen something like that.”

“If there’s any way to stop me, I’m not telling,” Ewing said.

Last season, as Ewing received increased defensive attention as his scoring ability improved, he usually responded to double-teams by passing the ball back outside. This year, Coach Stu Jackson said, Ewing is still passing in that situation, but he also has learned to spin quickly away from the pressure and hit baseline shots.

“He’s passing out much, much, much more than he has in the past, but his teammates have made the commitment to get him the ball more because they know they’ll get it back if he’s double-teamed and can’t get a shot off,” Jackson said. “But he’s definitely getting the ball more and getting more shots. Our game plan is to get Patrick the ball. That’s always our game plan. ALWAYS!”

Consequently, his shots per game have increased from 15 to 20.

“I’m trying to turn and move quick moves more, and if it’s not there, I’ll pass it out,” Ewing said. “That’s especially true in the fourth quarter when we’re trying to make things happen and the pace picks up for everyone. I have to try to defeat the double-teams in different ways.”

Philadelphia center Mike Gminski, who guarded Ewing for most of the game as he scored 32 points in New York’s 110-103 victory on Tuesday, said he noticed the difference.

“He’s on quite a roll,” Gminski said. “He seems to be shooting that turnaround jumper on the baseline very well. That negates the double-team when he’s able to do it so quickly. They’re going to him a lot and he seems to be gaining confidence.”

Ewing has been especially effective recently. On a four-game road trip, he averaged 35.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and made 64.6 percent of his 82 field-goal attempts. He was named the NBA Player of the Week last week and Player of the Month for November.

But Ewing believes it’s his rebounding that has to improve in order for him to attract MVP attention.

His 24 rebounds against the Warriors -- no Golden State player had more than five -- were the most by a Knicks player since 1973 and helped push Ewing to 10 rebounds per game. His career best is 9.3 last season.

With rebounding specialist Charles Oakley on the team, Ewing probably won’t climb much higher than that.

But he’s improved other aspects of his game, increasing his free-throw percentage from 72.8 for his career to 84 percent this season and moving up to second in the NBA in blocked shots with almost 3 1/2 per game. “You have to realize what he does to the opposition’s offense when he’s not out there,” Jackson said. “People’s eyes light up because the intimidation factor is not there.”

Ewing also has come a long way in four years in his relationship with the media, a consideration since it’s a media group that votes for MVP. He’s generally more giving of his time after games and occasionally drops a joke or a few smiles into the conversation.

“Playing in New York doesn’t hurt,” Ewing said. “This is the media capital of the world.”

With Ewing in the middle, New York also is re-emerging as a basketball capital.