ANALYSIS : Cheeks a Blast From the Past for Knicks

On a team that counted youth among its foremost assets, the oldest player exerted the greatest influence. For a team that revolved around a premier big man, the smallest athlete controlled the destiny. To a team that had suffered a generation of heartache at Boston Garden, the latest arrival brought a winning prescription.

Maurice Cheeks is 33, old enough to start for the Boston Celtics. The New York Knickerbockers generously list his playing weight at 180 pounds but the man is as spare as a rib. When a reporter suggested Sunday that he was a physical marvel, he laughed. “Look at me,” he said.

Yes, look at him. Look at him closely. Because in the person of the point guard on whom any uniform other than No. 1 would appear to be an overstatement, the Knicks found the inspiration not only to lift the Celtics’ yoke of oppression but to vanquish the demons from the old arena on Causeway Street.

Cheeks performed an exorcism Sunday. There was a belief that Knick General Manager Al Bianchi sacrificed a piece of the future when he acquired the veteran from the San Antonio Spurs Feb. 21 in exchange for Rod Strickland. But, in overcoming the club’s recent past in its least favorite building, he provided the Knicks with a present. It began Tuesday night at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich., home of the Detroit Pistons, the National Basketball Association’s defending champions.

Beyond his 21 points (including 17 in the second half), seven assists and two steals in the Knicks’ landmark 121-114 triumph Sunday, one statistic underlines the impact of Cheeks in the climactic fifth game of the first-round playoff series. Under minutes played, the number was 48. Coach Stu Jackson would not, could not remove him at any point from the most significant game of the season.

“For a guy to be in the league for 12 years and play all 48 minutes,” teammate Trent Tucker said, “it’s just a credit to Maurice Cheeks. I’ve been around eight years but this is the first time I’ve had Maurice on my team. We were blessed to have him.”

All season long the Knicks talked about establishing a half-court game, an offense that would thrive in the playoffs where the good teams contest every possession. But the plan was more fantasy than reality until Cheeks unpacked his gym bag in New York. The man brought the directions to the system with him. He became a coach on the floor.

Understand, it did not happen overnight. In fact, the Knicks appeared to be fighting the conversion in the final two months as they prepared for the playoffs. Certainly, there was no appreciable development in the first two games here, the second of which was a humiliating 157-128 blowout and the team’s 26th consecutive loss on the old parquet floor.

The transformation took place at Madison Square Garden with the Knicks one defeat from an ignominious exit. It occurred, assistant coach Paul Silas said, “just in the last couple of games. In the first game we won in New York, it wasn’t as obvious. But in the second game, you could see it all coming together. The guys understood their roles, they were playing within themselves, not doing things they were incapable of doing. And then in this game, when we needed someone to come up big, (Cheeks) said, ‘Guys, I’m going to show you what this is all about.’ ”

Well, Cheeks did not actually use those words. In fact, he used no words at all. Silas was interpreting Cheeks’ actions. “Mo doesn’t talk much,” Tucker said. “He’s a quiet guy. He leads by example.”

After the first half, in which the Knicks were thankful to trail by only four points, Cheeks decided it was time. “We weren’t playing bad,” he said, “but we were kind of stagnant. I needed to be more aggressive.”

So he looked to penetrate, repeatedly beating Dennis Johnson or John Bagley off the dribble and creating either a layup or an opening for a teammate. In the final 24 minutes, he took six shots from the field and made them all. He added five-of-six free throws, four assists and one steal and made the Knicks believe they would win a playoff game here for the first time since 1974.

“He was flawless today,” said Tucker, whose three-pointer early in the fourth period broke a 97-97 tie and staked the team to its final lead. “He’s been there so many times. Mo knows the situation. He doesn’t feel the pressure. He’s in control.”

Perhaps it was because he came from a different organization that Cheeks was fearless in the face of the Knicks’ tradition here. He played the point for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983 when they beat the Celtics at the Garden in the seventh game of the Eastern Conference finals en route to the NBA title. The arena held no terror for him. Otherwise, he would not have brought along little Maurice, 2, for the experience.

“I’ve had a lot of good games and bad games in the Garden,” he said. “Fortunately, most of the good games I’ve had have been in the playoffs or in big games.”

Don’t think for a minute that is coincidental.

In a game that came down to a test of execution and patience over the final quarter, precisely the kind of situation that favored the experienced Celtics, Cheeks directed his teammates with the skill of a symphony conductor. On the occasion of one timeout, when the younger Knicks were tempted to celebrate, Coach Stu Jackson advised Cheeks, “Calm them down out there.” They remained focused until the final seconds.

If there was a single exchange that encapsulated the flow of this game, that demonstrated to everyone deliverance was at hand, it took place with 4:16 left. Larry Bird, the heart and soul of the Celtics, hit the rim with a reverse slam attempt, the Knicks rushed downcourt and Cheeks sank an 18-foot jumper to boost the lead to 105-99. Following a basket by Reggie Lewis, Cheeks scored his last field goal and three-pointers by Johnny Newman and Ewing (a prayer from the corner) sealed the victory.

While his teammates celebrated their advance to the conference semifinals, Cheeks slipped out of the dressing room and walked up to the end promenade to greet his son. Little Maurice had a Knicks pin on his red jacket and a face full of red lollipop. “You’re good luck,” the father said. “You’re coming to Detroit.”

Yes, the Knicks are going to Motown, courtesy of Cheeks. And then, next weekend, the Pistons will be coming to Mo-town, where the understated veteran has made a home for himself.