It’s Now a Game of 2-on-1 : NBA finals: Mason, Ewing contain Olajuwon in crunch, but it’s Houston that leads series, 2-1.

Meanwhile back at the marquee matchup . . .

The NBA finals are a week old and heading into Game 4 tonight at Madison Square Garden, but this supposed Patrick Ewing-Hakeem Olajuwon mega-showdown, the most glamorous head-to-head battle of centers in a championship series in about 10 years, is fizzling fast. Mediocrity tends to do that.

Ewing is shooting 35.1% and coming off a nine-of-29 showing Sunday.

Olajuwon is shooting 44%.

Ewing is playing 45 minutes a game but averaging only 19 points, a drop of 4.1 from the first three rounds.

Olajuwon is averaging 24.7 points, but his biggest offensive impact in the fourth quarters of the three games so far is the pass from the low post out to the three-point line that led to Sam Cassell’s jump shot and the winning points Sunday. Otherwise, he has gone zero for four from the field with five points in Game 1, one for four with four points in Game 2 and one for four with four points in Game 3.

It’s difficult to say which is more amazing: that Olajuwon has been such a non-factor in every fourth quarter, or that the Houston Rockets have a 2-1 series lead over the New York Knicks in spite of it, especially considering that all three games have been decided in the final two minutes.

After expressing surprise when told of his late-game statistics, Olajuwon said: “What difference does that make? We play to win.”

Or as Knick assistant coach Dick Harter said: “Hakeem has two wins and one loss, so if he’s surprised, he’s got to be happily surprised. This game is still who wins.”

The surprise not only is the faltering, but who Olajuwon is having trouble against. After facing Ewing almost exclusively while averaging 33 points in the Rockets’ two convincing regular-season victories, interrupted by occasional jousts with Charles Oakley and Charles Smith, he suddenly has a big-time problem with a little man. That is a relative term when the shrimp is Anthony Mason, but the Knick reclamation project from the Global Basketball League and the Continental Basketball Assn. is giving away about five inches to Olajuwon, but little else.

The 6-foot-7, 250-pound Mason is the self-proclaimed “Locksmith” because of his defensive prowess, and he has shown the ability to handle everyone from small forwards to centers. But this is different. He went from one of four front-court defenders taking a turn on Olajuwon in Game 1--joining Ewing, Oakley and Smith--to guarding the regular-season MVP about 40% of the time in the NBA finals.

While the Rockets regularly double-team Ewing when he catches the ball inside, the Knicks are able to continue to play Olajuwon straight up with Ewing, who can use his height, and Mason, because of his width. Specifically, Mason has been able to use his Rick Mahorn-like body to lean on Olajuwon, get leverage and then push him away from the post before the guards are able to throw the ball inside. Most of the shots then are tough shots.

Or something like that. We need a security clearance to say more.

“That’s my private secret,” Mason said. “Just take him out of his comfort zone. That’s basically all I can say right now.

“Do I think he’s getting frustrated? Hopefully. . . . You see signs, but he’s a great player and he makes up for it by throwing the ball out to the open man.”

Yes, you see the signs.

“Everybody is talking about Mason,” Olajuwon said. “OK, so he’s doing a fantastic job. Maybe that’s what I have to say. It seems like that’s what everybody wants to talk about, so let’s just get it out of the way.”

Enter the sarcasm.

“He is the greatest defensive player in the NBA,” Olajuwon said. “I will give him my defensive player (of the year) trophy.”

It has become the marquee matchup, plus one. Things are getting interesting, at last.

NBA Notes

With Hubert Davis struggling as the Knicks’ backup shooting guard, Coach Pat Riley said he is considering going with little-used Rolando Blackman tonight in hopes of sparking an offense generating only 86 points a game. Davis has made one of seven shots in the series, did not play in the second half of Game 3 and is shooting 36.4% in the playoffs. Blackman, the veteran best known for his years with the Dallas Mavericks, has yet to appear in the finals and has played 34 minutes in the postseason. . . . The first verbal shot of a very quiet series came from Hakeem Olajuwon. “If we get up 3-1, they (the Knicks) will choke,” the Rocket center said. “If they go down 3-1, that will demoralize their confidence.”