This Time, Ewing Doesn’t Let a Big One Get Away : Eastern Conference: Basket with 1.8 seconds left saves Knicks from another collapse, 96-95, and sends series back to Indiana.

His sore left calf was so heavily taped, Patrick Ewing resembled a mummy. He displayed about the same mobility as a museum exhibit against the Indiana Pacers’ Rik Smits on Wednesday, flailing--and nearly failing--to preserve his dignity and the New York Knicks’ season.

But when the Knicks inbounded the ball with 5.9 seconds to play and John Starks found him beyond the top of key, Ewing took on new life--and a new identity.

“I thought I was Michael Jordan,” Ewing said. “That’s always a big man’s dream, to get it, put it on the floor, drive, spin, double clutch.”

His dream became the Pacers’ nightmare when his running seven-footer with 1.8 seconds to play gave the Knicks a 96-95 victory before 19,763 emotionally exhausted fans at Madison Square Garden and cut Indiana’s lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series to 3-2.

The Pacers’ Reggie Miller, who had stunned the Knicks and the crowd in the series opener in New York when he scored eight points in the last 16.4 seconds, almost staged a replay Wednesday when he went up for another three-pointer in the final second. But Miller, who loves playing at the Garden--he scored 25 points in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the teams’ Eastern final series there last season--couldn’t do it again.

This time, his shot bounced off the rim. And this time, actor-director-Knick fan Spike Lee had the last laugh on Miller, who had taunted Lee last season by wrapping his hands around his throat in a “choke” sign when the Knicks lost. Lee fanned his souvenir playoff towel in Miller’s direction, but he wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. Neither were the Knicks.

“They had to win the game,” said Pacer Coach Larry Brown, who vainly protested that Ewing had traveled on the winning shot. “We didn’t lose the game.”

The Pacers get another chance to dethrone the Knicks on Friday, when the series resumes at Market Square Arena. Still, they know they’re living dangerously by having failed to close them out Wednesday. Should the Knicks win Friday, Game 7 would be Sunday at the Garden.

“We wanted this one,” said former Laker Byron Scott, whose three-pointer had put Indiana ahead, 95-94, with 5.9 seconds to play. “We played about as well as we could, and they played about as well as they could. It took a last-second shot to win this.

“I think we’ve got everything it takes to win. We’ve just got to go home and do it. We did it the first two games at home. We knew from the start and after we were up, 3-1, that they weren’t going to give up.”

Said Knick Coach Pat Riley: “We saved the game and upped the ante.”

The second half became a high-stakes poker game. Smits, lofting soft hook shots over the obviously hobbled Ewing, missed only one field goal in the first half and poured in 12 points in the third quarter as the Pacers rallied from a 53-50 halftime deficit to take a 74-70 lead.

The Knicks then assigned Anthony Mason to defend Smits, who was held scoreless over nine minutes in the fourth quarter. Mason raised the stakes by scoring all of his 13 points in the final quarter, seven of them from the free-throw line.

Although Ewing had been unable to handle the 7-foot-4 Smits, who finished with a game-high 28 points, Mason shut him down.

“He’s got a great touch when he’s around the basket or anywhere in the paint,” Mason said. “I tried to front him and make him run out and get frustrated and go out and set a pick, anything for him not to get the ball and go deep.”

Ewing knew he had the strength in his legs to go to the basket for the game-winner. He had been surprised by Scott’s three-pointer, shaking his head and saying, “He hit it from damn near half court,” but there was no time to marvel or to think when Starks got him the ball.

“I had made up my mind what I was going to do. I was going to drive and I was either going to get fouled or get a shot,” said Ewing, who led the Knicks with 19 points.

Said Brown: “Sure, this is an opportunity lost, but the way I look at it, all you can do is ask for your team to give you a chance to win.

“We’ve got to go home and play like we played tonight and hopefully we’ll get it done on Friday.”