Barkley Out of Playoffs; Ewing’s Status Unclear

Charles Barkley, who played with a hernia this season, will sit out the rest of the playoffs after an MRI exam Saturday revealed that he had tore a muscle in his right arm during Friday night’s playoff loss to the Utah Jazz.

“He’s done for the playoffs,” said team spokesman Tim Frank. “He’ll be reevaluated [today], but he could see surgery as early as Monday.”

Barkley’s participation in the playoffs was in doubt from the beginning of the first-round series because of the hernia that slowed him all season. But it was his collision with Utah’s Greg Foster that ended his season.

Barkley and Foster became entangled with 8:39 to play in the first half of Friday night’s 93-71 Utah victory that evened the best-of-five series at 2-2. The deciding game is today in Salt Lake City.

Trainers applied ice to Barkley’s elbow and he tried twice to return to the game, but did not have a full range of motion in his arm.

Barkley said after Friday’s game that team doctors were telling him “it would take a miracle” for him to play in today’s series finale, even before the muscle tear was diagnosed.

The hernia had scratched Barkley from the last three regular-season games and he publicly worried whether he could contribute in the Jazz series. Despite admitted soreness, he had 12 points and six rebounds in Houston’s 103-90 Game 1 upset.

He played in 68 of 82 games during the regular season.

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Despite being confronted by several “Let Pat Play” headlines, the New York Knicks continued to insist Saturday that Patrick Ewing will not be in uniform for Game 5 against Miami.

“Didn’t we go over this yesterday? He’s not playing,” General Manager Ernie Grunfeld said after the team held a two-hour practice before flying to Miami for today’s game.

Some of the Heat players have said they expect Ewing to play, especially since the Knicks said he could be available for a second-round series.

Coach Jeff Van Gundy maintained his silence Saturday, refusing to divulge his starting lineup.

Ewing has been practicing, although he hasn’t taken part in many full-contact drills. He has not yet received medical clearance to play but was examined again Saturday by team physician Dr. Norman Scott.

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Matt Geiger hopes a meeting he had with Charlotte coach Dave Cowens ends any lingering bad feelings from questions about how the center’s hamstring injury was handled.

Geiger started 42 games this season but sat out the final four games of the regular season and most of the Hornets’ first-round playoff series against Atlanta because of a hamstring pull. His absence from the lineup appeared to strain his relationship with Cowens, but Geiger said the two settled their differences in a long talk Thursday.

Geiger watched the first playoff game with Atlanta from the bench in street clothes, then left his teammates at halftime to to to a private restaurant in the Charlotte Coliseum and talk to one of his agents. The Hornets subsequently fined Geiger $1,000.

As the series that the Hornets eventually won 3-1 progressed, Cowens expressed his disappointment at Geiger’s absence. Geiger countered by going on a local radio show and saying he resented his manhood being questioned by his coach.