Ewing Returns to N.Y. Lovefest

A three-minute standing ovation was followed by three minutes of vintage Patrick Ewing. There were no tears, no boos, plenty of hugs, a couple of chants--along with several reminders of how Ewing’s best days are behind him.

On an emotional night at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks spoiled Ewing’s homecoming Tuesday with a 101-92 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics.

“I thought I played pretty well,” Ewing said. “It didn’t go as well as I would have liked. I wanted to win.”

Chants of “Pat-rick Ew-ing” accompanied a loud and long ovation during pregame introductions as the player who was the face of the franchise for 15 years stood with a smile on his face and soaked it in.

“Why no tears? I don’t know. I thought it was great what the fans did,” Ewing said. “We’ve had a love-hate relationship throughout the years, but I think they were appreciative of what I brought to the table every night. I thought they did a great job of showing their appreciation.”

Ewing made his first three shots and grabbed four early rebounds but didn’t play well the rest of the way, exhibiting many of the traits--bad hands, an increasingly inconsistent jump shot, a couple of dribbles off his feet--that frustrated Knick fans over the years.

Latrell Sprewell and Marcus Camby scored consecutive baskets against Ewing late in the third quarter to start a 12-0 run that gave New York a 15-point lead.

Ewing returned with 7:15 left and the Sonics trailing by 13, and they cut their deficit to 90-88. Sprewell then scored over Ewing and Camby beat Ewing on a backdoor play for a dunk that gave New York a six-point lead.

Allan Houston led New York with 24 points, Camby had 21 points and 17 rebounds, and Sprewell added 21 points. Mark Jackson had nine points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds, while Glen Rice scored 20.

Ewing finished with 12 points and five rebounds in 32 minutes for Seattle, which lost its third in a row to drop to .500 (29-29) for the first time in more than a month. Rashard Lewis led Seattle with 20 points.

A crowd of 19,763 turned out early to make sure they were on hand for the one moment basketball fans in the city had been looking forward to since last summer when Ewing was traded.

Jackson, the newest Knick, was the first to extend a handshake and a hug before the opening tip.

“I’m glad I was here,” Jackson said. “I don’t think watching it on TV from another city would have done it any justice.”

Ewing got the ball in the low post on Seattle’s first possession and scored easily over a smiling Camby, but the basket did not bring much of a boisterous response. That had already happened during pregame introductions as the crowd stood and cheered throughout a one-minute compilation of video highlights from Ewing’s career.

The ovation continued as Ewing, who stood shifting from side to side during the highlight film, was introduced first among Seattle’s starters.

“I didn’t think about it [crying]. I think if I thought about it, it would have happened,” Ewing said. “That’s why I said ‘Let’s get the game started before the tears really start coming.’ ”

Ewing found himself staring down at the Knicks bench during a second-quarter timeout, exchanging nods and smiles with whoever caught his eye.

Ewing made the final shot of the game, and the fans chanted his name once more.

“We clap for drug addicts and criminals, but here’s a guy who really deserves it,” Jackson said. “New York fans have got to be proud of what they did tonight.”