What If...? | NYK 1999-2000: We Still Believe

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• "Give me some time to get back on track," said Patrick Ewing 24 hours ago, after a 6-point, 3-of-10 shooting effort in the New York Knicks' loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Well, that was fast.
  
  Ewing turned back the clock with 28 points and 11 rebounds, going 10-of-13 from the floor, as the Knicks crawled back from a 13-point deficit and survived a potential Antawn Jamison winner at Oracle Arena to win 96-94. "I know I could have done a lot better against the Clippers last night but it's not about points. It's about wins," said Ewing, who inbounded the ball to a wide-open Latrell Sprewell in what ended up being the game clincher -- Allan Houston set the screen that freed him and left Jamison and Mookie Blaylock perplexed. "I knew my team was counting on me to rise up and I was able to knock it down. It felt superb," said Sprewell, who notched in a game-high 29 points, with New York using a 12-2 run in the final frame to take their first win of the season. "But Pat was the man tonight. He just took over."
  
  Following a timeout by head coach P.J. Carlesimo, Blaylock inbounded to Jamison, who hit the rim on a potential winning 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded. "Just bad luck," said Jamison, who was 8-of-22 for 17 points. "We could have done a better job containing their offense, but luck was not on our side tonight." Bad luck indeed: Jamison and Larry Hughes combined for 0-of-11 from beyond the arc as the Warriors were 4-of-24 as a unit from 3-point territory -- their reserves also outscored New York's, 34-8, led by rookie Vonteego Cummings (11 points), who was injured on an ugly looking fall in the third period, but left the floor without knowing how bad it is. "I fell pretty bad,'' said Cummings. "I am going to get re-evaluated in the morning.'' All signs point to a strained MCL, which would keep him off the court for at least two weeks. Terry Cummings and Chris Mills posted eight points each. Blaylock led Golden State with 26 points and seven assists, as Hughes scored 10.
  
  Larry Johnson made 7-of-12 shots for 16 points -- one of four Knicks in double figures, bouncing back from a 6-point effort last night. However, his biggest impact came on defense; the former 1st overall pick in 1991 harassed Donyell Marshall, who often settled for bad shots: 2-of-11 for five points. "They shot pretty well in the second half. We made some crucial mistakes and couldn't hold them enough to get the win," Marshall said. Quiet up to halftime with just four points, Houston displayed some of his trademark fuel in the second half, posting 11 of his 15 points; Charlie Ward was held scoreless by Blaylock, but was able to grab seven boards and dish 11 assists. "Pat stepping up like that this quick is really encouraging," said Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy, "but there is not a lot to take out of this one. This is a game we should have lost."

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• With ten starters combining for 155 of the game's 168 points, it was a battle of starting fives at Madison Square Garden.
  
  The San Antonio Spurs were able to ride three players scoring 20 or more points and used a 18-3 run in the third quarter to take the lead for good in a 91-77 defeat of the New York Knicks. "We got into a nice groove in the second half," said Tim Duncan, who led the visitors with a game-high 23 and nine boards. "It's tricky to defend this squad." The teams met for the first time since the Finals, with the Spurs taking home the championship, 4-1. "Obviously there's going to be emotions in play here whether you want it there or not, but it was more important for us to get a victory,'' said David Robinson, Duncan's partner in crime, who notched in 20 and six. Guards Terry Porter, offseason signee, and Mario Elie posted 21 and 17 points, respectively, but Elie showed praise for another teammate. "Some of us scored a lot, but you don't have to score to help your team," he said. "Just look at Sean (Elliott)'s game. He played great defense, got boards for us, he assisted and found us open". Elliott had just four points but grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists for San Antonio, closing down on Latrell Sprewell, who was 7-of-19 from the field for the Knicks.
  
  "It just shows you the balance they have,'' said Patrick Ewing, who scored 17 points and was absent in the Finals series this past June. "They are the champions for a reason. That's their greatness. Duncan and Robinson are obviously part of the league's elite, but they have so much around them.'' Sprewell and Allan Houston kept the Knicks in play with 18 points each, as the team shot just 41 percent and was outrebounded, 46-33. The result also noted New York's lack of rotation: Sprewell and Houston's backups, John Wallace and David Wingate, were both scoreless. "When our starters needed a break, they defended our reserves really, really well and took us out of our offense," coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "We couldn't get a bucket to save our lives." Behind Houston and Larry Johnson, who scored 10 of his 14 points in the first half, New York raced to a 45-39 halftime lead, but then the third frame happened.
  
  Led by Robinson, the Spurs outhustled the Knicks -- the former MVP and Porter each had six points during the aformentioned 18-3 spark, as San Antonio transformed a 10-point second-quarter deficit into a 10-point final period lead, shooting 10-for-15 (67 percent) while New York missed 9 of 13. They also attempted a dozen more free throws throughout the contest -- 24-for-31 against 14-for-19. "It was one disappointing possession after another," Sprewell said. "We are having some difficulties on the glass as well. There's a lot of work to be done." The Knicks got no closer than 11 points in the final twelve minutes. "Their inside scoring and rebounding set the tone," Van Gundy added. "We were able to pile some turnovers on them, but we couldn't capitalize on them on the other end. That was the game right there." The Knicks lost both games at Madison Square Garden so far, but will look to bounce back this Sunday when they host the Atlanta Hawks (0-2).

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• "Rebounding is a key to victory", some would say. Well, then you have to make your shots.
  
  Latrell Sprewell scored 13 of his 25 points in the third quarter and Allan Houston added 20 for the night as the New York Knicks used a 16-2 spark to start the second half and defeat Atlanta, 103-86. The Hawks had a huge edge on the glass, 50-34 -- including 15 on offense -- but weren't able to take advantage of it, shooting 42 percent from the field and 26 percent from beyond the arc. On the other hand, the hosts were effective, with Houston and Sprewell joining forces to shoot 16-of-23 from the floor, including 4-of-7 from long range. They made 51 percent of their attempts, with 27 assists on 40 field goals made. "We have got to play like this every night," said Houston. "This intensity will earn us some more wins." After 12 lead changes in the first half, the mentioned 16-2 run gave the Knicks a 65-48 advantage that they never surrendered, leading by as much as 24 points in the fourth frame. "At halftime we talked about the fact that we didn't come out with the energy we needed to," head coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "It's evident that the players got the message loud and clear."
  
  Patrick Ewing started the game 1-of-6 but went perfect the rest of the way for 16 points, with Marcus Camby tallying 12 off the bench -- the Knicks' substitutes stunned Atlanta's, 30-23, with John Wallace and Chris Childs adding six points each. On the other end of the court, New York had a season-high eight blocks, and seven of them came from reserves: Wallace and Kurt Thomas had two each. "Our first half was not what we hoped for, but we were able to adjust," Ewing said. "Everybody was great today. Our bench really lifted us up." Well, perhaps not Larry Johnson, who posted just four points. "We did a great job of moving the ball around,'' said Sprewell, who had a season-best five dimes. "When we play together like this, good things usually happen for our team.'' Charlie Ward's statline was a bright spot, with eight and seven assists, while keeping rookie Jason Terry on his pocket.
  
  Terry argued with the referees more than once and was called for two technicals, one in each half, and was thrown out with 5:33 remaining with only 10 points to his name. "We just didn't come out and play after halftime, myself included," Terry said. "To come out and play the way we did, the way I did... I apologize to the rest of the guys." With 16 points and ten rebounds, Alan Henderson was a surprise for Atlanta, leading five players in double figures -- Dikembe Mutombo and Jim Jackson notched in 13 points apiece. The Hawks were sloppy with the ball, committing 15 turnovers to New York's six, and are still winless at 0-3, with two more games on the road coming -- at Utah and New Jersey. "We just can't figure out why we've been coming out flat," said head coach Lenny Wilkens. "We got the boards, we got the shots, but we couldn't make them count. We will need to sit and work on those mistakes." Terry and Isaiah Rider combined to make just 8-of-26 attempts.

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• In similar fashion to last week's win at Oakland over Golden State, the New York Knicks took advantage of some atrocious shooting to steal another win on the road.
  
  Latrell Sprewell led with a game-high 25 points and nine rebounds, with Patrick Ewing posting his second double-double of the year (18 and 11), as the Knicks held the Orlando Magic to a season-low shooting percentage in a 100-89 victory. With the win, the visitors kickstarted their first winning streak of the season -- after a back-and-forth first quarter, they opened the second with a 17-4 run to take a 42-32 lead; they were never behind again. Sprewell had eight points during the run, including two easy layups in the fast break. "It wasn't pretty, because we needed the other team to miss a lot of open shots, but a win is a win," Sprewell said. "Still, our second quarter was more than fine. Hopefully we can build on those twelve minutes from now on." With Orlando's Ben Wallace playing limited minutes because of foul trouble, the Knicks' 38-28 lead in the paint was key. "Even with them shooting poorly, I think we would have lost without Patrick's inside presence and Latrell's drives to the rim," head coach Jeff Van Gundy commented.
  
  The Magic held a 56-46 rebounding advantage but shot a season-worst 33 percent (29-of-87), including a dismal 5-of-28 from 3-point land. Darrell Armstrong and rookie Corey Maggette combined to sink just 9-of-43 shots -- 2-of-18 from beyond the arc. "I was completely out of sync," said Maggette, who started the game 2-of-8, finishing 7-of-27, for just 17 points. Armstrong had his worst performance of the season with nine points, as Ron Mercer made just two Magic players in double figures with 23. "Ron carried us on this one," said Wallace, who finished the night with ten boards and five steals, even with less than 20 minutes of playing time. "If you ask me what went wrong, those shots didn't fall. It's as easy as that," head coach Doc Rivers said. "Because I think we did some things pretty well. Our bench was active, we worked the glass, we made them turn over the ball. I guess we just had to lose this one."
  
  Play was sluggish for both teams in the final period, as both teams combined to make seven field goals in the first seven minutes. A hook shot by Bo Outlaw (eight points) rimmed the Knicks' lead to 90-86 with 6:21 to go, but New York closed the game with a 10-3 run. "I guess Latrell and Patrick made up for me," said Allan Houston, who was 6-of-14 for 14 points, just a game after his 20-point outing against Atlanta. Marcus Camby, who notched in 12 in the same game, posted just two tonight. "I do not care about myself as long as we rack up victories," said Camby. "We've been getting off to slow starts every game so far, but we've been fighting, trying to get back into every single one of them. I hope we continue to do that.'' The Knicks were, for the fourth time in five games, outrebounded by double digits, but were able to start their three-game road trip on a good note -- the short tour wraps up with back-to-back stops, Thursday and Friday, at Miami and Indiana.

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• Posting up against Hawks forward Alan Henderson, veteran Larry Johnson initiated his shot with Atlanta leading 34-28 in the second quarter. The Hawks had started the period with a 12-2 run, and Henderson already had his season averages, six and six, on his pocket (the veteran from Indiana would finish the night with season-highs 18 and 10). On the other hand, Johnson missed the shot, en route for a season-low four points, as the Knicks were butchered on the glass, 50-34; their bench was outscored, 30-23; and lost on second chance points, 13-4. With those numbers, you would be surprised to see a team hanging on for a 17-point victory and lead by as much as 24 -- well, that's exactly what occurred at MSG on Sunday. Outrebounded by double digits in four of five games so far, you would be surprised to see a team winning three of those -- well, that's the New York Knicks' record today.
  
  That's when you have to go back to the drawing board. Looking at the negatives, well, first and foremost, it's the team rebounding. New York is dead last in rebounds per game in the NBA at 38.2 -- for the sake of comparison, the Houston Rockets top the list at 55.6. Patrick Ewing leads the team at 7.4, with Latrell Sprewell grabbing 5.4 a game... Johnson is posting a career-low 3.8. 15 of Atlanta's 50 boards came on offense, resulting in them attempting ten more shots than the Knicks... in a loss. Two days later, the team's three-game road trip got off to a tough start when Orlando outrebounded them 56-46; 15 of them were offensive... in a defeat. "We have talked about that a lot. We are winning, but we are giving up a lot of rebounds and second-chance points. It obviously hurts," said Ewing. "Everyone has to be involved. We are last on that column, so we have nowhere to go but up."
  
  Looking at the positives -- well, let's be gentle: as aforementioned, even when outrebounded, the unit is finding a way to get the W's. That starts with firepower: one thing that's carrying them forward is Sprewell's play, who, aside from his conduct issues in the past, is a player that can show you the way in the last two minutes of a contest, and is leading the squad with 23.4 points per night. Allan Houston has also demonstrated offensive prowess capable of leading a team. Then, ball movement: the Knicks are 4th in field goal percentage and 10th in assists per game in the league. They are also making their free throws: 7th in charity stripe accuracy. And last but not least, it's luck. Plain and simple. The opponents are getting more rebounds, but they aren't making those extra opportunities. Aside from Ewing's explosiveness every now and then (primarily against the Warriors and Magic), there's not much more to underline. Fans and front office alike must be putting together shrines and candles for Sprewell and Houston's health right now -- you don't want Charlie Ward having to come in and rescue you.
  
  With Ewing at 37 years old and Johnson not playing at a high level, New York will have its work cut out against a Miami Heat team that features one of the NBA’s most powerful front lines. Alonzo Mourning ranks fourth in the league at 10.8 boards a game, while P.J. Brown (7.4) and backup Clarence Weatherspoon (4.8) are also solid glass eaters. At the same time, the entire Heat starting five is averaging double figures in scoring, with Mourning (22.0) and Tim Hardaway (16.2) leading the pack. "Even will all those issues, we have a winning record. I think that puzzles a lot of people," head coach Jeff Van Gundy said, "but we're just not competing as hard as we need to, specially on the glass. They have great rebounding bigs so we’ve got to tackle that area better. Much better."

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• In a game that featured a dozen of lead changes, the Miami Heat saved their best for last.
  
  With a superb final frame performance and a key 3-pointer by Tim Hardaway with just 2.9 seconds remaining, the Miami Heat edged a much more competitive New York Knicks team, 87-84. Dan Majerle scored 17 points to lead six Heat players in double figures as Hardaway chipped in 12 for the hosts, who dominated inside (38-24) en route to their fourth win in six games. "Coach (Pat) Riley told us before the game to disregard their record, they're a tough unit," Majerle said. "He knows them to perfection. Down double digits, we had nothing to lose." The critical 3-pointer by Hardaway came just moments after Jamal Mashburn missed a triple from the same spot. P.J. Brown battled Latrell Sprewell for the rebound and flipped it to Mashburn once again, who switched positions and passed it to Hardaway for a 85-84 lead. Down one, Charlie Ward inbounded the ball and tried to connect with Patrick Ewing, but the pass sailed over his head out of bounds, turning the ball over to Miami and icing the game with two free throws after an intentional foul by Sprewell, who then missed a half-court heave as time expired. "They were more aggressive down the stretch," said Sprewell. "We just ran out of fuel."
  
  New York led 35-23 with 7:36 left in the second, but Heat stormed back with a 19-3 rally and took a 50-46 lead at halftime. The Knicks then grabbed control of the situation in the third, but looked slow in transition in the fourth and it cost them what would have been a great win, as the team listened to coach Jeff Van Gundy's pre-game statements and for once, won a rebounding battle without question, 43-37. "I really liked the way the guys battled tonight. We need to play like this more often. It came down to a make or miss, that's how close it was," Van Gundy said. "Tim's shot was huge and they got the key stop they needed." The Knicks never strayed from their gameplan on offense, consistently feeding two names: Sprewell, on isolation and driving plays (posting a game-best 28 points and staying perfect from the free throw line) and Ewing on the post -- the 37-year-old couldn't be stopped as he was on sync on both ends of the floor with 22 and nine rebounds, and cleared Alonzo Mourning out of the way. Mourning shot 5-of-14 for a season-low ten points. "We shouldn't have lost this game," said Ewing. "We blew a great opportunity, but the season is still young."
  
  Allan Houston started the game 5-of-7 from the field, but cooled off considerably as he missed nine of his final 10 attempts. New York's bench was outscored 28-10, with Cliff Robinson and Voshon Lenard leading the reserves with 12 and 10 points for the Heat. "I think we were all a little angry in the first half," said Mashburn, who notched in just nine. "But we came roaring back. We played better defense and I'm proud of my teammates." Ward and Larry Johnson again failed to reach double digits in scoring, with just three and six, respectively, for the visitors. They did share the basketball, though: 24 assists on 32 field goals. "We moved the ball offensively, but some shots didn't fall for us," Johnson said. "We have to work on that because it sucks to lose tonight." The Knicks will complete a back-to-back tomorrow night at Indiana -- their third game in four nights. "We're going to keep fighting," said Houston. "We will try to end the trip on a good note." Forward Mark Strickland missed the game for Miami with a torn ligament in his left hand.

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• Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the Indiana Pacers' new arena, opened last week. Its atmosphere tonight made it feel like a playoff game already.
  
  In a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference Finals series, Indiana overcame being outscored in the paint and used some late head-scratching possessions by the New York Knicks to take the game, 95-92. "We never gave up," said veteran Reggie Miller, who led the hosts with 22 points. "Our playoff series last year against them was pretty tough. I kind of felt it would come down to the last minute." Jalen Rose added 18 and eight rebounds for a resilient Pacers squad, who rallied from 10 points down. A 11-2 run in the fourth quarter, which featured three straight turnovers by New York, was capped by a 3-pointer from the right corner by Rose; it put Indy ahead 89-86 with 2:28 to play -- their first lead since a 3-pointer by Austin Croshere opened the game. The Knicks had one last shot to tie, but a 30-foot prayer by Allan Houston didn't fall. New York won the battle inside, 48-32, including 15 of their first 19, but couldn't capitalize on their opportunities from the free throw line: a season-worst 55 percent, just one night after making 17-of-18 at Miami.
  
  In the early going, the Knicks threatened to run the Pacers right out of their new stadium, jumping out to a 32-19 lead; but Indiana refused to give up, pulling to within six points at 50-44 at intermission. The visitors led by the minimum, 76-75, after three periods and 84-78 with four minutes left, but Indy showed true grit with a small edge on the glass, 46-44, and a 27-25 advantage in bench scoring. Travis Best and Al Harrington came off as reserves and each posted eight points. Rik Smits, who started in place of injured Jeff Foster (out for two weeks with plantar fasciitis), caught fire after halftime and contributed 11 of his 13 points in the second half. "I was feeling it," said Smits. "My teammates were looking for me, setting some great screens." Mark Jackson scored a season-low six points and Croshere notched in nine for the Pacers, leaders in the East today at 5-1. "Holding the Knicks to only 16 points in the fourth? That was flawless from us," said head coach Larry Bird. "They have heavy artillery on offense. We buckled down late and took advantage of some great looks."
  
  "We did a great job of playing defense for about 18 minutes," said Latrell Sprewell, who stepped up for the Knicks with a game-high 23 points while shooting 10-of-15 from the field. "But in the second half not so much. It's tough, specially when we had the game early and in the final minutes as well." Patrick Ewing was 4-of-14 for just 11 points -- a career 74-percent foul shooter, he is making a career-low 60-percent this season. "Missing free throws. Can't forgive myself for that," Ewing said. Charlie Ward had, without a doubt, his best game of the season as he flirted with a rare triple-double: eight points, six boards and 11 assists. Houston had 20 points, while Marcus Camby tallied a season-best 16 off the bench. "I don't think we were the main players tonight," said Camby. "The only way you bounce back from this is a win on our next game." The Knicks have lost two straight games by three points while surrendering a double-digit lead. "We just couldn't get over the hump with our turnovers. A lot of their points come off of our free throw misses and us being careless with the ball," said head coach Jeff Van Gundy. "We have a lot of work to do." The Knicks host the Bucks (4-1) on Sunday.

[kjking70]

As a New York guy, definitely following this. Hopefully you have more success than the Knicks have. Also, some great reporting by Mr. Parker