The Ewing Flaw Theory
On last week’s Keeping It Real Sports show I struck a chord with Knicks fans on and off the show. I dared to say what no one would; that Patrick Ewing was flawed. As soon as the word flawed was uttered a thousand flawed pro Ewing argumentative ships were launched. Of course like any Knicks fan would say the most arduous call for Patrick Ewing’s greatness was John Starks screwing up his shot at a ring in the 94 with his horrible game 7 finals shooting performance. However Ewing was a beast that game 7…. OOOOOH MY GOD WAIT!!!!
As I was penning this article I was mugged by the dreaded “Box score of reality” whom I may add is almost as intimidating as the “Knick Fans undying hope”. The “Box score of Reality” implored me, begged me, urged me to look at the box scores of the 1994 NBA Final that Knicks fans seem to conveniently misremember to prove the “Ewing Flaw Theory”.
So here we go, below are Patrick Ewing’s numbers per game of the 1994 finals.
1994 NBA FINALS (Really Patrick Ewing apologists?)
Knicks fans be honest with yourselves. A “superstar” player who averages 19 points and 12 boards all while only leading his team in scoring twice in his only final appearance isn’t flawed? Ewing shot only 37 percent from the field in the finals and looked completely outclassed by the Dream. Great players do not let Derek Harper, or John Starks outscore them on the biggest stage. Game 6 is about as flawed as it gets for the overhyped Knickerbocker. With the Knicks up 3-2 on the Rockets Ewing goes 6 for 20 from the field. John Stark often beleaguered for his game 7 performance has a career game scoring 27 points in spite of his flawed superstars no show.
The 1994 Finals are not Starks fault. He is a scapegoat that has allowed Knick fans to not address the real problem that series, Patrick Ewing. His lack of post moves, inconsistent shooting, as well as his limited defensive abilities had the Knicks at a marked disadvantage. Harper, Starks, Oakley, and the rest of the Knick supporting cast had to carry their “superstar” in most if not all of these games. Desperately doing their best to cover up the reality of Patrick against the expectations of what the delusional Knick fan base had. Knicks entered the 1994 finals with a jump shooting big man that Hakeem probably never lost sleep over.
Flash forward almost 20 years later Knick fans find themselves glorifying the career of Patrick Ewing like Ronald Reagan at a Ted Cruz rally. Generating self serving logic and rationale to help them avoid that Patrick Ewing was not as good as they thought he was. A superstar that could not even dream of going blow for blow with Jordan like Drexler, Barkley, and Payton did. Yea those guys came up short but Ewing fell off the cliff. This is only part one of my crusade against the misrepresentation of Ewing’s career, part 2 coming soon. I also want to end this article with a BIG THANKS TO THE “BOXSCORE OF REALITY”. Unlike Knick fans he keeps it real.
