Good morning, Perhaps you saw Charley Rosen's trashing of Ewing (http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/3835810) as a choke artist in the playoffs. I was wondering about that, because that was never my impression. I remember Dream thoroughly thrashing Ewing in the Finals, but my Knicks fan friend defended Ewing (though he certainly admits Dream was better) saying that he significantly outrebounded Dream and that Dream took a lot more shots to get his points. I looked at their playoff stats for that year, and indeed Olajuwon was awesome and Ewing...not, at least on the offensive side. The most glaring distinction was while Dream shot very well, Ewing shot 43.7%. I'd like to see the head-to-head stats between the too from just the Finals. Anyone know where I can find those? I wasn't having much luck on google. Thanks, Michael
I haven't looked at the article yet, but I don't think Ewing's rep came from that Finals series. The most glaring thing that comes to mind is his missed, no-one-in-the-same-zip-code layup at the very end of a game 7 against the Pacers. Would have tied the game. It was sorry. Evan
Yes the two played very close all finals long...but it came down to one missed shot. In the final minute of game 7, with the Rox holding only a 3 point lead, Hakeem hit a 5 footer with Ewing all over him and the Rox are up 5. Then after a timeout...Ewing takes a similar shot, but Hakeem has to back off because he has 5 fouls, and Ewing misses. The next thing Maxwell is hitting a 3 pointer at the shot clock - 8 point lead - game over. If Ewing makes that shot...who knows. So tell your friend that's Ewing's career in a nut shell...he almost always missed the big shots at the end of games.
See that's just it. I don't recall Ewing always missing clutch shots. I remember one finger roll, and not many other big misses. However, I remember a number of huge shots in his career which he made. Somehow he got the rep as being a choker, and I just want to know, are there actual stats to back it up? Or can someone name a bunch of last minute shots he missed? Understand, I'm no Ewing fan; I grew up in NYC and watched Dream with awe before I was 9 years old. But Ewing is amazingly underappreciated here, and I just wonder how much of his rep is based on choking and how much is based on one finger roll.
When you really think about it, how often do you get a chance to make/miss a huge shot in a clinching playoff game? Miss one or two and your fate could be sealed....
Ewing and Shaq in those NBA finals played Dream a lot better than Robinson or any other centers did during those playoff runs. Dream was the best, but Ewing was an excellent player who could hold his own on both ends of the court a lot more than most against Dream.
Please understand I'm no Ewing fan at all, but it isn't fair to define his career by how MJ tortured the Knicks and by Olajuwon dominating him in the 1994 Finals. In my recollection, Ewing wasn't a playoff choker. Besides the Bulls and Rockets, my most vivid memories are the way he dominated Zo when the Knicks played the Heat. To me, Zo was the playoff "choker" if there was one. Ewing was a great player who had a great career, but he simply wasn't as good as MJ or Dream. Choking doesn't have anything to do with it. Was Clyde a choker before he came to Houston because his Blazers lost to the Bulls and Pistons in the NBA Finals?
Maybe so, but to be considered one of the greatest ever, a player should raise his game up a few notches in the playoffs. A few who always did: Dream, MJ, Bird, Magic, Isiah... even Shaq. I wouldn't put Ewing in the category. Ewing's stats stayed pretty much the same between the regular season and the playoffs.
This site should break it all down for you... Hakeem and the Rockets: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/1994.html Patrick and the Knicks: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/NYK/1994.html Basically Hakeem played one on four with the Knicks frontcourt in this series. They played Ewing, Mason, Oakley and anybody else they could put on him to bang and wear him down. So his numbers might not be as high as you would think but make no mistake he made a difference on the floor for more then Ewing did.
Hakeem vs Ewing: 1994 NBA Finals # Game 1: Olajuwon 28 pts - Ewing 23 pts # Game 2: Olajuwon 25 pts - Ewing 16 pts # Game 3: Olajuwon 21 pts - Ewing 18 pts # Game 4: Olajuwon 32 pts - Ewing 15 pts # Game 5: Olajuwon 27 pts - Ewing 25 pts # Game 6: Olajuwon 30 pts - Ewing 19 pts # Game 7: Olajuwon 25 pts - Ewing 17 pts Patrick Ewing in series: 18.9 points .363 FG% Hakeem Olajuwon in series: 26.9 points .500 FG% Olajuwon outscored Ewing in all seven games. In the two regular season games played between the two in 1994, Olajuwon averaged 33 points and 16.5 rebounds to Ewing’s 12.0 and 9.5. Nuff said.
Don't forget the blown lay-up against the Pacers. Some did consider Clyde a choker until he stepped up and won a ring with Dream. No one is saying Ewing did not have a great career, but he never stepped it up in the biggest moments (i.e. playoffs), similar to Malone. 19 points on 36% in the Finals is not the way you want to be remembered when you finally get there.
I remember plenty of last second shots he missed. I'm from NY too. It seemed the Knicks always went to Ewing in the clutch, and why not...he's the man, but he missed 'em more than he made 'em. Let's face it he choked over and over. But in the finals - that's when legends are made and chokers are born. He had his chance...game 7 of the finals...he was not as good as Hakeem!
