Patrick Ewing – Love Him or Hate Him but Always Respect Him

I was going to blog today about the rumored trade between my beloved Knicks and the Grizzlies that would send Zach Randolph to the Grizzlies in exchange for Darko and Marko Jaric.  When I went to ESPN to do some research, however, I was reminded that tonight is the night that Patrick Ewing will be inducted in the NBA Hall of Fame.  Seeing a photo of #33 standing next to Riley and Olajuwon (other inductees) sent me on a trip down memory lane.

The early 90’s were the best of times and the worst of times for Knicks fans.  Incredible regular seasons invariably ended with disappointing post season defeats that usually came at the hands of legends like Jordan, Miller and Hakeem.  But at the start of every post season, we were optimistic because we had a legend of our own, Patrick Ewing.  My favorite part of every postseason was the annual Patrick Ewing guarantee that this would be the year that the Knicks would win it all.  Maybe I was crazy but every year I trusted that guarantee.

Sadly for Ewing (and for us fans), that championship year never came.  We got oh-so-close in 94, when we lost game 7 of the final to the Rockets, but that was the closest we would ever get.  Shortly thereafter, Knicks fans (myself included) turned on Ewing.  Years of heartbreak took a toll on us and we became increasingly frustrated that our own legend was a pretender to the crown.  Cheers turned to boos and no one got it worse than Patrick.  Most players would have turned on the fans but Patrick Ewing wasnt most players.  Even when things were at their worst, Ewing played his heart out and did everything he could to help us win.

The past few awful years of Knicks basketball have made me realize one important thing.  Even when things were at their worst, Ewing never lost our respect.  We never looked at him the way we look at losers like Starbury.  I couldn’t be happier for Ewing that he made the hall of fame and look forward to the day when a new NBA star brings respect back to the Garden.