What is Ewing like, one of the four most controversial centers in his career?

In 2001, the famous American basketball writer Bill Simmons mentioned a concept in his column:

The player was generally overrated by the media, but in fact he did not win enough heavyweight awards;

When he was injured, the outside world often thought that his team was completely ruined or finished, but the fact was completely opposite. The team's record or performance improved during the absence of the star.

The concept was also called "Ewing's Law" in the future. Unlike other rules that are highly praised or half-praise, Ewing's Law is full of derogatory meaning and is a word used by the outside world to criticize or make fun of the "savior" of the Big Apple City.

was one of the four major centers in the 1990s. Why is Ewing's career extremely controversial? What are his technical characteristics? This issue of [Star Analysis] will take you into the story of Patrick Ewing. Born in Jamaica, Ewing moved to the United States at the age of 11. Although he was a little clumsy on the basketball court at first, he soon became a remarkable genius afterwards. In high school, he had reached 6 feet 10 inches in height, becoming the focus of national attention.

He knows his background as a star player, so he always keeps a low profile and only focuses on basketball. Perhaps because of this, he ended up choosing Georgetown, where he could thrive under coach John Thompson.

In his freshman season, Ewing successfully led the team to the finals, and his opponents this year were North Carolina University led by James Worthy and Michael Jordan. A moment before the end of the game, Jordan overtook the score with a mid-range shot and led the team to the championship. At that time, Ewing would not have thought that the defender in front of him would become his lifelong enemy.

In his junior year, Ewing led the team to the finals again, and this time, his opponent was the University of Houston led by Olajuwon. This time, all Georgetown University staff put in full force and played steadily, and finally defeated the opponent 84-75 and successfully won the cup. And Ewing won the first showdown with Dameng.

During the offseason that year, Ewing originally planned to participate in the NBA draft, and his parents strongly asked him to finish college. In the end, Ewing withdrew from the draft and missed the opportunity to run with Dameng, Jordan and others.

The next year, Georgetown University stepped onto the final floor again, but this time it lost to Villanova University, which was born by 2 points.

After 4 years and three finals, Ewing officially participated in the NBA draft. And New York is now in a quagmire of ups and downs, and they urgently need a "savior" to come. Ewing is the best choice. With the third-worst record in the league, the Knicks won the draw in this draft and the team is about to usher in a rebirth.

"He will be the next Bill Russell, but the offense is stronger."

This is from Ewing High School coach Mike Jarvis's comment on him.

Ewing was not good at offense in college. Because Georgetown head coach John Thompson emphasized defense very much and required big players to stay in the penalty area, Ewing's offensive potential was not fully tapped. However, Ewing was surprised by his offensive ability when he entered the NBA and got rid of his college opponent's double-team defense, as he developed a baseline jumper that was difficult to defend.

In addition, the center's most basic low post back is also an offensive method that he is very good at. He can use the strength of his feet and shoulders to fight his opponents on his back, relying on his tough physical fitness and precise skills to complete his score.

When receiving the ball at the bottom line, Ewing will first blow the ball and turn around to the outside, and then the opponent will confront you secretly before the ball is closed to create projection space. Finally, use the height advantage to score a jump shot.

At the end, Ewing will even use hooks to complete it. Whether it is frontal or sideways, this move is very threatening and can cause great trouble to the opponent's defense.

However, Ewing's arrival did not bring qualitative changes to the Knicks, and the team made the playoffs in three of the five seasons before his arrival. When the "Savior" arrived, they only scored 23 wins and 59 losses and missed the playoffs.

From then on, New Yorkers gradually gained opinions on this superstar who had no outstanding appearance and temperament. In his third season, Ewing ranked 20th in the league with 20.2 points per game, while averaging 2.99 blocks per game, ranking third in the league. That year, Ewing was selected for the All-Stars and was selected for the All-NBA second team and the All-Defensive second team at the end of the season. Before the season began, Rick Pitino took over the team in place of Hubby Brown, leading the Knicks to end his four consecutive seasons of not making the playoffs, and the team once again stepped onto the playoff floor. However, they only won one game, and the team was eliminated 3-1 by the Boston Celtics in the first round.

In that round of the series, Ewing averaged 18.8 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. From then on, the "Ewing Law" gradually showed signs.

In the next two years, the Knicks found the key to victory and entered the playoffs in a row. Ewing got the highest data in his career during this period. In the 89-90 season, Ewing averaged 28.6 points per game, third in the league; ranked second in the league with 3.99 blocks per game, ranking fifth in the league with 10.9 rebounds per game, and ranked fifth in the league with 10.9 rebounds per game. At the end of the season, he was also selected for the only team in his career and was selected for the fourth All-Star. Before the start of the 91-92 season, Pat Riley took over Pitino's coaching point and coached the Knicks. Over the next four seasons, Ewing has become a mainstay of the team, leading the team to win at least 50 games a year and successfully advanced to the NBA Finals in 1994..

However, in the finals of this year, Ewing's edge was completely covered by Olajuwon, while New York was turned around by the Rockets when they won the championship point. In the year closest to the championship, Ewing lost to his former opponent Dameng and missed the championship.

In the next four seasons, although Ewing averaged no less than 20.8 points per game, the Knicks failed in the Eastern Conference semi-finals in a row and missed the Eastern Conference Finals. Among them, the most impressive thing is that in the final moments of Game 7 with the Pacers, Ewing failed to make a layup at the basket, and the team missed the opportunity to turn defeat into victory.

Although Jordan and Olajuwon almost dominated the 1990s, the Pacers were the real victims of the Knicks at that time, and they could always turn the defeat in the series. Ewing is their most restrained part; on the contrary, when the team lacks Ewing, the team can win. As the 98-99 season approaches, Ewing, as the president of the union, is busy participating in labor-management negotiations. As the season was postponed to February and shortened to 50 games, the immediate victory gap between each team narrowed. Fortunately, the Knicks finally got on the last bus and entered the playoffs as eighth in the East. Afterwards, they passed the opportunity and became the first team in history to advance to the finals as the No. 8 seed.

Among them, Ewing's contribution was not outstanding. Although he averaged 17.3 points per game, he failed to continue playing due to an Achilles tendon injury in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the team still won the series.

This is also the key factor in why Bill Simmons could speak the "Ewing Law".

Despite this, the Knicks, who lack Ewing, could not stop Duncan and David Robinson's strong performance, and the Knicks missed the championship again.

99-00 season was Ewing's last glory in the Knicks, who eliminated the Heat, coached by Riley in the playoffs for the third time. However, in the Eastern Conference Finals, they lost to the Pacers again, and Ewing's Knicks career ended.

Before the 2000-01 season, the Knicks failed to reach an agreement with Ewing on the renewal and eventually traded him to the Seattle Supersonics. Just one season later, Ewing joined the Orlando Magic as a substitute.

In 2002, Ewing announced his retirement.

is the "Four Centers". Although Ewing's career is full of controversy, his professional attitude and playing style have had a great impact on future generations.

When asked how to evaluate Ewing, Jordan said this:

"He has a champion heart, and when you think of New York, the first thing you think of is Patrick Ewing. He brought anger to the team and brought the city back to life."