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Patrick Ewing To Recall Knicks Career on MSG Networks

Read about what Patrick Ewing will discuss with Alan Hahn in his Wednesday interview on MSG Networks.

On Wednesday at 7PM EST, MSG Networks will be airing an interview between Alan Hahn, Bill Pidto, and Patrick Ewing as part of their "Patrick Ewing Week" programming. Ewing will join Hahn and Pidto to discuss topics ranging from his thoughts back when the Knicks won the 1985 NBA Draft Lottery to his experiences playing for the storied Olympic "Dream Team". 

On the topic of the lottery results the year Ewing was projected to be the draft's first overall selection, the Hall of Fame center revealed he himself was rooting for the Knicks to win the pick. Ewing said that once it came down to the Pacers or the Knicks, he said, "Please let it be New York, please. You know, nothing against Indiana, but I would have rather been in New York. And New York won. I was very happy."

Ewing played at Madison Square Garden several times before ever donning a Knicks jersey. When discussing those memories, Ewing noted Georgetown's game against St. John's, and added that, "It always felt great to come to New York. New York is the Mecca. The fans – sometimes they were rude, sometimes they were boisterous. But we [the Georgetown Hoyas] had our own fans too as there’s a lot of Georgetown people in New York. So it was a great experience.”

When discussing what it was like to match up against the dominant big men of his era, Ewing mentioned the toughness and talent of opponents such as Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Artis Gilmore, and Darryl Dawkins. On the group of centers, and opposing big men from throughout his career in general, Ewing claimed that he "had to bring [his] lunch pail and [his] hard hat if [he] wanted to play the center position, especially back then." 

Hahn and Pidto also asked Ewing about his thoughts on having his #33 jersey retired at Madison Square Garden, to which Ewing responded that, "It meant a lot, it's the culmination of [his] career. [He] think[s] not only myself, but [his] teammates, all the blood, sweat and tears and injuries that [they] sustained through [his] 15 years there, gave me the honor to be up there with all those greats." 

Finally, on the topic of the 1992 Dream Team, Ewing made the assertion that the team was "that much superior than anybody else that [they] were playing." When discussing the intensity of the team's practices - events that included greats from Jordan, Johnson, Bird, and the rest of the squad - Ewing said that trying to prove one's worth as being 'better' than another star on the team amplified the intensity of said practices.