Modern-day fans might know Patrick Ewing as one of the greatest players ever to represent the New York Knicks, but they may never truly understand just how much fear he struck in his opponents. Steve Kerr once gave the perfect sense of that by admitting that the aura was overwhelming whenever he played against ‘Big Pat,’ especially at Madison Square Garden.
The combination of the crowd, the energy, and the announcer’s booming voice every time Ewing scored made his presence impossible to forget, so much so that Kerr has nightmares recalling those instances even now, multiple years after their iconic battles.
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Steve Kerr on battling against Patrick Ewing at MSG
In the 42 games Kerr faced Ewing throughout his career, he saw the seven-foot center average 22.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, and two blocks per game. Since Kerr entered the league when Ewing had already reached his All-NBA, All-Defensive ceiling, it became almost impossible for him not to be mesmerized by the Knicks legend since his rookie year.
During the 1988-89 season, when Ewing dropped 40 points on 77.3 percent shooting against Kerr’s Phoenix Suns to lead the Knicks to a hard-fought 124-119 victory at home or during the following season, when Ewing registered a 41-point and 11-rebound double-double to lead the Knicks to an overtime win against Kerr’s Cleveland Cavaliers, the altter witnessed how the crowd roared every time the 11-time All-Star practically touched the ball.
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That energy made Ewing’s presence larger than life inside Madison Square Garden, something which Kerr simply cannot forget for the rest of his life.
“I always remember those games in the Garden, just hearing the PA announcer when Patrick Ewing would score,” Kerr recalled in an old interview. “Man, still have nightmares about that.”
Steve Kerr felt Patrick Ewing’s aura at his peak
Interestingly, such ‘aura-farming’ from Ewing wasn’t limited only to the regular season either. For instance, during the 1994 playoffs, when Michael Jordan was away and the Chicago Bulls faced the Knicks in the second round, Kerr saw Ewing’s greatness firsthand again. Ewing averaged a series-high in scoring (22.9 points) and rebounding (12 rebounds) as well as 20.5 points per game across the four contests in New York, posting double-doubles in three of them, all coming in a winning cause.
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For Kerr, that series underscored how deeply the Knicks fans embraced Ewing’s leadership and impact, making sure that every time he did something productive on the hardwood, the fans ensured to let the opposing players well and truly understand who the most dominating force of them all was.
So it does seem safe to say that this highlights why Ewing remains such a revered figure in New York basketball history. To Knicks fans, Ewing wasn’t just an ordinary seven-foot center; instead, he was a force of nature who could dominate any opponent on both ends of the floor. Unfortunately for Kerr, he spent his entire NBA career witnessing Ewing’s dominance from the best seat in the arena or when they shared the court together.
So while modern-day players like Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony Towns aspire to lead the Knicks to the success they have long craved and possibly become fan favorites, they should consider themselves lucky if they are embraced half as much as Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. was during his playing days.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.