“To date, I cannot look him in the eye” – Pat Riley always feels bad not to have helped Patrick Ewing to win an NBA title

In a sincere reflection, Pat Riley has openly shared his deepest regret in his mandate as a chief coach of the New York Knicks. Years have passed, but the memories of the 1994 NBA final continue to weigh heavily in his mind, which led the legendary coach to stand responsible for the disappointing performance of the team during this pivot series.

Riley’s feelings are particularly focused on the center of Knicks Patrick Ewing, whose relentless dedication and hard work during this season have left him a lasting impression. He recognized the immense effort “Big Pat” invested in the search for an NBA championship, but the legendary coach considered that he had failed by providing the necessary support for Ewing to realize this dream.

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“The New York Knicks came after” Showtime “, but it was one of my favorite teams of all time”, “ Riley opened in an interview with Andcape in 2017. “These four years with these guys, led by Patrick, I loved it.”

“The greatest disappointment of my career has been to lose the [1994 NBA] championship. I dropped it, “ He confided. “I dropped it. I didn’t do it enough. I could have made some different movements. [Riley regrets not using a fresh Rolando Blackman in Game 7 to spell John Starks, who shot 2-for-18 against Houston.] I could have made him better photos. To date, I cannot look him in the eye. “”

Riley believed that Ewing gave everything he obtained in 94

It is of public notoriety in the NBA that “the godfather” was deeply determined to promote a culture of teamwork and determination in his trainer philosophy. This is also what defined his coach passage in New York. Among all the players of the Knicks in the 90s, he admitted that it was Ewing who really illustrated the mind to give everything he had on the field.

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For Riley, there is no more way to reward the implacable effort and dedication of Ewing than by guiding it to a title of champion of the NBA. Unfortunately, despite their shared aspirations and their hard work, Riley could not achieve this ultimate goal for his star Big Man during his mandate with the team.

“Patrick was a guy who gave everything he could give to this city to try to win a championship”, ” said Riley in a separate discussion. “This is probably one of the biggest disappointments I had in my life that cannot give them enough in matches 6 and 7 when we were in Houston so that Patrick was able to get his first championship.”