KNICK NOTES There was no Patrick Ewing last night for the Knicks. When he will come back from a sore Achilles’ tendon remains anybody’s guess. The perfect time for Ewing to return would be Monday against the Hawks, the third of three games in three nights.
However, Jeff Van Gundy said before the Knicks’ 86-78 loss to the Magic that he did not want to give the impression Ewing will return Monday. Ewing has missed six games, seven if you count the 29 seconds he played against Milwaukee before leaving the court.
“It feels better, but I don’t know if that means anything,” Van Gundy said. Ewing took a few shots in practice yesterday by himself, but the coach said, “It was nothing that would lead you to believe he’ll be back any time soon.”
Ewing was not available to the media before or after the game.
“The one good thing about his career is that he has lived in pain, it’s just going to be different pain,” Van Gundy said. *It took the Magic 50 minutes to get from their hotel on 52nd street to the Garden because of the sign mess in Times Square. The Magic arrived an hour and 15 minutes before tip-off.