Patrick Ewing passed Walt Frazier as the leading scorer in New York Knicks' history. But Frazier has the world championship rings Ewing only dreams about.
Ewing, who has played in seven All-Star games and won All-NBA honors, says his individual accomplishments "are all about equal."What he wants is an NBA title.
"When we win a championship," Ewing said, "that will rank above everything."
Ewing's latest feat was to surpass Frazier as the Knicks' top scorer. Ewing, needing 19 points to set the record, scored 27 Thursday night in a 108-85 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Play continued for two possessions after Ewing's 18-foot jumper with 9:39 left in the third quarter, off a pass from Charles Oakley, put Ewing ahead of Frazier. When a timeout stopped play, Frazier - a Knicks radio announcer who was with the Knicks when they won the NBA title in 1970 and '73 - came onto the court to pose for pictures and present Ewing with the record-setting ball.
Despite falling behind Ewing in points, Frazier still has something Ewing wants - a championship ring. In fact, he has two of them.
But Ewing, who now has 14,626 points, didn't let his real goal keep him from enjoying the moment.
"It means a lot to me," Ewing said. "It's ironic the way it came about, with Charles Oakley giving me the pass. Oak and I have been on the team together the longest."
Oakley and guard John Starks had a friendly rivalry going over who would pass to Ewing for the record basket.
"I wanted to be the guy," Starks said. "I passed it to Charles and he was supposed to pass it back. But he took off on me and gave it to Patrick."
Oakley, who often feels unappreciated in his role as rebounder and defender, saw his season-high 21 points overshadowed by Ewing's record and a knee injury to point guard Doc Rivers.
"It was a thrill. I was glad to help Patrick," Oakley said of his assist. "He was open, I gave him the pass and he made it. It was special for Patrick and I'm glad to be able to be the guy on the other end."