The $97-95$ Nightmare: Re-Examining Patrick Ewing's Infamous Missed Layup In The 1995 Playoffs

Few moments in NBA history are as simultaneously iconic and agonizing as Patrick Ewing's missed layup. Nearly three decades later, this single, ill-fated shot—a finger-roll that rimmed out at the buzzer of a decisive playoff game—remains the psychological anchor for an entire era of New York Knicks basketball, forever linking the legendary center to a moment of ultimate heartbreak. The play, which occurred on May 21, 1995, continues to fuel "what if" debates, serving as a cruel, indelible footnote on the otherwise Hall of Fame career of one of the game's greatest big men.

The enduring fascination with the missed layup is not just about the shot itself, but the context: a brutal, seven-game war against the bitter rival Indiana Pacers, led by the notorious "Knicks Killer," Reggie Miller, with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals on the line. As of the current date, December 14, 2025, modern analysis of the play still focuses on the immense pressure, the tactical setup, and the devastating ripple effect it had on the legacies of Ewing, coach Pat Riley, and the entire 90s Knicks franchise.

Patrick Ewing: A Hall of Fame Career Defined by the Near-Miss

Before the missed layup became a cultural shorthand for Knicks' playoff disappointment, Patrick Aloysius Ewing was, and still is, an undeniable icon and one of the most dominant centers of his generation. Drafted first overall in the 1985 NBA Draft, he immediately transformed the New York Knicks.

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His biography and career highlights are a testament to his excellence and longevity:

• Full Name: Patrick Aloysius Ewing
• Born: August 5, 1962 (Kingston, Jamaica)
• College: Georgetown University
• NBA Draft: 1st overall pick in 1985 (New York Knicks)
• NBA Career: 17 seasons (15 with the Knicks, 1 with the Orlando Magic, 1 with the Seattle SuperSonics)
• Career Points: 24,815 (21.0 points per game)
• Career Rebounds: 11,607 (9.8 rebounds per game)
• Career Blocks: 2,894 (2.4 blocks per game)
• Awards & Honors:
  • 11x NBA All-Star
  • NBA Rookie of the Year (1986)
  • 7x All-NBA Team (1x First Team, 6x Second Team)
  • 3x All-Defensive Second Team
  • 2x Olympic Gold Medalist (1984, 1992 Dream Team)
  • NBA 75th Anniversary Team
  • Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee (2008)

Ewing's statistical dominance and consistent two-way play are beyond reproach. He was the anchor of a Knicks team that reached the NBA Finals twice (1994, 1999) and consistently battled Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. Yet, for many, his legacy remains unfairly tethered to the one shot that didn't fall.

Game 7: The Stage and The Agony of the Final Possession

The 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals (ECSF) was a classic chapter in the legendary Knicks-Pacers rivalry. New York, coached by the intense Pat Riley, was a physically punishing, defensive juggernaut. The Pacers, led by the sharpshooting and trash-talking Reggie Miller, were a relentless offensive force. The series was defined by drama, including Miller's famous "8 points in 9 seconds" comeback in Game 1 at Madison Square Garden (MSG), a historic collapse that set a tone of high-stakes, high-wire basketball.

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The Knicks, who had rallied back from a 3-1 series deficit, forced a winner-take-all Game 7 back at MSG. The atmosphere was electric, a cauldron of pressure and expectation. The game was a tight, defensive struggle, characteristic of the era.

In the final seconds, with the Knicks trailing 97-95, the ball was inbounded to Ewing. The play was designed to get the ball to their best player for a game-tying opportunity. Ewing drove hard to the basket, bypassing a potential jump shot for a high-percentage shot—a running finger-roll layup.

With the clock winding down, Ewing executed the move, but the ball hit the back of the rim, bounced up, and then agonizingly dropped to the floor as the buzzer sounded. The 97-95 score stood, and the Knicks' season was over. The image of the ball hanging on the rim, refusing to fall, became an instant, painful classic.

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The Psychological Weight of a Single Miss

The reason this specific missed shot is so deeply embedded in NBA lore and the Knicks' collective consciousness is the sheer psychological weight it carried. It was a wide-open shot, a type of play Ewing had successfully completed thousands of times in his career. The miss became a symbol of the entire franchise's inability to win a championship during the Ewing era—a narrative of "so close, yet so far."

• The Finger-Roll Factor: The shot was a finger-roll, a finesse move often used to avoid shot-blockers. The analysis suggests that in the heat of the moment, the delicate touch required for the finger-roll may have been compromised by the immense pressure of the Game 7 buzzer.
• The Rivalry's Apex: The loss cemented the Pacers' victory and further fueled the narrative of Reggie Miller being the ultimate nemesis to the Knicks. The series, which also featured Knicks teammates John Starks, Anthony Mason, and Derek Harper, was the peak of 90s NBA physicality and rivalry.
• The Legacy Question: For Ewing, the miss is often discussed alongside the infamous "Charles Smith blocks" in the 1993 ECF against the Bulls. These moments, unfairly or not, are cited as reasons why Ewing’s legacy is sometimes viewed as a great player who lacked the final, championship-clinching gene. This narrative persists despite his overall brilliance and the fact that basketball is a team sport.

The Enduring Entities and Topical Authority of the 1995 ECSF

To truly understand the "Patrick Ewing missed layup," one must appreciate the constellation of entities and the deep topical authority surrounding the 1995 ECSF. It was a clash of titans that defined the Eastern Conference landscape for years.

The key entities involved in this historic moment include:

• Reggie Miller: The primary antagonist, whose incredible scoring and mental warfare against the Knicks were central to the Pacers' success.
• Pat Riley: The legendary Knicks coach who left the team shortly after this loss, marking the end of the team's championship window.
• John Starks: The fiery Knicks guard and key complementary player who often battled Miller directly.
• Anthony Mason: A vital power forward for the Knicks, known for his physicality and energy.
• The Score: The final 97-95 score is a crucial piece of data, highlighting the razor-thin margin of victory.
• Madison Square Garden (MSG): The "Mecca of Basketball," the venue that amplified the drama and the subsequent despair.

The continuous re-examination of this play on current sports broadcasts and social media platforms, even decades later, underscores its lasting importance. It's a fundamental lesson in the razor-thin margins of success in professional sports: one inch, one rotation of the ball, one moment of pressure can redefine a career and a franchise's history. The missed layup wasn't a failure of skill, but a moment of human fallibility under the most intense pressure imaginable, and that is why it will forever be one of the most discussed plays in NBA playoff history.