New York Knicks: The all-time Patrick Ewing teammates team

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NEW YORK, UNITED STATES: New York Knicks guard John Starks lets out a victory scream late in the game against the Charlotte Hornets 26 April in New York. The Knicks defeated the Hornets 100-93 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. AFP PHOTO Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images) /

Patrick Ewing best teammates: Sixth Man, John Starks (1996-97 season)

I wanted to build an all-time team without duplicating players, so while Anthony Mason had some incredible seasons off the bench, this spot is reserved for John Starks.

The passion in Starks’ game was the perfect ingredient to make him a spark off the bench. Late in the first quarter, after the excitement of introductions had worn off, maybe the other team had gotten off to a strong start, and a substitution would be made to bring in Starks, who would promptly hit a few big three-pointers to turn the momentum on the Knicks’ side.

In 1996-97, he won Sixth Man of the Year for his bench heroics. He averaged 13.8 points on 43.1% shooting, including 36.9% from downtown, while playing every minute like it was his last on the court.

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John Starks was a great teammate to Patrick Ewing because he owned the role the coaches gave to him. For a superstar athlete like Ewing, he needed players around him that would help complement his game, which is exactly what Starks did.

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