NBA History: 5 Greatest players who deserved to win an NBA title but didn't

#4 Patrick Ewing

Patrick Ewing is one of the greatest Knicks of all time. He played with them for 15 years before playing for the Seattle SuperSonics and the Orlando Magic.

The Knicks looked like a championship team when Ewing was their star but could not get over the hump. The Knicks failed to win a championship despite a talent like Ewing.

Ewing was the first pick of the 1985 draft. The Knicks drafted him after winning the first-ever NBA draft lottery.

In his career, Ewing was Rookie of the Year, an 11-time All-Star, a three-time All-Defensive Second Team member and a six-time All-NBA Second Team member. He also was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1990.

Ewing was an exceptional player on both ends of the floor. He is often considered the best jump-shooting center to play the game, and he was a skilled shot blocker. In his first 14 seasons, Ewing averaged at least two blocks each season. His career-best was in the 1989-90 season when he averaged four blocks per game. He also averaged a career-high in points that season by averaging 28.6 points.

With Ewing, the Knicks made the NBA Finals twice. They made the Finals in 1994 and again in 1999. In 1994, the Knicks lost to the Houston Rockets in a seven-game series. Ewing averaged 18.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 4.3 blocks.

Ewing battled Hakeem Olajuwon, who is also one of the NBA's best centers. In the end, Olajuwon and the Rockets won the series, and the Knicks did not return to the Finals for five years.

The Knicks returned to the NBA Finals in 1999 when they played the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs beat the Knicks in a five-game series in what would be Ewing's last time in the NBA Finals.

In this series, Ewing battled a torn Achilles' tendon as they Knicks hoped to win a championship. They fell short and ultimately lost the series.

After their Finals loss, Ewing played for the Knicks one more season. Then, he was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics, where he played one season. Ewing averaged 9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds as he was a player on the decline. He finished his career with the Orlando Magic before announcing his retirement

Ewing was a player affected by a stacked Eastern Conference. The East had so many talented teams (including the Bulls), and it was hard to gain an advantage over their opponents truly. Ewing was a skilled big man, who despite not winning a championship is an NBA legend.