NBA Wire Notes | Ewing getting first shot at Hall

NEW YORK — At the end of a miserable season, the New York Knicks might finally have a reason to celebrate.

Patrick Ewing, the team's career scoring leader, will find out today if he is elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Growing up in Cambridge, Mass., Ewing said he made occasional trips to the Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Mass. But he never thought about someday being a member of it, nor did he spend much time worrying about it as a player.

"You don't have time to think about it," Ewing, now an assistant coach with Orlando, said Sunday during a news conference before the Magic played the Knicks. "You're concentrating on the present, trying to be the best player you can be and trying to do the best you can to help your team win a championship."

Ewing never accomplished that. The Knicks lost the 1994 NBA Finals to Houston in seven games, and Ewing was hurt when New York lost to San Antonio five years later.

He joined the Knicks as the No. 1 pick in the 1985 draft and spent 17 years in the NBA, most with the Knicks. Ewing also is the team's career leader in rebounds and blocked shots and was voted one of the league's 50 greatest players.

Ewing, former Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon and Miami Heat coach Pat Riley, all in their first years of eligibility, are the leading candidates. The 2008 class will be announced in San Antonio at the Final Four.

Notes

• Portland center Joel Przybilla broke a bone in his right hand during the second quarter of the Trail Blazers' game against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

Przybilla was trying to block a shot and his hand hit the rim. He left the game with 2:56 left before the half. The Blazers said he will miss the team's final five games.

Martell Webster was not at Sunday's game after he experienced dizziness and flulike symptoms Thursday and was taken to a hospital. Webster spent the night when doctors found an irregular heartbeat. He was expected to be examined by the Blazers' cardiologist early this week.

• Forward Alexander Johnson was held out of Miami's game Sunday, still battling the aftereffects of a concussion suffered Friday at Washington. It's unclear when, or if, Johnson will be cleared to return this season. In other injury news, Milwaukee guard Mo Williams (abdominal injury) missed Sunday's game. Forward Luke Walton missed the Lakers' game with a strained right hamstring; an MRI exam revealed no serious damage.

• A fan ran onto the court during the Magic-Knicks matchup with Orlando's Hedo Turkoglu shooting free throws in the fourth quarter. He ran the length of the floor before security caught him.