We've had the Mikan era, the Russell era, the Kareem era ... now we'll have the Ewing era.

— Pat O'Brien, quoting an unnamed NBA scouting director just before the 1985 NBA draft lottery.

Ewing was expected to be the top pick in the 1985 NBA draft.
The team that selected him would be making history by doing so.
From 1966 until 1984, the NBA draft was conducted similarly to the NFL draft, where teams are awarded draft positions based on winning percentage.
The difference was that instead of the team with the lowest percentage automatically being awarded the top pick, the NBA held a coin toss between the teams with the worst records in each conference and the winner of the coin toss selected first with the loser automatically picking second.
This practice tended to encourage teams to purposely lose games in order to improve their draft position and potentially get into the coin toss.
The only way two teams from the same conference could have the first two picks would have been if one of the two aforementioned teams traded their pick to another team (as the Indiana Pacers had done with what eventually became the number-two pick in the previous year's draft).

Beginning with the 1985 draft, the NBA handled matters differently.
Every team that qualified for the playoffs received positions based on their winning percentage, and the teams that did not were placed in a lottery.
In the first lottery, the NBA did not determine the positions as they do now.
In this case, the seven teams that did not qualify for the playoffs were each given an equal chance to get the top pick.
Each team had its name and logo put in an envelope, and the envelopes were placed into a hopper and spun to shuffle them.
Once done, Commissioner David Stern then drew an envelope from inside to determine who would pick first.
In a move that would create controversy for years to come, the envelope Stern drew was the one belonging to the New York Knicks.
They drafted Ewing, as expected, beginning a 15-year relationship.
They then signed him to a 10-year, $32 million contract, a contract which The New York Times years later described as "a tremendous contract at that time or any time."

Although injuries marred his first year in the league, he was voted NBA Rookie of the Year and named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team after averaging 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game.
Soon after he was considered one of the premier centers in the league.
Ewing enjoyed a successful career; eleven times named an NBA All-Star, once named to the All-NBA First Team, six times a member of the All-NBA Second Team, and named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team three times.
He was a member of the original Dream Team at the 1992 Olympic Games.
He was also given the honor of being named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

In the 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Knicks played the defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan.
Ewing was unstoppable in Game 1, finishing with 34 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 blocks, and the Knicks beat Chicago 94–89.
The Knicks were facing elimination in Game 6 when Ewing had one of the greatest games of his career.
The team trailed 3–2 in the series, and Ewing was limited physically by a bad ankle sprain, but he helped the Knicks beat the Bulls 100–86 by scoring 27 points.
NBC announcer Marv Albert called it a "Willis Reed-type performance", but the Knicks were ultimately eliminated in Game 7 in a blowout, 110–81.

In an April 14, 1993 game, between the Knicks and the Charlotte Hornets, the 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) Ewing suffered a moment of embarrassment when Muggsy Bogues, a 5-foot-3-inch-tall (1.60 m) point guard for the Hornets, managed to block his shot.
The team looked like it was going to advance to the NBA Finals when they took a 2–0 lead over Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
Both teams battled well, each winning on its home court in the first 4 games.
However, the Bulls stunned the Ewing-led Knicks, winning Game 5 in New York 97–94 after Ewing's teammate, Charles Smith, was repeatedly blocked down low by Bulls defender
We've had the Mikan era, the Russell era, the Kareem era ... now we'll have the Ewing era.
— Pat O'Brien, quoting an unnamed NBA scouting director just before the 1985 NBA draft lottery.
Ewing was expected to be the top pick in the 1985 NBA draft. The team that selected him would be making history by doing so. From 1966 until 1984, the NBA draft was conducted similarly to the NFL draft, where teams are awarded draft positions based on winning percentage. The difference was that instead of the team with the lowest percentage automatically being awarded the top pick, the NBA held a coin toss between the teams with the worst records in each conference and the winner of the coin toss selected first with the loser automatically picking second. This practice tended to encourage teams to purposely lose games in order to improve their draft position and potentially get into the coin toss. The only way two teams from the same conference could have the first two picks would have been if one of the two aforementioned teams traded their pick to another team (as the Indiana Pacers had done with what eventually became the number-two pick in the previous year's draft).
Beginning with the 1985 draft, the NBA handled matters differently. Every team that qualified for the playoffs received positions based on their winning percentage, and the teams that did not were placed in a lottery. In the first lottery, the NBA did not determine the positions as they do now. In this case, the seven teams that did not qualify for the playoffs were each given an equal chance to get the top pick. Each team had its name and logo put in an envelope, and the envelopes were placed into a hopper and spun to shuffle them. Once done, Commissioner David Stern then drew an envelope from inside to determine who would pick first. In a move that would create controversy for years to come, the envelope Stern drew was the one belonging to the New York Knicks. They drafted Ewing, as expected, beginning a 15-year relationship. They then signed him to a 10-year, $32 million contract, a contract which The New York Times years later described as "a tremendous contract at that time or any time."
Although injuries marred his first year in the league, he was voted NBA Rookie of the Year and named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team after averaging 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. Soon after he was considered one of the premier centers in the league. Ewing enjoyed a successful career; eleven times named an NBA All-Star, once named to the All-NBA First Team, six times a member of the All-NBA Second Team, and named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team three times. He was a member of the original Dream Team at the 1992 Olympic Games. He was also given the honor of being named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
In the 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Knicks played the defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan. Ewing was unstoppable in Game 1, finishing with 34 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 blocks, and the Knicks beat Chicago 94–89. The Knicks were facing elimination in Game 6 when Ewing had one of the greatest games of his career. The team trailed 3–2 in the series, and Ewing was limited physically by a bad ankle sprain, but he helped the Knicks beat the Bulls 100–86 by scoring 27 points. NBC announcer Marv Albert called it a "Willis Reed-type performance", but the Knicks were ultimately eliminated in Game 7 in a blowout, 110–81.
In an April 14, 1993 game, between the Knicks and the Charlotte Hornets, the 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) Ewing suffered a moment of embarrassment when Muggsy Bogues, a 5-foot-3-inch-tall (1.60 m) point guard for the Hornets, managed to block his shot. The team looked like it was going to advance to the NBA Finals when they took a 2–0 lead over Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Both teams battled well, each winning on its home court in the first 4 games. However, the Bulls stunned the Ewing-led Knicks, winning Game 5 in New York 97–94 after Ewing's teammate, Charles Smith, was repeatedly blocked down low by Bulls defender
Patrick Ewing