It was his teammates who stuttered and skipped like a warped LP.

Wearing a sneaker with extra padding and a look of determination, Ewing was in the New York Knicks' starting lineup Wednesday night after missing two games of the Eastern Conference finals with tendinitis in his right foot.

"It was great to see him out there," Knicks forward Latrell Sprewell said. "You could tell it helped us at the start. We just couldn't keep it going."

Ewing had 13 points and seven rebounds over 29 minutes in a solid game that was limited more by foul trouble than the tendinitis. He was perhaps the Knicks' best all-around player, which says more about New York's sorry performance than Ewing's effectiveness.

Despite his lack of mobility, Ewing helped provide smothering defense in the paint -- particularly against Rik Smits, who was held scoreless after boasting to reporters that he hoped Ewing would return to face him.

But with Ewing's return also came the departure of New York's much-lauded poise. The team that simply refused to lose so many postseason games in the last two seasons fell into a funk during the second quarter and never emerged, losing Game 5 88-79 and moving to the edge of elimination in the best-of-7 series.

"We got off to a tremendous start, and then it all fell apart," Ewing said. "We didn't play with the same intensity and heart."

The game didn't do much to resolve the debate on whether the Knicks are a better team with or without Ewing on the court. Sure, New York was mostly terrible in the final three quarters of Ewing's comeback game, but the 15-year center appeared to do all he could.

"I thought I played a pretty good game," said Ewing, his foot soaking in a large tub of ice water. "I was limited as to the things I could do, particularly offensively, but I don't think I set myself back at all.

"Hopefully my injury will keep on getting better. I didn't re-injure myself, so that's a positive."

New York made its first eight shots of the game and 10 of its first 11 while jumping to a double-digit lead before most fans had settled in their seats.

Ewing had nine points and four rebounds in the quarter, dominating the paint. He even swooped across the lane to block a layup attempt by Derrick McKey in the second quarter.

"He was the one that helped us to the big lead," Knicks guard Charlie Ward said.

But after the hot start, the Knicks went 4-of-24 for the rest of the first half, and the offensive freeze carried over into the second half. New York's fast break, so devastating during the holiday weekend at Madison Square Garden, was nonexistent as the Knicks repeatedly settled for bad jump shots.

Sprewell, Larry Johnson, Marcus Camby and Chris Childs were a combined 7-of-32 from the field. Johnson, who had 25 points in Game 4, was 2-for-8 for four points. Even Allan Houston missed several open shots before heating up for 25 points.

Patrick Ewing and Kurt Thomas watch in the final minutes as the Knicks drop Game 5.(AP)

Meanwhile, the Pacers stayed out of the paint but began hitting their open jumpers, and the Knicks never matched it. New York fell to 0-5 at Conseco Fieldhouse since it opened last November.

Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy used a small lineup while trying to catch Indiana in the second half, and Ewing, who picked up his fourth foul late in the third quarter, sat with a towel around his shoulders on the bench.

Detractors had suggested the Knicks would be more effective in this mode, but nothing changed with Ewing out.

"People pull up stats about that, but that's just not a fair thing to say about Patrick," Sprewell said. "He works hard, and he's going to play on Friday (in Game 6)."

If he is beginning to crack under the strain of another playoff run beset by injuries, he won't admit it. The ice packs on his knees and wrist spoke volumes, however.

Ewing said he isn't sure exactly how much turmoil and how many injury setbacks a team can endure.

"Ask me that after the season's over," he said. "After we win a championship."