Stoudemire's swagger makes Knicks
This appeared to be setting up for a good battle and perhaps a test of Amar'e Stoudemire's ubiquitous swagger. On Tuesday, Stoudemire called out Al Horford, saying the Hawks' center "don't want to see me.'' Horford replied yesterday morning, "Like we're supposed to be scared of him. Ain't nobody scared of him.''
But aside from a dust-up when Raymond Felton took exception to a bump by Horford late in last night's 102-90 win over the Hawks, Stoudemire went unchallenged. He had 23 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots, including an emphatic rejection of a Horford drive with 5:45 left.
Perhaps the most notable altercation came when Marvin Williams asked a few of his friends to have words with a heckler in a Knicks jersey sitting near the Hawks' bench. The issue was the fan's calling Williams a coward. It hardly escalated beyond a conversation, which Garden security broke up quickly.
The same could be said about the game, which didn't produce much of a carry-over from the Knicks' Jan. 28 loss in Atlanta that included a fight between Williams and Knicks forward Shawne Williams and a war of words between Stoudemire and Horford.
This all started when Horford got a bit overzealous in celebrating a block on Stoudemire late in the game in Atlanta, which annoyed Stoudemire. It annoyed him enough to say something and to say it boldly.
"It's just my character,'' Stoudemire said. "It motivates me sometimes to make those kind of [statements].''
It's an element this franchise hasn't had since Larry Johnson's back gave out on him in 2001. The Knicks never were able to replace it, which signaled the beginning of a painful era of failure.
It's an element Donnie Walsh welcomes with a smile.
"I like that, I do like that,'' Walsh said, "because if you don't think you're good, you're probably not going to be good.''
Walsh added, "I think that's been a trait he's had that has helped this team, this franchise.''
This is the kind of team Walsh wants to build. Remember, his best years with the Pacers came during the rugged '90s, when hard fouls didn't mean a league review the following morning and good use of the elbow did not refer to a spot on the floor.
That era is long gone, of course. "Things have changed since those times,'' Walsh said. "Some of those guys couldn't play in the league right now for more than five minutes.'' But Walsh still believes toughness is a critical trait in building a championship-caliber team.
"You need tough-minded guys that want to win,'' he said.
Stoudemire fits the mold. Not only did he welcome the challenge of New York while others (LeBron James) passed, but he also picked up the torch that fell from the hands of Patrick Ewing and Johnson and held it over his head. He took what he calls "immortal swagger'' and insisted his teammates drink from the same cup.
"It's a matter of motivation,'' Stoudemire said, "and getting our guys ready to go.''
And this is what motivates Walsh to go after Carmelo Anthony before the Feb. 24 trade deadline. Throughout this ongoing saga, there have been attempts to disparage Anthony and his game, but there's no questioning Carmelo's toughness. Add that to Stoudemire's swagger and you'd have the foundation of a team that could become the Miami Hound Machine, the kind that would thrive on dogging LeBron and the Heatles every spring.
The Dolan family owns controlling interests in the Knicks, MSG and Cablevision. Cablevision owns Newsday.
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