Mike Woodson 'not counting' on Jeremy Lin for Game 5

Mike Woodson is preparing to force a Game 6 against the Heat with the players who were healthy and in uniform at the end of Sunday's win, and Jeremy Lin wasn't one of them.

Woodson said he doesn't expect Lin to return from knee surgery when the Knicks face another elimination game Wednesday.

"I'm not counting on Jeremy Lin to play," Woodson said on a conference call Monday. "We've just got to continue where we've been in terms of guys that are in uniform. But I'm not counting on him to play."

Lin and team doctors will have the final say on his availablility for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, which the Heat leads 3-1. Lin, who had his left knee scoped April 2, was scheduled to have a three-on-three workout Monday and will do more Tuesday, then they will discuss his immediate future.

The Knicks need bodies, having already lost their starting backcourt in the series. Iman Shumpert tore his left ACL and lateral meniscus in Game 1 and Baron Davis suffered complete tears of his ACL and MCL and a partial tear of his right patella tendon in Sunday's 89-87 win that extended the series.

But Woodson said he's "a little apprehensive" about Lin because he hasn't played in an NBA game since March 24 and hasn't gone five-on-five with full contact since then.

Also, Lin said last week he needed "to get to the point where I can trust the knee and not think about it.'' If he's not 100 percent confident, the Heat isn't the best team to play, particularly when it's trying to close out a series. Lin struggled against the Heat in February, shooting 1-for-11 with eight turnovers, and that was when he was on two good legs.

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"I've watched him shoot and run up and down," Woodson said. "He's not in great shape. Playoff basketball, you've got to be at an all-time high, and he hasn't played in a while. I don't know if that's going to be a determining factor with the doctors."

There will be changes at point guard, obviously, as Woodson said he plans to start veteran Mike Bibby in place of the injured Davis. Woodson also said he will use Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith to handle some of the playmaking duties, especially when the Heat has LeBron James or Dwyane Wade playing the point. In a pinch, Woodson could turn to Toney Douglas, but he's not expected to play significant minutes, if any.

There had been hope that Lin would be able to play in this series. He has increased his workload in the last week and originally pointed to Game 4 a possible return date. But before Game 3, Lin ruled himself out for Game 4 and didn't sound confident about Game 5, either.

"I'm going into this as if he's not going to play," Woodson said. "That's how it's been here in the last month and a half and that's how I'm preparing.

"I've got to trust the player and staff. If we had an opportunity to practice and that kid runs up and down five-on-five and you can actually see him banging and cutting and moving and gets knocked on his ---- , if we had time to do that, I'd feel more comfortable. But we haven't had a chance to practice at a high level where you can do those things I mentioned. I am a little apprehensive about him coming back."