Negative talk made Melo, Amar'e deal with situation
Amar'e Stoudemire of the New York Knicks celebrates after a blocked shot against the Toronto Raptors with teammate Carmelo Anthony. (March 20, 2012) Credit: Jim McIsaac
MIAMI -- Carmelo Anthony said he and Amar'e Stoudemire used to ignore critiques that their talents don't mesh. But then they started listening.
They know they're going to have to work things out because both have long-term deals with the Knicks and likely will remain teammates for a long time.
The Knicks are 30-37 with Anthony and Stoudemire in the lineup, playoffs included. They hope to improve upon that Saturday when they open their first-round series against the Heat.
"Before when we used to hear it, we tried to not even pay attention to it, listen to it," Anthony said. "The more we started hearing it, the more we started becoming closer, talking about it, just figuring things out on the basketball court. Now we really don't pay attention to it. We know how to play to the game. We're not going nowhere, we're here to stay."
Stoudemire said they're more "comfortable" now than last season because they've spent more time playing and practicing together.
Chicago native Iman Shumpert grew up watching Dwyane Wade and will guard him Saturday. He looks forward to the challenge but doesn't feel reverence toward Wade.
"I figured I'd come into the league doing that," he said. "I've never been the type to back down to anybody. I really don't care who you are. I looked up to a lot of those guys growing up, but it's like now I'm on the same floor. I see myself able to make plays, I'm going to make them."
In their first regular-season meeting, Shumpert chased down Wade in transition and prevented a dunk by fouling him. Wade told Shumpert he liked his hustle.
"We shared a couple of things," said Houston, who hit the series-clinching runner in Game 5 in 1999. "But mostly it was about them. It wasn't really about us. It was about what they have the potential to do."
