Resurgent Stoudemire reason for hope
Amar'e Stoudemire celebrates a basket against the Charlotte Bobcats. (Jan. 9, 2012) Credit: Jim McIsaac
BOSTON -- Amar'e Stoudemire wants you to believe he hasn't played or prepared any differently in the past 10 days. But there are noticeable differences in his game.
Stoudemire has looked more explosive and has put up numbers that have reminded everyone of the way he played in the early part of last season, when he was an MVP candidate.
In Thursday night's loss to the Bulls, he scored a season-high 34 points, including a couple of emphatic dunks. Earlier in the season, he was missing layups and slams and looked as if he wasn't healthy. But his recent performances have the Knicks, who played the Celtics Friday night, encouraged that they too will change how their season is going.
"His shot is starting to fall," Carmelo Anthony said. "He's starting to get into his spots, find his rhythm. He looks like he has his legs back. He looks more explosive than he has for the first half of the season. We need that.''
"It was great to see him break out like that, hitting jump shots, driving to the rim, finishing with authority," Tyson Chandler said. "When he plays like that, we're a tough team."
Things seemed to change for Stoudemire after the Knicks' loss to Denver two weeks ago. He got off to a fast start in that game, scoring the Knicks' first six points. But he made one field goal the rest of the way and took only one shot after the third quarter in the double-overtime defeat.
That was the night Anthony took 30 shots -- and missed 20 -- and said afterward that he would talk with Stoudemire about whether he was doing too much.
At the time, Stoudemire was averaging 17.6 points and 15.2 shots per game, of which he connected on 41.3 percent. In the Knicks' next six games entering Friday night, he averaged 20.2 points and 17.2 shots, hitting 50.5 percent of them.
Anthony missed two of those games, but overall, Stoudemire's aggressiveness and where he's getting the ball are different. Ultimately, his production is, too.
Stoudemire says the ball is moving better than it was earlier and that he feels no different physically. But when prodded a little more, he said he's more comfortable because he's playing so often. He spent most of the lockout-extended offseason focusing on strengthening his back, which limited him last season and in the playoffs.
"It's definitely been a long layoff for myself," Stoudemire said. "I've been working my back all summer, so I didn't have much time to really train or play basketball like most of the guys. So I'm finally getting back into a rhythm out there, taking what the defense gives me, playing smart basketball and having fun."
It hasn't led to the results the Knicks want yet. They were 2-4 in the six games in which Stoudemire began to reestablish himself and had lost 10 of 12 before playing Boston. But they still believe their season will turn around.
Notes & quotes: Stoudemire and Anthony singled out the bench after the Knicks' subs were outscored 25-6 by Chicago's Thursday night. Mike D'Antoni said, "I didn't play them a whole lot, so it's not really fair to judge them totally. I just hope they play a little bit better when they do play, but I've got to have a little more faith in them." . . . Kenyon Martin will sign with the Clippers, according to reports. The Knicks showed interest but need guard help, and J.R. Smith remains an option when he returns from China later this month. The Knicks also will see if they can acquire someone in the meantime.
