Stoudemire struggles through painful game

Amar'e Stoudemire could not even put one foot in front of the other leading up to Friday night's game without getting a not-so-subtle reminder, all thanks to some nagging back spasms.

"Aw man, the last two days, every step hurt," the Knicks' power forward said. "Every step I took, I felt it in my back. I never had a strained muscle in my back and didn't quite know what to expect. So it took a while to get somewhat used to the feeling.

"I had a hard time putting my shoes and socks on. I had a hard time sitting."

So naturally, that means the Knicks' $100-million man couldn't be his normal beast-like self on the court, even though he punctuated his pregame workout with a dunk and giving two thumbs up -- following a wince.

Stoudemire was essentially a non-factor in the Knicks' 113-96 loss in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Celtics at the Garden, playing 32 ineffective minutes. He had no lift and wasn't as athletic as he typically is, showing little if no bounce in his step.

He took only eight shots, hitting two, and had seven points and three rebounds.

"I was very ginger," Stoudemire said. "I didn't really want to draw any contact. Quick moves wasn't quite there. I couldn't make any sharp moves. It bothered my elevation a lot, my jump shot and also driving to the basket. Driving to the basket, knowing I was going to create contact made it difficult for me to finish those plays."

Mike D'Antoni said: "The guy's been on a bed for two days and I just marveled that he was excited and wanted to play and was upset and everything else. His heart is in a great place and he gave it everything he's got. His body is a little bit dead, but I expect him to be ready to go on Sunday."

It was obvious from the get-go that Stoudemire didn't have it. His first attempt was a running layup in the paint that drew nothing but air, and he didn't hit his first shot until 9:59 in the second quarter. At times during timeouts, he sat on an elevated chair similar to one Phil Jackson uses. He also kept getting his back wrap adjusted, standing up during breaks to stay loose.

"For him to come out there and give it a try, I respected that," Carmelo Anthony said. "He gave us what he could give us, and nobody was expecting him to come out there and be a superhero."

He'll need to transform into one immediately, though, to get completely healthy -- and that's not happening.

"There's no way I'll be 100 percent by Sunday," Stoudemire said. "I knew tonight, I wasn't 100 percent. But I knew my teammates needed me out there, so I got treatment. Our training staff did a phenomenal job of treating me over the past three days and I felt good enough to play. But I wasn't 100 percent.

"So I just wanted to show some courage out there for the fans of New York. They deserve it."