KNICKS’ HANDYMAN
‘Blessed’ Amar’e out to help fix Knicks in Game 4
PERHAPS THE only two things more damaged than Amar’e Stoudemire’s left hand are his image and the Knicks’ chances of advancing to the second round.
Image rehabilitation and avoiding elimination may be the only rhyme and/or reason for Stoudemire working and sounding as if he will attempt to make a comeback in Game 4 on Sunday.
“With this type of injury, playing Sunday would be out of the question for most people,” Stoudemire said Friday following an individual workout in Greenburgh that included shooting drills and sprints. “But for some reason I feel I’ve been blessed, I heal fast. I persevere through a lot of injuries. Obviously, the injury to my hand wasn’t on purpose, it was accidental. I feel like the work I put in today and the work I put in tomorrow . . . hopefully I’ll feel better and I’ll be ready for Sunday.”
Added coach Mike Woodson: “I think he’s going to play. ... If doctors say he’s ready to play and they release him, then I’m going to play him.”
The Knicks trail the Miami Heat 3-0 in the best-ofseven series. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit.
Stoudemire was unavailable for Game 3, an 87-70 loss at Madison Square Garden Thursday. The defeat was the Knicks’ Nba-record 13th straight in the postseason, including the last seven with Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony on the team. However, Anthony was at least on the floor on Thursday. Stoudemire knocked himself out of action, and the backlash from fans and media has been relentless.
Stoudemire is upset over the ridicule and criticism he has received in the aftermath of cutting his hand by punching a glass door that protects a fire extinguisher immediately after the Knicks’ Game 2 loss in Miami Monday. The veteran power forward needed surgery to repair his hand and for the first time since the injury occurred, Stoudemire revealed details of the wound, claiming he came close to losing the use of his non-shooting hand.
“It was a pretty significant cut,” he said Friday. “I feel extremely blessed in the situation that the cut was a millimeter away from a nerve. If you think about a millimeter, it’s something that’s just as thin as a strand of your hair. So I feel like I’m extremely, extremely blessed.
“I pray all the time, I keep my hopes up, I keep my family close. So I feel like because of that, I’ve been able to dodge this cut. I know there’s a lot of jokes, a lot of fun made out of it, but it was a serious matter for me and my family, because it was so close to my nerve.
“But I feel great that I’m back, being able to get back on the basketball court and still run and play and use my hand, off an incident that wasn’t on purpose, just a reaction out of losing a game, almost cost me my hand. So the young players out there, I know losing is never an easy pill to swallow. But try not to react, because you never know what can happen.”
Stoudemire’s relationship with the fans has taken a hit over the past few days. Last season, the Garden crowd chanted “MVP” as he got off to a quick start as a Knick. He then turned into a sympathetic figure following the trade for Anthony in February of 2011. Almost overnight, it went from being Stoudemire’s team to Anthony’s team.
Now, the fans feel mostly anger and disappointment toward Stoudemire for what happened after Game 2.
“Everybody’s going to have their own opinion,” Stoudemire said. “That’s freedom of speech so I can’t get upset with the amendment. My job is to stay focused on the task at hand. My teammates understand the situation. Most athletes around the world understand what happens. It happens every day in sports.”
Close friends have described Stoudemire as being depressed and frustrated over what transpired after Game 2. For the second straight year, a self-inflicted injury cost Stoudemire dearly in the playoffs. Before Game 2 last season against Boston, Stoudemire suffered a back injury by attempting a trick dunk during warmups.
He spent Thursday’s Game 3 on the bench with his hand heavily bandaged and his arm in a sling. While Lebron James and Dwyane Wade were outscoring the Knicks 34-30 in the second half, Anthony struggled to keep pace and Stoudemire struggled to watch.
“It was a little tougher because I wanted to go out there and play,” Stoudemire said.
“I told the guys in the second half, some guys came off the court pretty upset, I was like, ‘Don’t hit anything. Keep your hands closed and don’t hit anything because we don’t need that type of injury again.’ ”