Amar'e Stoudemire Dunks on Orlando Magic, Comes Up Huge for NY Knicks
This is what New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson envisioned when he penciled in Amar'e Stoudemire on his second unit, following the forward's return from knee surgery.
A six-time All-Star, the 30-year-old Stoudemire has the unfortunate combination of a max contract and a history of knee and back problems. Limiting his workload has been the plan, but just how much Woodson can afford to limit those minutes remains a question.
If Monday night's effort against the Orlando Magic showed anything, he can certainly battle his way through a 20-minute outing:
"Nice ovation for Amare as he heads to the bench. 7/7 and 14 points in 20 minutes.
— Alan Hahn (@alanhahn) January 31, 2013"
Needless to say, the thunderous throwdown seen above proved that he's got a little something left in those knees:
"OHMYGODSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT
— Jared Dubin (@JADubin5) January 31, 2013"
What's refreshing for Knicks fans, though, is the fact that these finishes are becoming more of regularities than anomalies. Monday night marked Stoudemire's seventh straight double-digit outing, a stretch that has shown the return of explosiveness in his knees:
"Feels like STAT has more dunks this month than all of last season combined?? @adampally
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) January 31, 2013"
Even more importantly, the 113-97 win over Orlando improved the Knicks to 28-15 on the year. Tyson Chandler led New York with 21 points, while Raymond Felton finished with 15 points and nine assists in his third game back from a fractured finger.
