Amar'e Stoudemire: No. 1 in New York, Does He Have What It Takes To Win MVP?

After years of disappointment, Amar'e Stoudemire has brought a winning attitude back to Madison Square Garden.

Despite the heart breaking loss to the Boston Celtics last night, the Knicks have won eight of their last nine games and are in second place in the Atlantic Division.

The Knicks are thinking playoffs and Stoudemire has been in the early conversations regarding the MVP Award.

Stoudemire is second in the NBA in scoring, averaging 26.7 points per game just behind Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant.

Stoudemire is also hauling in nine rebounds per game and has provided a spark in New York that the Knicks have not possessed in recent years.

Stoudemire has his teammates playing better and some are having career years, such as point guard Raymond Felton.

Felton has not averaged over 14 points in his career but has scored 18 points a game in this young NBA season. Felton is also averaging a career high in assists with almost nine dimes per contest.

This is largely due to the fact of being teammates with No. 1.

During the Knicks' loss to the Celtics, Stoudemire scored a season-high 39 points, his ninth straight 30-point game.

Stoudemire's outburst in the last nine games has landed him in the record book.

Stoudemire's nine straight 30-point game surpassed the likes of Michael Jordan and Moses Malone, both who had streaks of eight straight 30-point games.

Stoudemire is on fire right now and he is certainly making a case for MVP even thought the Knicks have only played 26 games.

No. 1 is the heart and soul of the Knicks and his outstanding play will have him in the MVP conversation when all 82 games are played.