A slim and sleek Amar’e Stoudemire raced down the floor looking to establish position with his back to the basket. James White fed him the ball. Stoudemire turned, put a head fake on Earl Barron, and exploded to the rim, using an up-and-under move to convert a basket.
It came during an informal 4-on-4 scrimmage yesterday at the Knicks training facility after the formal practice ended in preparation for Game 3 tomorrow between the Knicks and Pacers in Indianapolis.
Before the scrimmage was over, Stoudemire had tested most of his offensive moves, especially his fade-away jump shot from 12 to 15 feet. If all goes well during his recovery day today, Stoudemire should see his first action of the playoffs tomorrow.
“I expect to play at a high level,” he proclaimed.
A quality 10 to 15 minutes would be welcomed.
If the Knicks can get that out of Stoudemire, it will enhance their chances of advancing past the Pacers and into the Eastern Conference finals. Those who believe Stoudemire’s arrival is akin to mixing oil with water are misguided. Not only can Stoudemire help the Knicks, he deserves the chance to avenge his two previous playoffs sabotaged by injuries that could be viewed as either unlucky or self-inflicted.
Stoudemire needs to have success in this year’s playoff run to make amends for being less than his best the two previous seasons. In 2011, he injured his back attempting a trick dunk during warm-ups before Game 2 of the Knicks-Celtics first-round series at Boston. After scoring 28 points in Game 1, he totaled just four and seven points in each of the next two games as the Knicks were swept in four.
Last year, Stoudemire suffered a deep laceration to his left hand after he hit a glass covering a fire extinguisher while walking toward the locker room following a Game 2 loss at Miami. He missed Game 3 and the Knicks were eliminated in five.
Instead of being competitive against the eventual NBA champion Heat, Stoudemire wound up apologizing “to the fans and my team,” and admitted that he wasn’t “proud of my actions.”
While the Knicks achieved a significant milestone by winning their first playoff series in 13 years by beating the Celtics, Stoudemire remains 0-for-2. The Knick playoff success this season might be a referendum on Carmelo Anthony’s championship capabilities. But it’s also important to Stoudemire’s legacy with the Knicks.
When he became the first high-profile free agent to sign with the franchise before the 2010-11 season, Stoudemire declared the Knicks were back. And while the Knicks are back, much of their renaissance this season has been credited to Anthony, Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith. Stoudemire’s Knicks tenure is starting to drown in a sea of injuries and missed time.
After his hand lost its battle with the glass in front of the fire extinguisher last season, Stoudemire missed the first two months of this season after undergoing surgery to clean debris from his left knee. He played in 29 games, averaging 14.2 points per game, before undergoing surgery to clean debris from his right knee on March 11.
He has not played since, though his absence was made less catastrophic by the arrival and performance of Kenyon Martin. That has fostered talk that Stoudemire’s return could upset the team’s on-court chemistry. It shouldn’t.
The Knicks need his size against the taller Pacers, and can use another offensive option when Anthony is on the bench.
“We could really use him right now,” Chandler said. “We’re playing against a big lineup. It’s a great opportunity for him to be out there.”
Stoudemire has been largely forgiven for the past two playoff series. Anyone can tweak his back during warm-ups and, well, frustration led to the freak accident that ended with him slicing his hand in Miami. Maybe the third time is the charm for Stoudemire.
It’s one thing to announce the Knicks are back. Now he can be part of the process.
george.willis@nypost.com