If Amar’e Stoudemire takes his bandaged left hand onto the court for the Knicks in Game 4 against the Heat today, he could be met with a shower of Garden boos to remind him of the crowd’s displeasure with his self-inflicted wound.
Interim coach Mike Woodson said he hopes Stoudemire is cheered like any other Knicks player and said now is not the time to make a point.
“[The fans] should be supportive,’’ Woodson said. “Amar’e has been solid, I think, all year. There was bad judgement in what he’s done. But he’s in a New York uniform. He’s a big part of what we do. I love Amar’e. These fans know he made a mistake. They’ll be in his corner, I think.’’
Woodson said Stoudemire is a “game-time decision’’ after he went through a light practice yesterday that didn’t include a scrimmage. It’s no longer up to Woodson or Stoudemire. It’s whether the doctors think he can endanger himself or believe he can’t be effective.
The Knicks still list him as “doubtful, game-time decision.’’
Asked his chances of playing, Woodson said: “I hope pretty good. He looked pretty good on the floor but it’s not my decision. It’s going to be the doctors’ decision.’’
In fact, Woodson doesn’t really know and Tyson Chandler didn’t seem enthused. Without a scrimmage, Stoudemire not only will be hampered, but also will be rusty, having not played since Monday night in Game 2 after which he punched a glass-enclosed fire extinguisher.
“He looked OK,’’ Chandler said. “But I don’t know, honestly. I don’t know what his hand feels like.’’
Stoudemire refused to talk to reporters. Woodson said he would consult with Stoudemire if he is cleared before determining if he should start.
* If Stoudemire doesn’t play, Woodson said he plans to remove Steve Novak from the starting lineup and put in J.R. Smith.
Novak got off just two shots in his first playoff start Thursday and Woodson wants to put him more “in his comfort zone.’’
Woodson said he is seeking instant offense from the outset and Smith is the better option.
* If the Knicks lose by 30 points today, they would lock up the second-most lopsided playoff series loss in history — a 90-point differential. The largest differential came in 2010, when Woodson’s Hawks were swept by the Magic and outscored by 100 points. … The Knicks are shooting 39.4 percent in the series.
* Smith, Novak and Baron Davis could be playing their last games as Knicks. The only good note from the playoff catastrophe is reducing their market value. Smith is leaning toward opting out as he makes $2.5 million next season but hasn’t said certainly. Novak could be worth more than the $2 million lower exception the Knicks have to offer if the $5 million mid-level goes to point-guard-of-the-future Jeremy Lin.
* Asked why the Heat want to close it out on the Garden floor, LeBron James said, “It’s an opportunity in front of us. Why not go for it? We don’t want to take it for granted.’’
— Additional reporting
by Mark Hale