Amar’e Stoudemire and assistant coach Herb Williams were exchanging some friendly banter during the end of the Knicks practice yesterday at American Airlines Arena when the subject of Clippers phenom Blake Griffin came up.
“I’m a quick jumper, but he’s an explosive jumper,” Stoudemire said while shooting free throws in the empty gym.
Williams, a sage to these players, respectively disagreed.
“You’re explosive, too,” he told Stoudemire. “What do you call what you did [Thursday] night?”
Stoudemire smiled.
Williams was talking about a monster one-handed jam Stoudemire shook the arena with during the Knicks 104-84 demolition of Michael Jordan’s woeful Bobcats in Charlotte. It was part of an impressive 21-point regular-season finale that signaled Stoudemire’s readiness for the playoffs. Round 1 begins today when the seventh-seeded Knicks face the second-seeded Heat in Game 1 of what should be an emotionally charged best-of-seven series.
“I thought he really had a lot of bounce,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said of Stoudemire’s performance against the Bobcats. “He only played two quarters. But he had some old moves like the Amar’e of old. It’s good to see in terms of getting him ready for the playoffs.”
It’s a sign of a relief for the Knicks and their fans, especially with center Tyson Chandler suddenly battling the flu. Chandler, a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, was essentially quarantined from the rest of the team yesterday and forced to wear a mask.
“We don’t want it to spread around,” Woodson said. Toney Douglas isn’t feeling too hot either, but Chandler’s absence could leave an open pathway to the basket for Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.
Good thing Stoudemire’s health is better than anyone had a right to expect. After a hearty team practice yesterday where he had a least a dozen dunks, Stoudemire practiced on his own, shooting an endless stream of jump shots and free throws. He showed no signs of someone who had recently missed 13 games with a bulging disk.
The back injury was the most recent setback in what has been a trying season for Stoudemire. There was the NBA lookout that had everyone out of sorts when the year began; and then the tragic death of his older brother, Hazell, in a car accident in early February. Stoudemire took just four games to grieve before returning to the Knicks. A month later, his back issues sidelined him.
Yet, now he not only looks like the Amar’e of old, he’s sounding like it, too.
“It’s going to be a showdown [today],” he declared, saying the series is “an even match” despite the seeding.
“Dwyane, LeBron and Chris [Bosh] are three phenomenal players,” Stoudemire said. “But we have three players than can match their skillset and also our second unit is phenomenal. It’s a pretty even match. It’s a match of who’s going to play smart and not commit turnovers.”
Never forget, before Carmelo Anthony arrived or Chandler was acquired or Linsanity erupted, it was Stoudemire who put the franchise on his shoulders and vowed to bring it back to prominence. Then his back went on him in Game 2 of the opening playoff series against the Celtics last year. He has unfinished business to address beginning at 3:30 p.m. today.
“It feels good that I feel phenomenal as far as my health,” he said after having played four games to end the regular season. “Being back on the court in the playoffs is a fun time of the year for me. I can’t wait.”
He dismissed any notion of lingering chemistry issues with Anthony. It’s the playoffs. No excuses.
“Compared to last year, it’s night and day,” Stoudemire said. “We feel totally comfortable with ourselves on the court together. It’s about being aggressive and being myself and doing what I always do. That’s the game plan. That’s what’s going to happen.”
Time for a showdown.
george.willis@nypost.com