NBA

Knicks’ Stoudemire says Boston’s ‘D’ can’t stop me

BOSTON — Amar’e Stoudemire doesn’t expect the Celtics to defend him differently tonight.

Because it isn’t possible.

“I don’t think there’s anything they can do. Besides try to deny me the ball,” Stoudemire said yesterday. “But there’s ways to get open.”

Stoudemire was an absolute monster in Sunday’s 87-85 Game 1 loss to the Celtics, ferociously unleashing a game-high 28 points and a Knicks-high 11 rebounds. He poured in 12 points in the fourth quarter alone, including a twisting 360-degree layup against Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O’Neal and a driving one-handed flush over O’Neal.

Stoudemire has had a brilliant season. He certainly delivered again in his Knicks playoff debut.

And he reiterated that physically he’s healthy and, performance-wise, there’s more to come.

“I feel great,” Stoudemire said, explaining that his difficult March was due to implementing new players from the Carmelo Anthony-Chauncey Billups trade. “It’s still the same old me. And the playoffs always bring the best out of me. It’s going to get even better as the series goes on.”

Stoudemire also took a shot at Celtics forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who had said before the series that “it’s really not that hard” to guard Stoudemire. In the second quarter of Game 1, Stoudemire delivered a baseline dunk over Davis, and yesterday he jabbed Davis’ chubbiness.

Asked about his second-quarter post defense, Stoudemire said: “I’m just playing smart. I know ‘Baby’ wanted to try to draw contact and draw fouls. His core is not really as tight as it should be, so I knew I can catch him off-balance from that. I kind of backed up, but I thought he traveled on the play, but he turned the ball over.”

Stoudemire respects Garnett far more. The Knicks superstar said there isn’t any talking on the court between them during the game — out of mutual appreciation.

“We have so much respect for each other to where it’s a battle,” Stoudemire said. “It’s a battle that we pretty much take our hats off after the game and say good job type of thing. It’s fun to play that way. When you’re going against one of the top players in the league and I know he feels the same way, it’s a challenge. And we both are willing to accept it.”