PAIN IN THE . . . Amar’e Stoudemire, suffering from back spasms, grimaces as he walks by Shawne Williams and off the court late in the first half. (Anthony J. Causi)
BOSTON — After Game 2 was over, Amar’e Stoudemire was in the trainer’s area of the Knicks locker room and laughed.
“Don’t make me laugh,” he said.
Presumably, laughing resulted in more back pain. Stoudemire suffered back spasms during warm-ups and managed only 17:39 of playing time before exiting with 3:22 left in the first half in the Knicks’ 96-93 Game 2 loss.
He didn’t return — and he couldn’t promise he will for Game 3.
“I’m not sure. We’ll see how it goes,” Stoudemire said. “Hopefully, I’ll be ready to go by Friday.”
A bit more optimistically, Stoudemire also said, “I should be ready for Game 3.”
Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni believes Stoudemire will play. “Should be OK Friday,” he said.
Still in pain, Stoudemire stood up — instead of sitting — to conduct his postgame press conference.
Stoudemire said he initially hurt playing around on a dunk during warm-up drills.
“I tapped on the glass with my left hand and dunked it with my right. I think that’s when I felt it really get tight on me,” he said. “I could hardly move [during the game]. I was trying to play through it.”
Stoudemire was a monster in the Knicks’ 87-85 Game 1 loss on Sunday, pouring in a game-high 28 points and grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds.
And the next day, he said he felt terrific.
“It’s still the same old me,” he said Monday. “And the playoffs always bring the best out of me. It’s going to get even better as the series goes on.”
Stoudemire said he’s never experienced back spasms before. He missed a game during the season with a sprained right big toe and missed three more earlier this month with a sprained left ankle.
Stoudemire said he received treatment during the second half, while watching the game on TV.
He struggled when he did play, hitting only 2-of-9 from the field, missing the two free throws that he took and not sinking a basket until he nailed a jumper with 7:37 to go in the first half. He finished with four points and five boards.
— Additional reporting by Mike Vaccaro