INDIANAPOLIS — Amar’e Stoudemire said Knicks fans haven’t seen anything from him yet, especially if he can get his legs right by next weekend.
The six-time All-Star who was the unofficial league MVP the first half for the season said he always has played his best ball in the postseason.
Stoudemire, still wearing a walking boot on his sprained left ankle, will sit out his second straight game tonight vs. Indiana as he heals. Stoudemire won’t commit yet to playing the last two games — Tuesday vs. Chicago, Wednesday in Boston — as he gauges whether it’s best to rest up for Game 1.
“That’s the whole goal now,” Stoudemire said. “I always play better in the postseason. I want to be 100 percent healthy to keep that trend going. The good news is it’s getting better by the second. I’ll play sooner than later.”
Stoudemire, who sat out Friday’s blowout of the Nets, played in two Western Conference Finals as a Sun. Last spring, the Suns probably were a Ron Artest last-second putback away in Game 6 from dethroning the Lakers and getting to The Finals — a shot that still haunts him.
Meanwhile, Stoudemire is getting a chance to heal his whole body that took a major pounding during his first year of excellence as a Knick.
Stoudemire said he had a bumpy March from the 18-game month that beat up is body.
“I actually felt great as soon as March was over,” Stoudemire said. “It’s great rest to have [now]. I can really rest the rest of my body and try to heal up.”
Stoudemire is still working in the weight room and pool.
“A lot of treatment, a lot of stuff to get my cardio going,” Stoudemire said.
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With several reserves stepping up, coach Mike D’Antoni has three games to determine his shorter playoff rotation but admits he is more likely to go nine or 10 deep than eight or seven because of the roster’s makeup.
“It’s not a significant drop-off but we have to draw the line somewhere,” D’Antoni said. “Amar’e and Carmelo will play longer minutes and someone will get squeezed out.”
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D’Antoni has to choose two big men from his three centers — Shelden Williams, Jared Jeffries and Ronny Turiaf, who could be odd man out. Jeffries leads the team in plus-minus. Also, young active forward Derrick Brown, claimed on waivers, is making a stunning late bid to get minutes, perhaps from slumping Shawne Williams. … Veteran backup point guard Anthony Carter has nailed down a rotation spot and with Toney Douglas’ success as a tandem with Chauncey Billups, starting shooting guard Landry Fields’ minutes will decline in the playoffs, according to D’Antoni.
“He’s struggling a bit right now, we got a week to go and hope he gets out of it,” D’Antoni said. “He’ll play in the playoffs but your performance dictates how many minutes.”
Carter is among the team’s leaders in plus-minus.
“It’s something to be said about a guy whose played 20 games and every time on the court, we seem to go up,” D’Antoni said.
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Pacers rookie Lance Stephenson, out of Brooklyn’s Lincoln High, should see his first action tonight against his hometown Knicks after not playing in the first three meetings (two DNPs, one inactive). The Pacers have clinched the eighth seed and face the Bulls in Round 1. … Pacers longtime radio broadcaster, Slick Leonard, who suffered a heart attack on the team bus after Indiana game at the Garden March 13th, is back in the booth tonight. His first game was Friday. The team’s medical staff broke his ribs trying to revive him, according to the Indianapolis Star.