The Knicks trailed 13-3 — which seems kind of improbable when you figure they later led by 50. But, yeah, they were down 10 to the Kings, looking like a Summer Weekend Over-50 Beer League team. So Amar’e Stoudemire arrived off the bench with one thought in mind.
“Dominate,” Stoudemire said. “Dominate is the main objective.”
Objective accomplished — and then some.
Stoudemire brought offense, defense, energy, hustle, spirit. Add it up and call it domination. The game turned almost immediately and by the end of the first quarter, the Knicks were leading, on their way to a near-record 120-81 laugher.
And Stoudemire was on his way to a near-team record performance. That’s what happens when teams try to play him straight up.
“He’s doing it inside and outside,” coach Mike Woodson said. “He’s been great.”
Stoudemire, the super sub whose possible starting status is a subject for many, finished the night a perfect 10-of-10 from the floor and scored a season-high 21 points. Only Johnny Newman (at Boston Jan. 6, 1988) and Bernard King (against Chicago, Jan. 19, 1984) were better as both had 11-for-11 games.
“Right now teams just seem like they are just playing him one-on- one,” said Carmelo Anthony who scored just nine points in a restful night. “I’m pretty sure he’s licking his chops seeing that. I know I would be.”
Stoudemire was doing the same.
“The game is becoming easy,” said Stoudemire who missed the first 30 games returning from left knee surgery and now is starting to hear serious Sixth Man of the Year talk.
“I never thought about a Sixth Man of the Year, ever,” he said.
“With the addition of a post game, everything else is becoming easy. Players are having a hard time figuring out how to play me in the post. There are a few moves that they can’t guard so that allows me to have easy baskets.”
Stoudemire also gave the obligatory thank you to teammates for finding him in the right spots.
“It’s a combination of everything,” he said.
Which is what he did last night. Everything. He scored, he defended, he rebounded (six boards) in his 21 minutes.
“Some games, you have a great offensive night, some games you have a great defensive night,” Stoudemire said. “If you can combine them both, then you have a pretty good game.”
A dominating game.