NBA

Stoudemire says Knicks aren’t afraid of Heat

An injured Chris Bosh will miss his third straight game tonight. (REUTERS)

Cue the boos.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the filler that composes the rest of the Miami Heat’s roster are back in town. Tonight, the Knicks will host the league’s most despised team, minus Chris Bosh, who will miss his third straight game with a sprained left ankle.

After snapping a six-game losing streak with Monday’s win over the Wizards, the Knicks are looking for their first win in three chances against the Heat this season, hoping to redeem a 22-point loss at the Garden on Dec. 17.

“We all like big stages, so it’s nothing special,” Amar’e Stoudemire said after yesterday’s practice in Westchester. “Nobody’s afraid of the Miami Heat. We’re gonna play as hard as we can and see what we can do.”

The Knicks, who are 7-12 against teams over .500, then travel to play Atlanta, winner of eight of its past 10, tomorrow night before hosting Detroit on Sunday. Following a six-game losing streak earlier this season, the Knicks responded with their best basketball of the season, winning 13 of their next 14.

“The jury’s still out on that,” Mike D’Antoni said of his team returning to form. “We’ve just got to keep getting better. A month ago, I told you there were gonna be rough spots. This is not a team that’s been together long. They’ve gotta experience different hardships.”

With the Heat missing their primary big man — who is their only player, besides James and Wade, to average more than eight points per game — the Knicks will have a decided advantage in depth, as well as the ability for Stoudemire to expend less energy on the defensive end. In two games against the Knicks this season, Bosh has averaged 22 points and 8.5 rebounds.

“They’ve still got great players. They’re a hard team to beat with Bosh or without him. They’re gonna be ready to go and it’s gonna be a tough game,” Stoudemire said.

“Obviously that’s a big piece they won’t have, but they got a lot of pieces,” D’Antoni said. “It gives somebody else an opportunity. Now, the focus really becomes Wade and James even more.”

More Wade and more James? Somehow, as the Heat roster weakens, the result sounds scarier. As two of the top five scorers in the league, with one Finals MVP and two regular season MVPs between them, James and Wade can’t get enough of Manhattan’s bright lights, combining for 58 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists in their last visit to the Garden. Tonight, the superstars get another opportunity to see what a sold-out home crowd looks like, what passionate fans sound like.

“Our energy and our adrenaline is going to be going,” said Wade, who missed the Heat’s game Saturday with a migraine, but is probable to start, possibly wearing tinted glasses to protect his eyes from brightness which he’s practiced in all week.

Stoudemire is just relishing the chance to make a statement.

“We feel like we’re still improving and have something to prove,” Stoudemire said. “We’re trying to get better as a team and it starts off [tonight].”