THE DAY AFTER: After playing nine minutes in the Knicks’ 82-71 Game 3 loss to the Pacers, Amar’e Stoudemire said he felt “good.” He iced his knees at yesterday morning’s shootaround (inset). (Getty Images, Anthony J. Causi)
INDIANAPOLIS — There was no problematic aftermath for Amar’e Stoudemire.
After experiencing his first action for the Knicks in more than two months Saturday night, Stoudemire felt fine yesterday morning at a light team workout. There was no sure thing concerning how Stoudemire’s surgically-repaired right knee would respond.
He played nine minutes in the Knicks’ 82-71 loss to the Pacers in Game 3, having been shelved for the final 23 regular season games and the first eight playoff games following right knee debridement. Stoudemire’s last game prior to Saturday was on March 7 — before the Big East Tournament started.
“I feel good,” he said yesterday. “The minutes I played were only nine minutes, but the process before that — I was in shootaround, we’re going hard in shootaround and then the pregame of training — [was] equivalent to about an hour’s worth of work. Hard intensity work. I feel good today.”
There was fear Stoudemire would disrupt the Knicks’ chemistry or would be so rusty in his return that his minutes wouldn’t be worthwhile.
Stoudemire, though, played well enough, scoring seven points in the nine minutes while grabbing two rebounds and even draining a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the third quarter. He also committed two fouls, turned it over once and launched eight shots. Still, he looked better than what might have been expected, considering the layoff.
“I thought the time he was in, his nine minutes were productive. I really thought that. He can build on that,” coach Mike Woodson said. “His minutes won’t grow much more than that. Whatever 10, 12 minutes he gets, he’s got to make it productive.”
Stoudemire said he will not campaign for more playing time, understanding the medical advice.
“I follow the doctors’ orders,” he said. “That’s what I do. I have no control over what the doctors say. Whatever they say goes.
“My job is with the time that I’m out there, I have to be productive and apply some type of leadership and structure out on the court.”