This had to qualify as the best-case scenario for Amar’e Stoudemire’s return to the Knicks lineup.
“He surprised me,” Tyson Chandler said. “I didn’t think he was going to play. He had a huge impact on the game.”
Stoudemire had a wonderfully redemptive afternoon in the Knicks’ tight 89-87 Game 4 win over the Heat. Atoning for his assault on a fire extinguisher that caused a lacerated left hand after Game 2, Stoudemire returned from his Game 3 absence and posted 20 points and 10 rebounds in one of his biggest Knicks moments.
It went a long way in making up for Extinguisher-gate.
“I really didn’t feel like I had something to prove,” Stoudemire insisted, his arm in a sling at the postgame podium. “For all the fans who stuck with me and my teammates were the main reason I wanted to get back on the basketball court.”
Stoudemire was heavily criticized for his foolish post-Game 2 antics. But the $100 million power forward thought he had a shot at returning for Game 4, and somewhat surprisingly, he did.
“The last few days I have been practicing on it and seeing how it feels,” Stoudemire said. “Two days ago I had this particular brace on that made it feel OK. It was feeling better and better. I felt even better today, so that is when I knew I was going to be able to play.”
During pregame introductions, Stoudemire heard some boos amid mostly cheers.
“I call him Robocop,” Mike Bibby said. “He is like a machine. He came out and played well.”
Sporting a large white wrap, Stoudemire appeared to be trying to avoid using his left hand at times.
“He felt bad about what happened in Miami and he played a good game,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He played with force and gave them a punch.”
mark.hale@nypost.com