NBA

Amar’e returns to Knicks, finishes strong in win

TORONTO — Amar’e Stoudemire has a new tattoo teardrop near his right eye in memory of his deceased brother.

On his return last night to the Knicks, that teardrop represented a tear of joy as Stoudemire celebrated wildly on the court with Tyson Chandler after Jeremy Lin’s “miracle’’ 3-point shot with 0.5 seconds left gave the Knicks a 90-87 victory over the Raptors.

Welcome back, Amar’e, and welcome to Linsanity.

It was a rough start but a great finish for Stoudemire, who finished with 21 points — 13 in the second half when the Knicks came back from a 17-point deficit.

“When he hit that shot, Tyson and I had a moment,’’ Stoudemire said. “We stared at each other for three seconds and like, wow! Then we started dancing with each other and hugging each other as if we won the championship. I’m still amazed by the way he’s playing.’’

Stoudemire talked about a new tattoo he got during his week-long grieving in Lake Wales, Fla. His 35-year-old brother was killed in a car crash nine days ago.

“The tear tattoo shows I’m still crying inside,’’ Stoudemire said. “It’s hard to explain how close my brother was to me. He was my father figure and mentor and why I played basketball. He’s part of my success so I’m always crying inside.’’

Stoudemire, who missed four games, had a rough start and looked rusty and missed a bunch of shots around the rim in his first appearance since the Nets’ game 11 days ago. He shot 2 of 9 in the half and looked out of rhythm and winded. He was 3 of 13 midway through the third quarter. Then he got hot.

“It took a while,’’ Stoudemire said. “I was taking advantage of timeouts and breaks in the game. But the second half, I gained my second wind and was good to go.’’

Stoudemire said he lifted weights and ran during his bereavement leave but “it’s not the same as playing games.’’

Coach Mike D’Antoni said he may have to start limiting Stoudemire’s minutes the next couple of games.

“His wind. . . . I should’ve taken him out earlier,’’ D’Antoni said. “That might be for a little bit until he gets his legs back. He’s a presence out there.’’

As he got rolling, Stoudemire’s intensity rose. He was bouncing up and down in the huddle before the fourth quarter, like a prizefighter before the opening bell.

“He carried us for a while in the fourth quarter,’’ Lin said. “It will be a little bit of an adjustment, but he’s an unbelievable player.’’

Before the game, Lin called Stoudemire a “lethal’’ pick-and-roll player. But he called off the pick in the dying seconds.

“The opposing team might’ve been thinking we’d be doing a screen-and-roll,’’ Stoudemire said. “He took his time, set it up that way and took a phenomenal shot. The guy has heart and such courage out there.’’

Stoudemire only sees this offense getting better, and Carmelo Anthony gets added to the mix Friday.

“There’ a lot more easy baskets,’’ Stoudemire said. “We’re going to get better as a tandem. We’re still learning each other and it will be sooner than later. The second half I wanted to come down dominate and I got it going.’’