Some of the New York Knicks' size-related matchup problems with the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals could be relieved to a degree starting Saturday; big man Amar'e Stoudemire is set to return to the floor in Game 3.
Although Stoudemire's role has decreased this season and questions persist as to whether Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony can play effectively together, his return may be just what the doctor ordered for New York.
In Game 3, Stoudemire's minutes will be severely limited, according to Knicks head coach Mike Woodson. "It won't be very many minutes," Woodson said. "I'm thinking somewhere between 10 and 15 minutes, if that. We have talked about [managing expectations. I thought maybe we might have pushed a little too much early on, so we've got to be really cautious this time around -- just to make sure that we're doing the right things with him."
While Stoudemire's defense is rightly derided, and his deficiencies on that end tend to be magnified when sharing the court with Anthony, the Knicks are in sore need of scoring punch with Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith mired in a shooting slump and facing a minutes reduction.
He also has the size and physicality to mix it up with Indiana's bruising frontcourt of Roy Hibbert and David West. "Despite injuries, I still have to work and definitely work toward becoming that great player again," Stoudemire said. "So as I continue to practice and get in better shape and improve, I should be able to play at a high level."
With Smith scuffling, he is averaging just 12.5 points in the series while shooting a horrid 23 percent from both the floor and 3-point line, Stoudemire's ability to get buckets could make a big difference. In 23 minutes per game Stoudemire was scoring 14 points a night at a 57 percent clip, and that total rose to 16.8 points per game in five games in March.
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