Filed under: NBA
PHOENIX - By the time Amar'e Stoudemire was summoned to the bench for his first rest Friday night at his old home, the Suns' US Airways Center, he'd hit a long jump shot, made an improbable scoop shot from behind the backboard, blocked an attempt by his old teammate Steve Nash, and otherwise dominated the game for his new team, the Knicks.
In doing it all in less than 10 minutes, he made it clear that the reason he was no longer in Phoenix was bunk. He's not falling apart.
But the team that gambled to let him go is.
This was the overlooked reversal of fortunes this season in the NBA: the Knicks and Suns. The two reasons it didn't register was because the one that landed in Miami was just about unprecedented, and the one in New York was without anywhere near as much acrimony. It is proving of great magnitude, nonetheless, as demonstrated by the 121-96 Knicks win, a victory Stoudemire kick-started with a 19-point first half.
"I had one objective and that was to dominate from the start," said Stoudemire, who finished with 23 points and nine rebounds and sat virtually all of the fourth quarter after his Knicks put up 98 points through three.
"Amar'e has the toughness and the heart and the desire," said his coach, Mike D'Antoni, who also coached him in Phoenix. "So far, so good."
D'Antoni was being modest.
So far, Stoudemire has been as good as he's ever been, maybe better.
Source: http://kevin-blackistone.fanhouse.com/2011/01/08/thanks-to-amare-stoudemire-knicks-suns-swap-places/
No comments:
Post a Comment