[h1]
Stoudemire's start among the best in Knicks history[/h1]
Knicks Blog
Berman on Twitter
By MARK HALE
There have been just four Knicks players who have finished a season with a better scoring average than Amar'e Stoudemire has delivered in the first 22 games.
Stoudemire, the 6-foot-10, $100 million man, has been a star since coming aboard this summer and has been the leading factor in the Knicks' 13-9 start. The Knicks head into tonight's matchup with the Raptors at the Garden winners of five straight and 10 of 11.
Stoudemire, the two-time reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, will try to hit the 30-point plateau tonight for a sixth straight game, which just one Knick has done. Willie Naulls once poured in 30 in seven straight, a club record set in 1962. Stoudemire is the first to do it in five consecutive games since
Stephon Marbury in 2005.
Stoudemire is averaging 25.3 points per game, which would be the highest scoring average by a Knick since
Patrick Ewing racked up 26.6 points per game in the 1990-91 season. Only Ewing (who also averaged 28.6 in 1989-90), Richie Guerin (29.5 in 1961-62),
Bernard King (26.3 in 1983-84 and 32.9 in 1984-85) and
Bob McAdoo (26.7 in 1976-77, 26.5 in 1977-78 and 26.9 in 1978-79) ever averaged more than Stoudemire.
"The guy's terrific," Knicks coach
Mike D'Antoni said.
Stoudemire, nicknamed STAT, entered last night with just two players ahead of him in the scoring race, the Thunder's
Kevin Durant (27.4) and the Lakers'
Kobe Bryant (26.5). Stoudemire's bidding to become the second Knick ever to win the scoring title (King's 32.9 ppg took home the honors in '84-85.) Stoudemire, 28, said he heard a couple of MVP chants during Monday's 121-114 win over the Timberwolves, though he downplayed what that meant.
"Fans are very excited about how the season's going," he said. "We're playing well."
Stoudemire's first 22 games is comparable with the opening 22 games of Knicks legends in past seasons.
Stoudemire's averaging 25.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and is shooting 53 percent. In King's 1984-85 season, he averaged 31.9 ppg in the Knicks' first 22 games, shooting 52 percent. In 1989-90, Ewing posted 29.6 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 3.99 bpg and 57 percent shooting in the Knicks' opening 22.
In Willis Reed's 1969-70 MVP season, he averaged 23.9 ppg, 13.6 rpg and 53 percent shooting.
Stoudemire's on pace for the second-best scoring average of his career, trailing just the 26.0 ppg he managed in 2004-05 with the Suns.
D'Antoni, who coached Stoudemire that season, said he has "always been good," but has excelled as the Knicks' main man.
"Now, his ability to make big shots now, we're relying more on him," D'Antoni said. "But before it was kind of, Steve [Nash] had the ball and that's how we played. Now Amar'e has the ball and that's how we play."
After tonight, Stoudemire and the Knicks have two more winnable games (the Wizards on Friday and the Nuggets on Sunday) before the competition dramatically improves. They will play host to the Celtics and Heat next week.
Stoudemire said he is looking forward to facing the Celtics again.
"I think we've gotten a lot better," he said. "It's going to be a great matchup when we see them again."
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knicks/an_amar_story_El0VFWv0IqhHhImGjHddrM#ixzz17WrfLFRX
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knicks/an_amar_story_El0VFWv0IqhHhImGjHddrM#ixzz17Wr8QFUU
