Amar'e stokes feud with Hawks' Horford
Amar'e Stoudemire said his war of words with Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (above) is "nothing personal" but added, "It's going to be a very intense game." (Feb. 12, 2011) Credit: AP
GREENBURGH, N.Y. - Carmelo Anthony may be a trade target of the Knicks, but Wednesday night at the Garden, Al Horford is in the crosshairs for a much different reason. Amar'e Stoudemire Tuesday reiterated his message after the teams' previous meeting Jan. 28 in Atlanta, when he chastised the Hawks center for some histrionics after blocking Stoudemire's shot in a 111-102 win by the Hawks.
"I said it before, he don't want to see me, man," Stoudemire said. "I watched him play in Florida [in college] and I've seen him play a few years in Atlanta. We have two different games. We'll see after [tonight]."
The Knicks' captain and MVP candidate, who missed Saturday's win over the Nets with a sprained big toe, certainly sounded like he was preparing to send a message Wednesday night at the Garden against Horford and the Hawks in the Knicks' last game before the All-Star break. Stoudemire after practice said his right big toe "is a little sore," but ensured he will play.
"It's going to be a very intense game," he said. "After what happened in Atlanta, we feel we could have played better . . . [tonight's] going to be a very important game for us." The Stoudemire-Horford feud didn't really develop until after that game in Atlanta, when Stoudemire said Horford "needs to calm down. He's not that type of player. He don't want to see me any night, so he might as well relax and calm down."
Later that night on his Twitter account, Horford wrote, "Great win over The knicks tonight. Everyone came out an did their part. And YES! I am that kind of player, who does what he needs to win . . . "
Stoudemire Tuesday said Horford may have felt good about what he was doing in the game in Atlanta but seemed to suggest things will be different at the Garden when he said, "Welcome to New York."
The game in Atlanta was also notable for the fight between Shawne Williams and Marvin Williams in the final 47 seconds. Marvin Williams was assessed a two-game suspension and Shawne Williams had to sit for one game. Shawne said Tuesday that he does not expect there to be any carry-over from that incident.
"Ain't nothing personal," he said. "I think I said that day there was nothing personal between me and him. We were just competing and in the heat of the moment it got out of hand."
Coincidentally, after Stoudemire and Horford battle Wednesday night, they'll both head to Los Angeles for All-Star Weekend, where they'll be teammates on the East team. Stoudemire was voted the starting power forward, but he said he'll decide whether he plays in Sunday's game based on how his toe feels after tonight's game.
"If my toe feels great, then I'll play," he said. "If not, then I'll sit out."
Notes & quotes: Kelenna Azubuike, who has yet to play this season as he recovers from a ruptured patella tendon, said he is "closer than I've ever been" to being game-ready. Mike D'Antoni agreed that the 6-5 shooting guard is "getting closer" and added, "I didn't think he'd even get this close." But the issue is whether Azubuike can do enough to crack D'Antoni's tight rotation, especially this late in the season in the midst of a playoff push. "Right now to break into any rhythm, I think, is kind of hard," D'Antoni said. "But it would be great to get him out there every once in a while . . . Former welterweight champion Sugar Shane Mosley attended practice along with a television crew from Showtime. Mosley is scheduled to fight Manny Pacquiao on May 7 in Las Vegas.
