"I can't give it to Jeremy Lin" - Amar'e Stoudemire discloses his favorite 3-pt shooter on Knicks
At one point in his career with the New York Knicks, Amar'e Stoudemire played with J.R. Smith, Mike Bibby, Steve Novak and Jeremy Lin. As the Knicks’ best interior post player, coach Mike D’Antoni surrounded Stoudemire with shooters that included Carmelo Anthony.
The idea was to give the bull strong power forward room to operate as defenses couldn’t collapse on him because of the outside threat.
Stoudemire played for the Knicks for a little over four seasons but couldn’t attain the success many thought he would achieve. He reached the playoffs thrice but never went past the second round during that span. New York traded him to Dallas in 2015.
Amar'e Stoudemire appeared on the “Garden Party,” A New York Knicks podcast to share memories and highlights of his time with the franchise. When asked to name his favorite shooter, Stoudemire responded:
“Novak was one of my favorite shooters on the Knicks. I’m giving the ball to Melo [Anthony]. Anytime the clock was running low, if it was not me, I’m giving the ball to Melo. (Starting at 20:11 mark)
When asked if he’d give up the ball to Jeremy Lin in clutch situations, Stoudemire didn’t hesitate, saying:
“Nah, I can’t give it to Jeremy Lin. I’m going with Melo for sure.
Lin played only one season (2011-12) with the Knicks but he had a two-week span in February that came to be known as “Linsanity.” Mike D’Antoni designed plays for the previously unknown guard instead of going to more established stars.
Amar'e Stoudemire had no hesitation in naming Carmelo Anthony as his favorite 3-point shooter. The legendary forward’s career numbers speak for themselves. Jeremy Lin had an amazingly great stretch but couldn’t sustain it.
Amar'e Stoudemire saw Jeremy Lin hit a game-winning 3-pointer against the Toronto Raptors
Amar'e Stoudemire’s ailing knees began to surrender just as Jeremy Lin’s two-week explosion started. He was forced to sit out early in February but played against the Toronto Raptors on February 14, 2012, just as “Linsanity” reached fever pitch.
Lin had been putting on a show for nearly two weeks when the Knicks rode to Toronto for a matchup against the Raptors. New York trailed 82-87 with exactly 2:00 left in the game. Iman Shumpert’s bank shot cut the lead with 1:28 to go. Tyson Chandler blocked DeMar DeRozan in the next possession before Stoudemire grabbed the rebound.
The arena wanted to see Jeremy Lin work his magic and the point guard did not disappoint. He scored on a floater, drew a foul and made the free throw to tie the game. Following Leandro Barbosas’ missed 3-pointer, New York called a timeout. Lin orchestrated the play but gave up the ball to an open Shumpert who missed a mid-range jumper.
Tyson Chandler grabbed the offensive rebound and passed the ball out to Lin, who melted the clock before nailing a 25-foot game-winning triple. Amar'e Stoudemire and the rest of the Knicks celebrated on Toronto's home court after the shot. Chandler or Stoudemire might have given that ball to Carmelo Anthony but the All-Star was out with an injury.
Fortunately, Jeremy Lin bailed the Knicks out with perhaps the most iconic shot of his career.