The Knicks and Pacers have each gotten the best of each other once during the Eastern Conference Semifinals, with the series tied at one game apiece heading into Saturday. Another factor will likely be thrown into the equation soon, as Al Iannazzone of Newsday reports that Amare Stoudemire is expected to make a return for Game 3. The 6'11 forward – who has been recovering from knee surgery – says he expects to play at a high level and figures to be under a 10-15 minute limit under the discretion of coach Mike Woodson. Here's more out of Manhattan tonight:
- Adi Joseph of USA Today discusses why Amare's return might not necessarily help the team against Indiana, arguing that it could cause the Knicks to go away from the small lineups that have been successful for them.
- Almost a year ago, then-promising rookie Iman Shumpert suffered a debilitating ACL injury during the first round of the playoffs that sidelined him for several months. Zach Schonburn of the New York Times compares the 6'5 sophomore guard's rust and timid return in January to now, arguably playing his best basketball as a Knicks player since being drafted at such an important time of the year.
- Newsday's Jim Baumbach notes Tyson Chandler's struggles with Roy Hibbert so far in the series and that the 7'1 center is trying to get his conditioning and timing back.