The New York Knicks won 54 games during the regular season and enjoyed their first Atlantic Division crown in 19 years.
One of the main reasons for their success this season has been the play of Carmelo Anthony. Closing out the regular season as the NBA's scoring champion, Anthony guided the Knicks to the No. 2 seed in the 2013 Eastern Conference playoffs.
Following a series win over the Boston Celtics to start the postseason and splitting their first two Eastern Conference semifinal series games with the Indiana Pacers, New York will now welcome the return of one of their premier players in the hopes that he'll be able to provide a boost on both ends of the court.
As ESPN New York reports, Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire is set to return for their game 3 contest against Indiana. With Stoudemire taking the floor for the first time since undergoing knee surgery, head coach Mike Woodson has a certain number of game minutes in mind for his superstar.
"It won't be very many minutes," Woodson said to ESPN. "I'm thinking somewhere between 10 and 15 minutes, if that."
Fully aware of the fact that he needs to be extremely cautious upon returning to action, the 30-year-old All-Star knows he'll be limited to some degree but says he feels as fresh as he has in some time.
"I'm not playing 40 minutes a night, so as far as my conditioning now, it's in great shape as far as the amount of time I'm going to play," Stoudemire told USA Today. "If I was playing 40 minutes a night, then I'd give myself more time to get in better shape, but for the most part I feel pretty good."
The Knicks have struggled at times during the first two games against Indiana with regard to offensive output and physicality. While they looked completely dominant in their convincing game 2 victory, the Knicks looked sluggish and lacked a certain amount of toughness in the series opener.
A six-time All-star, Stoudemire is expected to provide the Knicks with another big presence to go along with Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler, and that should certainly help even though Stoudemire's minutes will be bare in the beginning.
"It's a matter of will," Stoudemire said. "I can play whatever the coaching staff wants me to play. I'm going to continue to get in shape throughout these playoffs."
New York resumes their semifinal series with Indiana Saturday, May 11th at 8:00pm, EDT.
While Stoudemire is expected to contribute in a small fashion, his mere presence on the floor could help the Knicks create more consistent offense while providing the team with some added intensity.
WATCH Highlights from New York's Game 2 Win Over Indiana:
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