Written by: Alan Walsh

Heading into the break, the Knicks didn’t finish the way they would have liked, but they have the whole second half of the season to bounce back. Having dropped their last two games at home before All-Star Weekend, Stoudemire knows they missed a golden opportunity to get some key wins.

“You definitely want to go into the break with a win and keep the momentum going,” said Stoudemire after Wednesday’s loss to Toronto.

Regardless of dropping two straight, the Knicks, and more importantly, Stoudemire, have a lot to be proud of in the first half of this season.

The Knicks go into the break with a 32-18 record and find themselves in first place in the Atlantic Division; this is the first time the Knicks are a legitimate contender for the NBA title since 1994.

The break also comes at a good time for most players, but Stoudemire is ready to keeping the season moving along.

“I’m not tired,” he said.

The reason for that is because he’s only played in 20 of the team’s 50 games. In those 20 games, he’s averaging 13.6 points per game in 22.8 minutes per game in his new role coming off the bench.

Stoudemire doesn’t need the break but he and the team will surely take it.

“This is the perfect time for me to heal up and rest and get ourselves in better shape,” he said.

It’s also a good time for him and the other Knicks not making the trip to Houston watch closely on their teammates this weekend.

“With Melo and Tyson in the All-Star Game, Steve Novak in the three-point contest, and James White in the dunk contest,” said Stoudemire, “We’re going to “Tape” the whole weekend.”