New York, NY

New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson expects Amar'e Stoudemire to miss the team's opening-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics.

"I think he's going to be out," Woodson said. "That's my gut."

The veteran power forward underwent surgery March 11 to clean up debris in his right knee and hasn't started running yet at practice.

The Knicks said Stoudemire was expected to miss four to six weeks, which makes his earliest return at April 22, a day before Game 2 of the first-round series.

"I'm doing everything I can to get back out there and be extremely strong and healthy so, hopefully, I'll be out there soon," Stoudemire said Thursday.

The Knicks have thrived even with Stoudemire out, finishing the regular season 17-6 in their last 23 games and winning the Atlantic Division title for the first time in 19 years.

Meanwhile, All-Star center Tyson Chandler said he's feeling 100 percent healthy.

Chandler had missed 16 of the Knicks' final 20 games with a bulging disk in his neck. He practiced with the team Thursday.

"It actually was a blessing in disguise that I was able to get that time off because now I'll have fresh legs throughout the playoffs and I'm excited for this long run we're about to endure," Chandler said.

But starting guard Pablo Prigioni is questionable for Saturday's Game 1 because of a sprained right ankle. Woodson may opt to insert rookie forward Chris Copeland into the starting lineup and shift Iman Shumpert to shooting guard.

 

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