Consecutive high-scoring games, with the motivation being the team rather than personal accolades. Former New York Knicks star Amar’e Stoudemire has revealed something similar behind his peak performance for the team in season 2010-11. Appearing on the Garden Party podcast, Stoudemire was asked about his feelings during the time he was on a hot streak of scoring 30+ points in consecutive games for the Knicks.

The 6x All-Star expressed it as something that even the team needed. Mostly because of one particular realization that he had after a point. As per what STAT stated, he played somewhat passive initially, trying to involve the entire team. As a result, the usual score for the ex-Knicks star came in around 20s.

“…. Like 25 here and there, 23. Everybody’s getting numbers, but we were losing. So I got fed up… I started going off. I had 38 and then 41, then 33… we start winning,” he said on the Green Party podcast. Notably, the 6x All-Star scored 30+ points in 9 consecutive games for the Knicks in his first season (2012-11) for the franchise itself. Of these 9 games, the Knicks won 8 games, losing just 1.

As for Amar’e Stoudemire’s claim, before he went for the 30+ score for the first time, the team had played 17 games, winning 8 of them and losing 9. The win percentage by then stood at 47.05, with the 6’10” player averaging 22.6 points per game by that time.

But as soon as STAT picked up his pace and started going for big scores, the team achieved victory in 34 of the remaining 65 games. Thus, closing the regular season with a win percentage of 52.3, and Stoudemire averaging 26 ppg through the remaining games in the season. So he was not wrong when he stated on the Garden Party podcast — “I had to really put the team on my back because we needed that energy, and I just kept going.”

Amar’e Stoudemire reveals the real reason that his pairing didn’t work with Carmelo Anthony

Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony were supposed to be a dominant duo in New York when Melo was traded to the New York Knicks in a multi-player deal. But the partnership never truly reached its full potential. Ever wonder why? The 6x All-Star shed some light on the situation during a conversation back in 2015, explaining that he and Anthony had envisioned running more pick-and-roll plays together.

Unfortunately, the coaching staff at the time (likely referring to Mike D’Antoni and Mike Woodson) didn’t seem to share the same vision. STAT revealed, “I don’t think we had enough opportunities to play together. I moved to the bench and [became the] sixth, seventh man.” This meant that when he was on the court, Melo often wasn’t—and vice versa.

But when they did play together, Stoudemire believes they showed flashes of the potential that pick-and-roll offense could’ve had. Can you imagine the dynamic? STAT attacking the rim while Melo worked his magic from the perimeter. Yet, it was more than just the coaching decisions.

Stoudemire’s knee issues also played a role in limiting their time together on the court. And despite their undeniable talent, the pair never made it past the second round of the playoffs in their four seasons as teammates.

Stay tuned for more updates. Join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host, BG12, sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.