Amar'e Stoudemire revealed on Wednesday that he continues to experience back pain nearly two months after originally sustaining an injury prior to Game 2 against the Boston Celtics.

"It's still tight," said Stoudemire, who was injured during a pre-game dunk. "It's still pretty tight. It was pretty serious. It's a muscle that takes a while to heal." …

Stoudemire also praised the Dallas Mavericks for winning the title and for doing a good job of "harassing" LeBron James. In fact, the Mavs success reinforced Stoudemire's belief that the Knicks, a team that hasn't been known for defense for more than 10 years, needs to focus on performing at both ends of the court.

"For us, no question, it's about focusing in on how important defense is," he said. "We have to focus in on that angle and that angle only. Offense is no problem, but defense is where we have to focus in on."