There wasn't any doubt that Amar'e Stoudemire would have to miss some time after shredding the side of his left hand on a pesky fire extinguisher cabinet last night. Now we're starting to get a sense of the extent of the damage and exactly how much time he'll miss. First, here's some relatively good news on the condition of Amar'e's hand from ESPN's Ian Begley:

Stoudemire saw a hand specialist at the Hospital of Special Surgery on Tuesday and the surgeon repaired a "small muscle" in his hand, according to the team. According to a source with knowledge of the injury, Stoudemire suffered no ligament or tendon damage.

Which "small muscle" do you think it was? Everyone who guesses correctly wins a bloody shard of glass!

And here's the prognosis:

A left hand laceration will force Amar'e Stoudemire to sit out Game 3 of the New York Knicks-Miami Heat first-round playoff series, the team announced on Tuesday evening. He is listed as doubtful for Game 4, scheduled for Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks say Stoudemire will be reassessed for the remainder of the series. A team source said there is a possibility that Stoudemire could miss the rest of the series, regardless of how long it goes.

Okay. The folks at The Times suspect that the injury will force/allow Carmelo Anthony to move to the power forward position, which would, I guess, pull either J.R. Smith or Steve Novak into the starting lineup alongside Landry Fields. It's gonna be a short-ass rotation from here on out.