York Knicks playoff loss, frustrated, fuming, dismissed again by the
Miami Heat. A little more than an hour later, he would leave American
Airlines Arena with his left hand heavily bandaged, his arm in a sling
and both his and the Knicks' immediate futures in doubt.
In between, Stoudemire punched a fire extinguisher case in the Knicks'
locker room, mangling his left hand on the glass and causing a chaotic
scene that saw paramedics wheel a stretcher into the room. Stoudemire
needed stitches to close the gash on his hand, but flew home to New
York with the Knicks.
A Knicks spokesman said Stoudemire's status for Thursday's Game 3 is
uncertain, but it appears unlikely he'll play then – or even again
this postseason. The Knicks were already gasping after Monday's104-94
loss dropped them in a 2-0 hole against the Heat, and Stoudemire's
ill-advised punch now threatens to extinguish any hopes they had of
climbing back into the series.
Amar'e Stoudemire leaves the arena after cutting his left hand.
(Reuters) "I am so mad at myself right now," Stoudemire said on his
Twitter account late Monday. "I want to apologize to the fans and my
team, not proud of my actions, headed home for a new start."
Stoudemire didn't speak as he was ushered to the Knicks' bus by team
and security personnel who pushed away reporters, leaving unanswered
the one big question: What made him so angry to put his hand through
glass?
Given the state of the Knicks – whose12th consecutive playoff loss
tied an NBA record – it could have been any number of things.
The last few months have worn on Stoudemire, both personally and
professionally. He took a leave of absence from the Knicks in February
after his brother died in a car accident. A bulging disk in his back
forced him to miss 13 games late in the season, and he hasn't regained
the form that made him a six-time All-Star. He received just seven
shots in Game 1 and nine in Game 2 and is averaging 13.5 points in the
series.
"There were a lot of emotions running through, mainly frustration,"
Knicks guard J.R. Smith said. "There isjust a desire to play well and
do well for our city. We're just not doing that right now."
The Knicks were at least competitive in Game 2. In the series' opener,
they lost by 33 points. Rookie guard Iman Shumpert, their best
perimeter defender, was lost for the season when he tore his left ACL
in Game 1. Jeremy Lin, who started at point guard during New York's
strongest stretch of the season, is still sidelinedafter recovering
from knee surgery. Now the Knicks will likely have to make do without
Stoudemire.
"He's probably going to be out," center Tyson Chandler said."…Amar'e
is a huge part of this team. Without him, it'll make it more
difficult. We already lost one player in the starting lineup
[Shumpert]. That's two players out of the starting lineup.
"Your emotions run high. In a split-second a decision can alter
things. You can't fault anybody. We got to deal with the
repercussions."
Hanging over the Knicks' latest drama is the question of whether
Stoudemire and All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony can coexist in New
York. Stoudemire was the toast of Broadway after signing a $100
million contract before the start of last season. Anthony arrived in a
trade seven months later, and the Knicks figured they were headed for
brighter days. Instead, Chauncey Billups got hurt in the playoffs and
New York was swept by the Boston Celtics.
This season has brought only more frustration, leading to coach Mike
D'Antoni's departure in March. Anthony averaged a team-high 22.6
points during the regular season and scored 30 on Monday, but his 26
shots in Game 2 were 10 more than Stoudemire has attempted in the
series.
Still, Anthony thinks he and Stoudemire, when healthy, can thrivetogether.
"I don't know where that question comes from," Anthony said. "Of
course we can. We have to."
That's likely not the case for at least the next game. When Anthony
and the Knicks take the court on Thursday, Stoudemire isn't expected
to be with them.
"It's a tough situation," Anthony said."It seems like it's always
something happening. We're snake bit."
No comments:
Post a Comment