On the court, his night included an emphatic block by LeBron James. (EPA)
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MIAMI — Paramedics were rushed into the Knicks locker room moments after their 104-94 loss to the Heat last night in Game 2 after Amar’e Stoudemire punched the glass-enclosed fire extinguisher in the hallway leading to the dressing room.
Stoudemire received multiple stitches and the Knicks called it a “lacerated’’ left hand as the Knicks’ mess went from bad to unthinkable at AmericanAirlines Arena as Stoudemire could be gone for the series and almost assuredly is out for Thursday’s Game 3 at the Garden. Yes, the Knicks seem cursed.
The Knicks officially said his status for Game 3 is uncertain, pending further evaluation. But Tyson Chandler said, “He’s probably going to be out [Thursday]. I don’t know how bad it is. Amar’e is a huge piece to this team. Without him, it’ll make it more difficult. We already lost one player [Iman Shumpert]. That’s two players out of the starting lineup.’’
Stoudemire walked out of the arena with his left arm in a sling. Dressed in a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head, Stoudemire did not speak to reporters.
However, Stoudemire tweeted last night, “I am so mad at myself right now, I want to apologize to the fans and my team, not proud of my actions, headed home for a new start.’’
He later tweeted at 2 a.m.: “We all have done thing out of anger that we regret. That makes us human. Bad timing on my part. Sorry guys. This to shall pass.”
Stoudemire could have X-rays today.
“I saw a lot of blood, I’m squeamish so I got out of there,’’ said one Knicks player. “He punched it. I don’t know if it was open hand or not.’’
The Knicks did not reveal the number of stitches Stoudemire received, but the locker room was closed to reporters for more than 45 minutes after the game. Stoudemire’s Game 2 last year also turned nasty when he pulled a back muscle during pregame warm-ups doing a trick dunk.
The Knicks trail in the series 2-0 and were decided underdogs to win before the Stoudemire fiasco.
“Your emotions run high,’’ said Tyson Chandler, who played with the last remnants of the flu. “In a split second, a decision can alter things. You can’t fault anybody. We got to deal with the repercussions.’’
Reporters were kept out as Stoudemire was attended by paramedics and the Heat team physician. Stoudemire boarded the team bus to fly home.
“He’s one of the keys on the team,” said Carmelo Anthony, who scored 30 points but only nine in the second half. “I need him fighting with me.’’
Instead Stoudemire took his fight out on the fire extinguisher. With Iman Shumpert watching from the trainer’s room after tearing the ACL in his left knee Saturday, the Knicks needed Anthony and Stoudemire be the superstars their franchise built them up as.
“It’s a tough situation,’’ Anthony said. “It seems like it’s always something happening — snakebit.’’
The Knicks are in as much shambles as the fire extinguisher. Last night, they tied the NBA record for most consecutive playoff losses with 12.
“We will have to deal with it when it comes around,’’ Anthony said. “Nobody wants to lose. As one of the leaders of this team. I got to keep everybody positive. I got to keep everybody confident.’’
Stoudemire didn’t have a bad night on the court, but didn’t dominate. He finished with an efficient 18 points (6-of-9) and seven boards. Stoudemire’s season has been wracked by the death of his brother and persistent back issues stemming from a bulging disk that kept him out for 13 games.
“It’s crazy,’’ Steve Novak said. “It’s like I feel awful for Stat because he plays with emotion and you’re walking in a hallway and I don’t think he ever thought for a second that it was gonna be glass, that it was gonna shatter.’’
The only true basketball superstars in this first-round series continued to be Miami’s LeBron James and Dwyane Wade and they outclassed the Knicks.
However, Anthony said afterward, “It’s far from over.’’
Anthony had a big first quarter, but gradually got worse and committed three second-half turnovers. Much of the fourth quarter Anthony didn’t even seem to want the ball.
Taking advantage of Shumpert’s absence, Wade pumped in 25 points (11 of 18). James scored 19 points, and Chris Bosh added 21.
“It is not big secret,’’ Mike Woodson said. “Those are three All-Stars, three finishers, three guys who were in the finals last year and they are playing like that right now.’’
Additional reporting by Mark Hale