Fans furious over Knicks' Amar'e Stoudemire's self-afflicted injury

Amar'e Stoudemire's battle with a Miami fire extinguisher case may be a season extinguisher.

Knicks fans learned Tuesday that Stoudemire's self-inflicted, bloody hand injury from striking the glass-and-metal box following the Knicks' loss to Miami on Monday will keep him out of Game 3 Thursday at Madison Square Garden - and probably longer. The news had them fuming at the $19-million-a-year forward.

"As the leader of the team, what a dumb thing to do and terrible example to set," said Cody Nastasia, 21, a student at St. John's University.

"When you're being paid millions of dollars you can't do something that will jeopardize your body off the court, that in turn hurts the team," he added.

Shortly after the outburst, Stoudemire tweeted an apology to fans: "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 wrote, adding later: "This [too] shall pass."

Cyndi Ramirez, 27, of Chelsea, agreed that it was "selfish of him" and "definitely shows a huge lack of self-control and discipline."

"I think it absolutely hurts the Knicks' chances of winning," Ramirez added. "Obviously it was a moment of pure adrenaline and frustration ... but think before you react."

Added Kim Giannini, 29, of Williamsburg: "Pure disappointment. ... [BUT]in the end I think he's a team player and clearly he regrets it. It's hard for me to blame a player for expressing emotion."

Though the Game 2 loss was hard for the team and fans alike, Tommy Dee of TheKnicksBlog.com said Stoudemire's outburst was the result of festering problems within the organization rather a simple post-game fury.

"It's a culmination of frustration the entire year, starting with the signing of Knicks' signing Carmelo," Dee said. "It's been a festering of things in the locker room that culminated Monday with his punching a fire extinguisher. ... That's pretty serious and impulsive, and Amar'e is a pretty composed dude."

Still, Dee doesn't think this kills the Knicks' chances in Game 3 - though it's unlikely they'll take the series, he said - and some fans agree.

"It is a chance for the other players to stand out," Ramirez said. "Hopefully they'll take this hurdle as a chance to rise above."

Follow reporter Tim Herrera on Twitter: @tim_herrera