Chandler (ailing), Davis (hurting) start Game 2
LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat passes away from Baron Davis #85 of the New York Knicks. (April 30, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
MIAMI -- Baron Davis has trouble bending down to pick things up. Tyson Chandler has had difficulty keeping his head up. And Iman Shumpert is awaiting reconstructive knee surgery.
The Knicks' starting unit is in such rough shape that Amar'e Stoudemire was one of their healthiest players Monday night. And he recently missed 13 games with a bulging disc in his back.
Overcoming the brilliance of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade already was going to be difficult for the Knicks, who were crushed Saturday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, 100-67. Now they will have to do it without their best perimeter defender and with Chandler and Davis largely limited for the time being.
"It's tough," Davis said before Monday night's 104-94 loss in Game 2, puttin the Knicks in an 0-2 hole in the series. "It's real tough. But we've been through so much this season. We've had guys play with injuries and play with sickness. It's another obstacle, another hurdle, something we're all up for the challenges. It's unfortunate we're not at full capacity, but we haven't been all season. It's kind of like the story of our season. We just have to kind of fight through this."
Slowed by the flu, Chandler was scoreless with seven turnovers in Game 1 Saturday and he had 13 points and seven rebounds in 33 minutes in Game 2.
Davis' back tightened after a collision with Wade and he didn't play much in the second half Saturday. He put in 27 minutes Monday night and had 12 points and six assists.
Shumpert's season ended in Game 1 after he tore his left ACL and lateral meniscus. Landry Fields replaced Shumpert in the starting lineup and had two points, three rebounds and one assist in less than 18 minutes.
The Knicks may be beaten up, but their confidence wasn't shattered by the 33-point blasting in Game 1.
Chandler still looked and sounded weak when he spoke at the morning shootaround Monday. Davis probably wouldn't be playing if it were a regular-season game or Jeremy Lin was healthy.
"You got to keep fighting," Davis said. "This is do-or-die. This is do-or-die. That's when the adrenaline kicks in, that's when your focus has to kick in. You just have to play with what you have and play within your means."
That's what brought Chandler out of bed, where he has been for most of this road trip that began with the Knicks' regular-season finale Thursday in Charlotte. Chandler missed the Bobcats game and team dinner that night. He wore a surgical mask on the plane to Miami on Friday and didn't practice that afternoon or Sunday. He said he felt like "a zombie" in Game 1 but felt much better Monday.
"We're beat up right now," he said. "We understand that. But this is a team game, team sport, and it's been that way throughout the year. We've had guys go down. We've had other guys step up. It's just an opportunity for another guy to step up."
