With Chandler sick, Knicks are ill-equipped

With Chandler sick, Knicks are ill-equipped

David Santiago/AP

The Knicks bench (l. to r.) Amar'e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, Baron Davis and Carmelo Anthony sit dejected.

MIAMI First it was the flu that disoriented Knicks center Tyson Chandler, the teams steadiest player. Then came the Heat, charging hard into the lane toward him and then eliminating his routes to the rim on offense.

He was dizzied by the white-hot whirl Saturday and watched most of Miamis dominant 100-67 win from the bench, where he wore his team warmups and a towel wrapped around his neck. At games end, he withdrew to the locker room and showered. He was tethered to tubes for intravenous fluids in the trainers area.

I thought maybe by just being out there would help my team morale, he said. But I wasnt able to do much.

Miami melted Chandler in his 21 minutes as he finished with no points and three rebounds. He missed all three field-goal attempts, turned the ball over seven times and was whistled for four offensive fouls. He is typically the most vocal defender from his back-line position, but his voice was inaudible.

He wasnt himself out there, Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire said. I can tell. Tyson is very, very vocal. He felt a little dizzy out there the whole game.

Chandlers biggest collision came on offense. With 1:34 remaining in the second quarter, he established position and extended his forearms into James upper back to execute a crushing screen just before midcourt in an attempt to spring guard Iman Shumpert. James grabbed his neck and writhed on the ground, and Chandler was called for a Flagrant 2 technical foul initially. The officials reviewed it on a courtside monitor and downgraded it to a Flagrant 1. Chandler maintained afterward that it was legal.

I played football, James said. So Ive been hit harder.

The Knicks were stripped of their security blanket, and Miami blitzed through the lane. At turns, guard Dwyane Wade (19 points) and James (32 points) blew past the Knicks perimeter defenders and finished drives at the rim. Chandler could only look on.

Without him were at a disadvantage, Knicks three-point threat Steve Novak said. We need to get him his fluids.

Chandler will be monitored by the medical staff. He managed to eat breakfast Saturday, the first solid food he kept down in two days.

Chandler did not play in the season finale Thursday night at Charlotte, and wore a surgical mask around the team.

To be honest, most guys wouldnt have come play, Novak said.

Chandler departed South Beach a dehydrated champion last June. He served as the Mavericks invaluable intimidator during their NBA Finals win over the Heat. He toasted to victory afterward with his teammates at a huge party.

Now, hes just hoping to toast to a victory Monday night.

I think Ill be fine, Chandler said. I hope all this stuff goes away.