Stoudemire injures hand with frustrated punch

New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire suffered severe cuts to his left hand after punching a small glass window in front of a fire extinguisher following a 104-94 NBA playoff loss at Miami. As a result of his actions in a moment of frustration, Stoudemire's status for the remainder of the first-round Eastern Conference best-of-seven is uncertain. He left the arena with a bandaged hand and his left arm in a sling. "I am so mad at myself right now," Stoudemire posted on his Twitter page. "I want to apologize to the fans and my team, not proud of my actions, headed home for a new start." The Knicks would welcome a chance to start over as well. They trail the Heat 2-0 in the series, which continues with game three on Thursday in New York. Stoudemire scored 18 points on Monday, going 6-of-9 from the field and the free throw line and grabbing seven rebounds, but the Knicks suffered their 12th consecutive playoff loss over multiple seasons to match an NBA futility record. Guards kept media from approaching Stoudemire as he boarded the Knicks' team bus. A team statement said that his status would be evaluated once the team returned to New York but Stoudemire's teammates were doubtful. "We just know right now that he has a laceration and he's probably going to be out," Knicks center Tyson Chandler said. "It's tough obviously. Amare is a huge part of this team. Without him, it's going to make it more difficult." Chandler said he did not blame Stoudemire for a thoughtless moment that hurt the entire team's chances, but he did wish that he had made a better decision in the heat of his disappointment. "It's tough," Chandler said. "Your emotions run high. Split-second decisions can obviously alter things and you can't fault anybody. "Amare is a person that has high emotions at times. One quick decision-making mistake and now you've got to deal with the repercussions." The Knicks lost Iman Shumpert for the remainder of the playoffs because of a knee injury on Saturday. "That's two players out of the starting lineup," Chandler said. "It makes it tougher." Knicks star forward Carmelo Anthony shook his head when asked about the injuries that have dogged the Knicks, including one that has kept Asian-American star Jeremy Lin out for the first round of the playoffs. "It's a tough situation. It seems like it's always something happening," Anthony said. "Snakebit. But it is what it is. We have to move forward." Anthony wants Stoudemire to join him on the frontline when the Knicks face Miami stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh. "He's one of the keys on this team," Anthony said. "We need him. I need him out there. I need him fighting with me."