A horrendous start to the postseason for the New York Knicks very quickly got worse during the third quarter of Saturday afternoon's Game 1 against the Miami Heat, as rookie guard Iman Shumpert crumpled to the court in obvious pain after suffering what appeared to be a non-contact knee injury.
With the Knicks down 24 points following a 30-13 second-quarter pasting, Shumpert dribbled up court after a Dwyane Wade turnover. The Knicks guard moved slightly to his left before trying to come back to the right, then instantly pulled up lame, losing control of the ball as he grabbed for his left knee. Mario Chalmers grabbed the loose ball and passed to Wade, who made a basket and was fouled at the other end of the floor. Shumpert stayed down, holding his knee and appearing to be in agonizing pain.
Teammates, coaches and trainers crowded around the rookie as ABC's telecast cut to commercial. During the break, teammates Jerome Jordan and Josh Harrellson carried Shumpert off the court and into the Knicks' locker room. He exited the game at the 6:04 mark of the third quarter, having gone scoreless in 19 minutes of game action; the Knicks say he will not return, according to Howard Beck of The New York Times.
The Knicks selected Shumpert out of Georgia Tech with the 17th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. He made 59 appearances during the regular season, including 35 starts, averaging 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while providing excellent perimeter defense for coaches Mike D'Antoni and Mike Woodson.
As Kelly Dwyer wrote earlier Saturday following what appeared to be a similar injury to the left knee Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, the full extent of Shumpert's injury won't be evident "until the swelling goes down, and an MRI is performed." Speculation on injuries is always dicey, but the fact that Shumpert couldn't put any weight on his leg and had to be carried off the court seems ominous. We'll share more news as we have it.
Video via @Jose3030.
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