NBA

Flu-ridden Chandler off his game for Knicks

At one point during yesterday’s second quarter, an alley oop pass was thrown in the direction of a flu-ridden Tyson Chandler. The center, normally automatic when on the receiving end of alley-oops, was unable to grab the pass and slam it home.

“I felt like I was just kind of blank,” Chandler said of his day. “I was kind of always dizzy and foggy. Everything was off.”

And nothing was on. Suffering from the flu, Chandler was labeled a game-time call by interim coach Mike Woodson, and while Chandler ended up playing 21-plus minutes in the Knicks’ dreadful 100-67 Miami meltdown, he was a complete mess. The Defensive Player of the Year candidate did not score a point, turned the ball over a seven times, grabbed only three rebounds and did not block a shot. He also committed four fouls — all offensive.

“He wasn’t himself out there. I can tell,” Amar’e Stoudemire said. “Tyson is very, very vocal. [Yesterday] he didn’t quite have it. There were a couple of easy baskets he couldn’t finish. He felt a little dizzy out there the whole game.”

Chandler didn’t play in the Knicks’ regular season finale Thursday and didn’t practice Friday. He said as late as Friday he believed he was going to be sidelined for Game 1.

“I didn’t think I was going to be able to play [Friday], even late [Friday] night,” he admitted. “I thought I’d be able to give my team a little something. I thought maybe by just being out there would help my team morale. But I wasn’t able to do much.”

Chandler admitted to “feeling just weak” and “not being able to do the things I’m normally able to do.”

His day almost ended with an ejection just before halftime.

With 1:34 to go in the first half, Chandler set a hard pick on LeBron James, putting his shoulder into the Heat star. James may have acted a bit, but Chandler was whistled for a flagrant-2 foul (grounds for ejection). A video review changed it to a flagrant-1, however, and neither Chandler nor Baron Davis understood why it was even that.

“I don’t think it was a foul,” Davis said. “If you look at a couple weeks ago what LeBron did to John Lucas, it’s pretty much the same play.”

Said Chandler: “I thought it was a legal pick, honestly. He didn’t see me coming.”

Chandler said he expects to be ready to go for Game 2.

“I hope all this stuff goes away and I’m able to be myself out there next game,” Chandler said.