MIAMI — Steve Novak was crushed about Knicks teammate Amar’e Stoudemire’s lacerated left hand, explaining he thinks Stoudemire never realized the danger when he punched the glass case of a fire extinguisher after last night’s Game 2 loss to the Heat.
“I feel awful for [Stoudemire] because he plays with emotion,” Novak told The Post. “And you’re walking in a hallway, and I don’t think he ever thought for a second that it was going to be glass, that it was going to shatter.”
Novak said he “was right behind [Stoudemire],” though he cautioned, “but I didn’t actually see his hand.
“I think that it’s just really unfortunate,” he said. “I just feel bad for him.”
The Knicks now may need to play without their star teammate for the rest of this first-round series. They already trail the Heat 2-0, guards Jeremy Lin and Iman Shumpert are out with knee injuries, point guard Baron Davis has been dealing with an ailing back and center Tyson Chandler is getting over the flu.
None of those ailments could be avoided, but Stoudemire’s injury was self-inflicted.
“We just know that he has a laceration and he’s probably going to be out,” Chandler said. “I don’t know how bad it is. Amar’e is a huge piece to this team. Without him, it’ll make it more difficult. We already lost one player in the starting lineup [in Shumpert]. That’s two players out of the starting lineup. It makes it tougher.
“Your emotions run high. In a split second, a decision can alter things. You can’t fault anybody. We’ve got to deal with the repercussions.”
If Stoudemire doesn’t play in Thursday’s crucial Game 3 it would be an enormous absence. However, Stoudemire has not played that well against the Heat this year, averaging just 12.5 points in the regular season and 13.5 in the playoffs.
“We’re going to have to just wait and see what the doctors say and hope it’s not as bad as we’re worried about,” Novak said. “You all know what a big piece of the team he is for us, and it’s really just a piece of bad luck. But if he can’t play, we’ve just got to find a way to move forward and have guys step up.”
Added Carmelo Anthony, “As one of the leaders of this team, I’ve got to keep everybody positive. I’ve got to keep everybody confident. It’s far from over. I believe that and we believe that, too.”
The Heat’s two biggest stars sidestepped passing any judgment on Stoudemire.
“What’s going on in this locker room is all I care about,” said Heat star LeBron James. “But it’s unfortunate. You never want anyone to have an injury, either when you’re playing or off the court.”
Dwyane Wade said, “We love when Amar’e’s out there. He brings the best out of our guys with his competitive nature and toughness.”
—Additional reporting by Fred Kerber