Despite Loss, Tyson Chandler Shines
Even with Tyson Chandler coming off two weak performances, Mike Woodson wasn’t concerned about his starting center entering the game against the Nets on Monday night.
“He’s that type of competitor, so I’m not too worried about Tyson,” the Knicks coach said before the game.
Right away, Chandler’s competitive spirit was evident, as he scored eight points in the first quarter — his best start of the season. And he finished with a career-high 28 points on 12-for-13 shooting in the Knicks’ 96-89 overtime loss. He also tacked on 10 rebounds.
“Tyson was fantastic,” Woodson said. “He was huge. I mean, we needed about three more Tysons tonight.”
While Chandler is averaging fewer minutes this season than last (28 versus 33), he played 45 Monday night. And those high amounts could continue, because Woodson realizes he needs scoring on the court. He’s using smaller lineups to achieve that goal, but that’s putting more strain on Chandler. True, it’s early in the season, but Woodson needs to continue to find the right balance of effective offensive and defensive lineups.
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