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New York Knicks fans are divided on Tyson Chandler's claim about the 2012-13 team winning an NBA championship. They were led by Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire but fell to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
On the All The Smoke podcast, Chandler discussed the 2013 Knicks team that ended the regular season as the No. 2 seed in the East. He was confident enough to think that they could have a shot against the Miami Heat and win their first championship since 1973.
"I really honestly feel like had we got past (Indiana), I feel like we had a legitimate shot to win the chip," Chandler said.
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"Miami was trying to go for the back-to-back, and I really feel like we would have beaten them that year with that Knicks team. No offense to them. I feel like we had the unit for it."
It's a wild take from Tyson Chandler, who was an integral part of the New York Knicks at the time. They ended the regular season with a 54-28 record and beat the Boston Celtics in the first round. However, they did not get past the Indiana Pacers in the next round.
Fans were divided on Chandler's claim, with some even pointing out his poor defense of Roy Hibbert as one of the main reasons why the Knicks lost to the Pacers.
One fan commented:
"Tyson was a major reason we lost. Hibbert destroyed him."
Another fan agreed on Chandler's terrible defense against Hibbert:
"That was a special year, and I loved Tyson, but he got manhandled by Hibbert in that series."
One fan thought that if Hibbert didn't block Carmelo Anthony's dunk in Game 6, the Knicks would have won the series:
"If Melo punches it on Hibbert instead of Hibbert blocking it, we win that game and win the series. That block took out the Knicks momentum."
Here're other reactions from Knicks fans on Tyson Chandler's wild take:
Is Tyson Chandler's take valid?
Tyson Chandler gave the New York Knicks a boost when he signed with them via free agency in the summer of 2011. Chandler won the Defensive Player of the Year in his first year there, but the Knicks lost to the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2012 NBA playoffs.
The Knicks were much better in the 2012-13 NBA season, finishing second in the Eastern Conference. They also had the Heat's number that season, winning the season series 3-1. All of their three wins had a margin of victory in double digits.
However, it's difficult to see the Knicks beating the Heat that season in the playoffs. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade can raise their game in the postseason while Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks didn't even get past Paul George and the Indiana Pacers.
