Iman Shumpert Injury: Knicks Guard Reportedly Tears ACL in Clash with Heat

With 6:03 remaining in the third quarter of Game 1 of the opening series between the New York Knicks and Miami Heat, Knicks' rookie guard, Iman Shumpert, injured his left knee while attempting a behind-the-back crossover on Mario Chalmers.

UPDATE: Saturday, April 28th at 8:50 p.m. EST

The hopes that Iman Shumpert's knee injury may have not been as serious as anticipated have disappeared.

Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Shumpert has torn his ACL

"

New York's Iman Shumpert has suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, league source tells Y! Sports.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) April 29, 2012"

----End of update------

Yahoo's Marc Spears highlights the fact that Shumpert went down untouched, making for a bizarre and scary-looking injury.

"

Shumpert just fell down untouched with what appears to be a knee injury. Doesn't look good.

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) April 28, 2012"

The Knicks trailed 64-40 when Shumpert went down, and were being absolutely dominated by the stifling Heat defense and efficient offense.

Prior to the injury, Shumpert had played 19 minutes, registering one steal, one rebound and one turnover.

After the non-contact injury, Shumpert was carried into the locker room by teammates Josh Harrellson and Jerome Jordan and could be heard screaming in pain.

As of this moment, there are no reports as to the gravity of the injury.

Shumpert helped the Knicks become one of the best defensive teams in the league, guarding the opposing team's best perimeter shooter every game.

With Shumpert out, the Knicks will need to find a way to keep Dwyane Wade from taking control of the series, as Shumpert has done a good job of guarding Wade in the past.

His quick hands and constantly moving feet allow him to neutralize star perimeter players. That constant movement, shuffling and torque, increase the chance of injury.

In Shumpert's first season out of Georgia Tech, he averaged 9.5 points and just under two steals per game.

He's drawn comparisons to Bruce Bowen, and established himself as one of the fiercest defenders in the NBA.

The Knicks' chances of advancing to the second round of the playoffs without Shumpert protecting the perimeter are not too promising.

Stay tuned for more information.