NEW YORK –- Tyson Chandler received a warm welcome back from New York Knicks fans during introductions.

And then the big man did what he does best -- throw down backboard-shaking dunks and provide high-energy rebounding and defense.

Unfortunately for the Knicks, Chandler does all those things for the Dallas Mavericks now.

And Chandler is surprised at how much his former team is struggling thus far this season.

"I am," Chandler said. "I knew it would be a tough year because of change [but] didn't know it would be this tough, to be quite honest. They've had some tough breaks. They've been in some games late and haven't necessarily been able to close them [out], but I also think that's learning a new offense, and having trust in it.

"It seems like they're trusting it, and they're not breaking from it, which is positive, you have to take that as a plus. But you're going to take your lumps along the way."

Some of those lumps have come courtesy of Chandler, who beat the Knicks for a second time this season.

In his return to Madison Square Garden since being traded to Dallas, Chandler opened the game with a signature alley-oop dunk, and the Mavericks never looked back en route to a 107-87 victory over the Knicks.

Chandler scored 8 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked a shot in 25 minutes. The 7-footer had 17 points, 25 rebounds and 2 blocks during a 109-102 win over the Knicks in Dallas last month.

"He had 14 rebounds in 25 minutes," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "That's a man's game right there."

Chandler has played like a man intent on reminding the Knicks what they traded away in the offseason.

Team president Phil Jackson said part of the reason why he traded Chandler and Raymond Felton to Dallas in the offseason in exchange for Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, Shane Larkin, Wayne Ellington and two second-round picks was to help improve the chemistry and start with "some character guys."

Jackson never specified whom he was talking about, and initially Chandler said he took it personally.

"[I] did initially because everybody put my name on it," Chandler said. "And when it came to me, I thought it was directed at me. And now when I have some time to sit back and think about things, I don't know, it was very vague in the way it was put out there, and there wasn't a name behind it.

"So I've got to assume it wasn't about me, but at the time I took it personal because of the way it was presented to me."

Chandler's start on Tuesday night was about as perfect an opening as a former Knick can have in his Garden homecoming.

Chandler, who appreciated fans giving him a warm welcome, scored his first three baskets on signature power dunks (two off alley-oops), grabbed four rebounds and blocked a shot to help Dallas open a 26-11 lead with 5:20 to go in the first quarter.

The dazed Knicks didn't even know what hit them, and coach Derek Fisher ended up subbing out his entire starting five.

Fisher sure could use Chandler's energy, defense and rebounding inside. Chandler believes the Knicks would have made the playoffs last season if he had not broken his leg and missed 20 games early on.

"I really thought that we were on the right track," Chandler said of the Knicks before they lost 45 games last season. "I really thought our year would have been different last year had I not gone down. It was just such a bad aura around losing. We'd lost so many games in that stretch and it was kind of tough to bounce back."

When the season ended, a frustrated Chandler seemed like a guy who was ready for a fresh start elsewhere.

"When [James] Dolan and [Glen] Grunwald brought me here and signed me to a contract, to me that's trust and belief that you can help turn a franchise in a positive direction, and there's no way I was going to turn my back on that," Chandler said. "[But] I was frustrated, absolutely. Disappointed with myself, absolutely, on the last day of the season as I walked out of that facility on the last day."

Now he's helping Dallas contend in the West while the Knicks are in a tailspin for the second straight season.

"I respect the fans of New York, I respect the city," Chandler said. "I was disappointed with the way, even that anything became negative about me leaving because I had a positive experience here, besides last year was a tough year but I enjoyed my time here."

"To get a positive response felt great," Chandler added. "Because I feel that way about them."