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Miami Heat
Udonis Haslem, Dexter Pittman and Tyler Hansbrough received their reprimands for flagrant fouls in Game 5 of the Heat-Pacers conference semifinal. Haslem (one game) and Pittman (three games) will serve suspensions, while Hansbrough will get only an upgrade to a flagrant 2. Did the NBA get each punishment right?
Fair punishment?
Udonis Haslem missing Game 6 will hit the Heat hard, as they are without Chris Bosh (injury) and Dexter Pittman (suspension).
Did the NBA get it right?
Of the three players who were called for flagrant fouls in Game 5, Tyler Hansbrough was the only one not to receive a suspension.
Fans' take on the Heat-Pacers punishments:
- jimjam1234: "Total bias bs against the Heat. If Haslem is suspended then Hansbrough should be too."
- ptgatorboy13: "hansbrough got all ball and happened to hit wade as well = good playoff foul
haslem made no attempt at the ball and used both of his hands to hit hansbroughs face = suspension" - CornhuskerKid02: "Shocked about Pitman. I think he should have gotten 10+ games"
- morg1527: "Officiating crew should be suspended for the rest of the playoffs. They let the physical play get out of control by not kicking out Haslem."
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The Pacers have been giving the Heat a lot of trouble in their series, but if last night's 115-83 Heat win is any indication, Miami is fully prepared to bring the hammer down. The teams traded three flagrant fouls, with Dexter Pittman roughing up Lance Stephenson, Tyler Hansbrough going after Dwyane Wade, and Udonis Haslem retaliating against Hansbrough when the latter went in for a layup. Larry Bird thought his upstart Pacers were soft in this game, but was it just a fluke?
A soft team?
"I can't believe my team went soft. S-O-F-T. I'm disappointed. I never thought it would happen. That's all I have to say." -- Larry Bird
Harsher penalties?
Tyler Hansbrough and Udonis Haslem were both called out for their physical play.
Crucial injury?
Both David West and Danny Granger suffered sprains in Game 5. West thought his injury was due to a cheap shot, although replays were somewhat less than conclusive.
Game 6 winner?
After such a decisive loss in Game 5, the Pacers will have to come out with a different approach in Game 6.
On Monday, "First Take" debated LeBron James' legacy and his chances of winning a title this season. LeBron's lack of a ring has been a sore spot in assessing his legacy, one that Skip Bayless has brought up time and time again. With James' performance in Game 4, Stephen A. Smith doesn't think he can blame LeBron if the Heat don't end up winning it all. Does LeBron need to hoist the trophy over his head this season in order to cement his status as an all-time great? What's your take?
On Friday, "First Take" discussed the amount of blame LeBron James deserves for the Heat's Game 3 loss against the Pacers. Much of the fault seems to lie at the feet of Dwyane Wade, who scored only five points in the contest, but whenever the Heat lose, it's inevitable that LeBron will draw some fire. Skip Bayless thinks LeBron deserves the majority of the blame, but Stephen A. Smith gives him only about 20 percent. What's your take?
Nothing seems to go according to script for the Heat in the playoffs. If you believe LeBron James' prediction in their infamous introductory press conference, they should be well on their way to their second title by now. Instead, they're teetering on the brink of falling in a deep hole in their series against the Pacers. It's gotten so bad that the normally unflappable Dwyane Wade is scoring in the single digits and arguing with his coach. Whatever's wrong with Wade and the Heat, they'll have to turn it around quickly.
Will Wade turn it around?
Dwyane Wade's performance in Game 3 was eminently forgettable -- a mere five points and five turnovers in 37 minutes.
Wade vs. Spoelstra?
Dwyane Wade and coach Erik Spoelstra had to be separated after a heated argument.
Pacers' standout?
The Pacers have been splitting scoring duties almost evenly among their five starters, and it's been working out well so far.
A trade in the future?
There's been talk of splitting up the Big Three if the Heat don't win this season, possibly with the intention of acquiring Dwight Howard.
Yeah, yeah, we know; in the win-loss column, "losing" and "almost winning" count for exactly the same thing. Emotionally, however, Heat fans would probably feel a lot different about Tuesday night's 78-75 loss to the Pacers. LeBron James' clutchness has often been called into question, and he didn't help his cause by missing two free throws in the final minute last night. LeBron was likely the main reason the Heat were in the game in the first place, however; he scored 28 points with nine rebounds and five assists, even adding six steals to his ledger. If LeBron scores five fewer points, we might not even be having this conversation. Sports are weird sometimes.
LeBron's role?
LeBron James' predicament reminds us somewhat of Alex Rodriguez's playoff issues, at least up until 2009, where Rodriguez won a World Series and hit six home runs in the playoffs.
Bigger miss?
Both LeBron and Dwyane Wade had chances to drastically alter the tone of the game in the final minute, but neither was able to capitalize.
Bosh's absence?
Chris Bosh is often derided as not truly worthy of being the third member of the Big Three, but his defensive chops could have made the difference on Tuesday night.
The Heat-Pacers series is the first conference semifinals matchup to be set in this season's NBA playoffs, but it wasn't supposed to be this way. Consensus had the Heat advancing out of the first round against pretty much any opponent, but the Magic were all set to rely on Dwight Howard to get them into the semis -- at least, until an awful lot of late-season drama and a year-ending injury sent Orlando against Indiana without its superstar. The Pacers will be facing a much tougher opponent, but can they pull it off?
Heat or Pacers?
The Pacers weren't the only team to advance to the second round against an injured team; the Heat faced a severely depleted Knicks team in the first round.
Better bench?
The Heat have had questions about their bench since the news conference introducing their Big Three.
Spoelstra or Vogel?
Frank Vogel has had a fair amount of success in his short coaching career, but Erik Spoelstra might have the tougher job, what with managing egos and the media in addition to his in-game duties.
LeBron or Wade?
LeBron James' closing credentials have been called into question, although it was Dwyane Wade who missed a last-second shot in the series against the Knicks.
On Wednesday, "First Take" debated LeBron James' place among the NBA greats -- specifically, whether he's the best player in basketball since Michael Jordan. Both Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless think he hasn't done enough yet -- Skip called him a "stat-sheet stuffer," while Stephen A. thinks he needs to demonstrate an ability to close out big games in the playoffs. What's your take?
On Monday, "First Take" took on the never-ending debate of who should take the last shot for the Miami Heat in big games. Dwyane Wade missed a 3-point buzzer-beater in Sunday's loss to the Knicks, but Skip Bayless thinks it was still the right decision to have him take the shot. Stephen A. Smith doesn't have a problem with Wade closing, but there's still some heated debate as to whether LeBron James would have been the better option. What's your take?
The Knicks are still in a hole against the Heat, but an 89-87 win in Game 4 has given New York fans some hope, as well as restored some dignity to the series. Carmelo Anthony's 41 points propelled the Knicks to their first postseason win since 2001, but the most interesting storyline going forward is Jeremy Lin's availability for Game 5. Lin's been out for a good long while, but he's participated in 3-on-3 games and could suit up for the Knicks going forward. Would they have a better chance with him at point guard?
Game 5 matchup?
The Knicks have to go a long way to win this series, but the possible return of Jeremy Lin could help them immensely.
Decimated by injuries?
The Knicks had been losing players left and right before this series even started.
Comeback chance?
Five teams are in a 3-1 hole in the playoffs, but a comeback or two isn't out of the question just yet.
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