The Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers played an intense Game 5 on Tuesday night, but it might have been too intense. There were several hard fouls committed by Miami, and the team might be down a couple of players should suspensions be handed out. The most egregious foul was Dexter Pittman's elbow to Lance Stephenson's throat. It looks intentional, and could wind up costing Pittman several games. However, don't ask LeBron James his thoughts on the play until he sees the video (via CBS Sports):
Heat Vs. Pacers: Hard Fouls By Miami’s Dexter Pittman, Udonis Haslem Draw Reactions
“I need to see it,” James said. “I need to see exactly what happened. But I think there’s no room for dirty plays in our game, period – whether it’s from us, or Indiana or anyone in the league. We’re all one group as players, and you don’t want anybody to get hurt. I haven’t seen that actual play, but we’ll see.”
Earlier in the game, Udonis Haslem committed a hard foul on Tyler Hansbrough, who had fouled Dwyane Wade before that. Haslem's foul on Hansbrough looked premeditated, but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is backing up his player and claiming otherwise (via the Miami Herald):
“There were three hard fouls in this game, and the league will review them,” Spoelstra said. “We thought [Haslem] was making a play on the ball. This is a physical series. Nobody wants to make it into anything more than that.”
The Heat should start preparing for the loss of two players. It would be hard to imagine the NBA not disciplining either member of the Heat.
For more on the Miami Heat, check out Peninsula Is Mightier and SB Nation Tampa Bay. To stay up-to-date on the Indiana Pacers, head over to Indy Cornrows and SB Nation Indiana.
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