Game 1 between the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers is in the books, but big man Roy Hibbert took to his Twitter account on Thursday to call out Heat forward Shane Battier for a play he considered dirty.
NBA Playoffs 2013: Roy Hibbert tweets his displeasure with Shane Battier
Roy Hibbert took to Twitter to call out a Heat player for playing dirty in Game 1.
Chris Trotman
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U can knee or kick me every time u drive 2the rim. Ill be there 2protect the rim. That wasn't inadvertent. Battier knew what he was doing
— Roy Hibbert (@Hoya2aPacer) May 23, 2013
What specifically is Hibbert talking about? In the first quarter, Battier was called for an offensive foul while driving to the rim. He also drove his knee straight into Hibbert’s groin, as you can see here:
Battier was called for the offensive foul, but a whistle doesn’t take back a hit below the belt. The Pacers’ defensive identity is built around Hibbert patrolling the paint and protecting the rim, so he’ll need to get physical with the Heat as they penetrate from the perimeter.
It’s unlikely that taking flying knees down low was part of his job description when he re-signed with the Pacers, but it’s good to know that Hibbert has publicly declared his readiness for the “dirty” play of Battier.
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