Miami Bounty Heaters

[indeedproceed]

Notice: I split the "should on-court antics result in off-court criminal charges" debate to here:

http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=55973.msg1215547;topicseen#new

[JSD]

TP for the clever title.

[Who]

NBA.com has a poll on a Haslem suspension.  56% of voters think he should not be suspended.

Go vote.

I thought Haslem should have been thrown out but not suspended.

Since he wasn't thrown out, I'd be inclined to give him a one game suspension.

[Cman]

NBA.com has a poll on a Haslem suspension.  56% of voters think he should not be suspended.

Go vote.

Wouldn't it be funny if the NBA decided on its course of action depending on the outcome of polls like these.

[twinbree]

Hope Stephenson ends up OK. He's lucky he didn't blow out his knee given how awkwardly he landed and how many freak knee injuries have happened lately.

To me this incident is just evidence of how clueless and entitled this Heat team is. They expect preferential treatment and keep complaining about people doing things they're equally guilty of. How do you give someone an elbow to the threat in response to a gesture? And who is Pittman to decide to punish someone for idiotic behavior when he's clearly a moron himself. Hope there's a hefty fine and a nice little suspension coming.

As for Haslem he's an idiot. Wade has to be leading the league in injuring players and committing stupid frustration fouls without repercussions in the past year. He's the last person who needs protecting or avenging.

[action781]

Haslem and Pittman are just trying to put themselves in position for contract extensions when Pat Riley asks Lebron and Wade who they want to be on the team going forward

[cman88]

Haslem deserves a game since he wasn't kicked out of the last game

The problem is the heat know stern isn't going to punish his beloved superteam so its cueapEdited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline.s galore...hopefully after birds comments the pacers start playing more physical tomorrow

[Mr October]

Hansbrough's foul was a flagrant 1. He went for the ball but did so with excessive force, resulting in a follow through hit.

Haslem's foul should have been flagrant 2. Clearly it was a payback foul - 2 hands to the head/neck. If Haslem were making a play for the ball, he would have extended only 1 arm and not swung down. But the officials want to protect Miami. They should have ejected Haslem. And he probably should be suspended 1 game.

The Pittman foul was at least as bad as the Artest elbow. Pittman should be gone for 10 games. That was premeditated and does not belong in the game at all.

The Heat are disgusting. And the NBA are as disgusting for protecting them.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Hansbrough's foul was a flagrant 1. He went for the ball but did so with excessive force, resulting in a follow through hit.

Haslem's foul should have been flagrant 2. Clearly it was a payback foul - 2 hands to the head/neck. If Haslem were making a play for the ball, he would have extended only 1 arm and not swung down. But the officials want to protect Miami. They should have ejected Haslem. And he probably should be suspended 1 game.

The Pittman foul was at least as bad as the Artest elbow. Pittman should be gone for 10 games. That was premeditated and does not belong in the game at all.

The Heat are disgusting. And the NBA are as disgusting for protecting them.

This is the best summation of the situation I've seen, and I agree 100%.

I initially thought the Hansbrough foul wasn't worthy of a flagrant-1, because it seemed he was at least trying for the ball, but he did hit Wade on the head with the follow-through, so I'm fine now with that call.

Haslem, however, was totally NOT going for the ball, only the hit, and should've been tossed, and suspended at least one game.

Pittman's action was, in my opinion, clearly a deliberate payback attempt against Stephenson, and Stephenson didn't even have the ball. Pittman should've been tossed, and he should get a severe punishment, at least 10 games.

Of course, Artest should've gotten at least 10 ... and this is part of the problem with the NBA's method of discipline: the league doesn't suspend players for as long as they should, and they're also inconsistent. Hansbrough gets a flagrant-1 when he was at least appearing to be making a play on the ball, but Wade, earlier in the series, throws a forearm shiver on Collison in the open court (and Collison didn't even have the ball), but gets no upgrade on the foul, or a suspension?

Another reason to despise Stern and question the NBA's integrity.

And I loathe Dwyane Wade. He's a dirty punk.

[LooseCannon]

Is Haslem isn't suspended, I hope Larry Bird's words light a fire under the Pacers so that someone steps up to be a man and hits Wade with a retaliation dirty foul.

[get_banners]

I think the league will act appropriately, if for no other reason than the fact that the Pacers will almost certainly retaliate if it looks like they won't win.

[indeedproceed]

Is Haslem isn't suspended, I hope Larry Bird's words light a fire under the Pacers so that someone steps up to be a man and hits Wade with a retaliation dirty foul.

I think that's why Larry Bird said it. He effectively put the ball in the league's hands and created a situation where either they eat crap today (by likely suspending Haslem and Pittman, also maybe Hansbrough), or they eat crap Thursday (when Indiana, with everything on the line, just gets some good ol fashioned street justice).

[SHAQATTACK]

wow ...didn't get to see the game....if the NBA /league officals don't suspend or fine some players for all of that , you can bet Indiana will see how they got punked  and the fights will breakout.

From what little I've seen of this last game, it appeared PACERS laid down and let the Cheaters beat them like a rented mule.   I would have been embrassed to roll over to the HEAT like that.

No tommorrow for the Pacers,  they need to grab hold of the game with authortiy and take the ball to the bucket and play with maxium energy.

The league protects LBJ....he gets no fouls , he is allowed to do what ever he likes on the court. Such a cow pie.

[LooseCannon]

Is Haslem isn't suspended, I hope Larry Bird's words light a fire under the Pacers so that someone steps up to be a man and hits Wade with a retaliation dirty foul.

I think that's why Larry Bird said it. He effectively put the ball in the league's hands and created a situation where either they eat crap today (by likely suspending Haslem and Pittman, also maybe Hansbrough), or they eat crap Thursday (when Indiana, with everything on the line, just gets some good ol fashioned street justice).

If the league shows weakness, we as fans should come down hard on Indiana in the courtroom of public opinion and view them as irreparably soft if they fail to posse up and get some of that street justice.

[Quetzalcoatl]

I wish I had a lip reader and footage of Spolestra talking to Dexter Pittman right before he hit the court