Miami Sun Sentinel beat writer, Ira Winderman, gets the nod for Tweet of the Day for this clever quip about the Heat’s 2013 NBA Playoffs run.
In 2006, when the Heat overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Dallas Mavericks for the NBA title, their season long mantra was “15 Strong.”
Last season, the Heat (as a team) seemed to be motivated by the need to get their first title together with the big three—especially after having come up short in the 2010-11 Finals at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks.
The title achievement was a check mark on the “To Do” list, particularly for LeBron James, who was publicly maligned for coming up short in 2011 after having proclaimed that he and the Heat would win not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven [championships] during the Heat’s very public unveiling of the Big Three.
Now, en route to what they hope to be the team’s third championship [this unit’s second], the Heat seem to be, as Winderman noted, “collecting testicles.”
In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indian Pacers, there were two instances wherein a Heat player seemed to take a shot at the lower man region of his defender. Neither instance was called flagrant, though both were whistled as offensive, and clearly they were.
In the first quarter Miami forward Shane Battier took off for a layup, directly challenging Pacers center Roy Hibbert. As he rose up, he brought his right, non-jumping leg up in an effort to create space between himself and Hibbert.
His knee, however, did not make it north of the midsection before making contact.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tjv2fPZ0c4?rel=0&w=540&h=304]
Later in the game, late in the fourth quarter, Heat guard Norris Cole drove hard down the right wing with David West between himself and the basket. As he drew near West, his arm hooked between his legs in an apparent WWE-style “low blow.”
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmhaGRm-elw?rel=0&w=540&h=304]
If attacking their opponents’ man region was the goal, they still have a roster of 13 men to go.
We’ll have to wait for Game 2 to see who their next target is or if there is any form of retaliation.
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