STFU

Flagrant 1: Unnecessary contact committed by a player against an opponent.

Flagrant 2: Unnecessary and excessive contact committed by a player against an opponent.

Rick Fox said it on NBA TV, when you’re THIS good, beating up on you is all anyone has left if they hope to compete.  So when someone looks into their bag of tricks and the only options staring back are flagrant fouls or lint, flagrant fouls become “necessary contact.”  I suppose this is the only explanation for the muggings LeBron has had to endure this year.  When interpreting the flagrant foul rules, it seems referees have determined that Rick Fox is correct; these forms of contact ARE necessary and so they promptly swallow their whistles.  The real wonder isn’t that LeBron has grown frustrated, it’s how anyone could criticize him – or any other player – for being…. well…. human.

I know LeBron makes it nearly impossible for anyone to see him as human when the things he does on that court are so…. well…. superhuman.  Nonetheless, at the end of the day, he is just that.  And as such, he is subject to such pesky things as emotions.  One can only accept so much without responding.  LeBron showed us his frustration when he committed that uncharacteristic flagrant foul on Carlos Boozer.  He didn’t argue.  He knew what he had done.  He accepted his consequence.  He told us of his frustration when he responded to a reporter’s question by saying “…it’s been happening all year. I’ve been able to keep my cool and try to tell Spo, ‘Let’s not worry about it too much,’ but it is getting to me a little bit.”  So when Boston Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge opined that LeBron’s complaints were “embarrassing,” Miami’s own Pat Riley shot back “(Ainge) needs to shut the f— up and manage his own team.”

What does this mean for LeBron?  Or more to the point, what does this mean for the rest of the NBA?  Two words: bad news.

How did LeBron respond to flagrant fouls from Taj Gibson and Kirk Heinrich and the Chicago loss?  36 points on 65% shooting and 7 of 10 (including 6 in a row) from beyond the arc in a 108-89 rout of the New Orleans Hornets two nights later.  This response reminded me of the way Dwyane Wade answered a bloody lip from the Knicks on February 28, 2009.  Great players don’t complain, they respond.

Chicago ended Miami’s streak at 27 and players and fans can say all they want about the streak not mattering, that it’s all about rings in June, but I’m not buying it.  That’s just so much rhetoric like “It’s not whether you win or lose.  It’s how you play the game.”  It does matter.  Why else keep score? Why else keep records?  So it’s not that it doesn’t matter, it does. It’s more that we move on to things that matter more….  like rings in June.  Actually, the most important thing that happened that evening wasn’t the end of a streak; it may well have been the awakening of a beast.

But if you’re still dwelling on the number 27, here are some top ten numbers as of 4/2/13 that may matter even more.

However, awakening the beast is not enough.  Miami must be prepared to win when it REALLY counts.  The most important thing for the Heat right now is to stay healthy and rested as they approach the post season.

Miami will face the four playoff teams remaining on their schedule at home where they are tied for a league best record with only 3 losses.  The other five games on their schedule are against teams with a combined record of 115-250.  That’s an average record of 23-50.  They will face a Milwaukee team that beat them 104-85 in December and who will very likely be their first round opponent.  This game could prove to be way more important for the Bucks than it will be to Miami as Milwaukee attempts to climb out of the 8^th spot and a first round exit courtesy of the Heat.  So, having something of significance to play for, the Bucs may prove tough that night.  Having said that, Miami may be fighting San Antonio for league top seed honors (a bit of a long shot now that Miami has swept the Spurs series and are 3.5 games up on them) and there’s always the desire to send a message to a probable first round opponent.  But my guess is that the message has already been sent and a healthy and rested Lebron, Wade, and Bosh are way more of a priority than one more home game in the Finals.

So, regarding all that noise about Lebron venting his frustration or Danny Ainge’s comments, I’ll simply leave you with this final thought from the honorable Mr. Riley: STFU!