Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Updated: 7:32 p.m. Friday, May 11, 2012
Posted: 7:31 p.m. Friday, May 11, 2012
MIAMI â€" The Heat's second-round playoff series with the Indiana Pacers hasn't even begun, but already, Miami has drawn the first charge.
This one had nothing to do with Udonis Haslem or Shane Battier stepping in the way of a driving Pacer and it did not result in a referee blowing a whistle. Rather, Pacers coach Frank Vogel assumed the whistle-blower role, labeling the Heat the worst floppers in the NBA.
Given an opportunity to backtrack, Vogel instead went on South Florida radio Friday to say there are times Heat defenders begin to fall "before contact is even made."
Scoffing at the suggestion he was providing the Heat with bulletin-board material, Vogel told 640-AM host Orlando Alzugaray he was merely saying something that "needed to be pointed out."
The Heat refused to fire any counter charges, saying the series is about Game 1 at AmericanAirlines Arena at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, not about any verbal lobs.
"I don't care," Dwyane Wade said of Vogel's accusation.
After Thursday's practice in Indianapolis, Vogel had told reporters, "They are the biggest flopping team in the NBA. It'll be very interesting (to see) how the referees officiate the series and how much flopping they reward."
Most Heat players said they were unaware of Vogel's comments until informed by the media after Friday's practice. Haslem, a target of Vogel's, shrugged with such disinterest, the topic may as well have been Kardashian gossip.
"Oh, man," Haslem said. "I don't buy I don't Uh, next question I didn't know he said that. I'm speechless."
Statistics compiled by Hoopdata.com say the Heat draw the fourth-most charges in the league, behind only Milwaukee, Phoenix and Minnesota. Heat statistics have Haslem leading the team this season with 25 charges drawn, followed by Battier with 19.
"We're a physical team," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Part of our defensive philosophy is to put our bodies in front of offensive players and that's what we've done now for years and years."
Could Vogel simply be using the Phil Jackson-esque ploy of trying to get into officials' heads to gain a playoff edge?
"I could care less," Spoelstra said.
His players said it won't affect their approach.
"We're going to play our defense," Battier said.
Taking charges has long been a badge of honor for the Heat. Not only does it take the ball out of the opponent's hands and chalk up a foul against the attacker, it also can have a carryover effect.
"Taking a hit is just as important, and it has the same merits, as blocking a shot," assistant coach Keith Askins said. "It can be a game-changer, a momentum-changer."
Battier explained: "I'm both a shot-blocker and a charge-taker and it's a pretty incredible weapon when a player is coming at me. He doesn't know if I'm going to try to block his shot or take a charge. So if nothing else, it's psychological warfare. What that does is it just instills doubt into the offensive player's mind."
There's no doubt in Vogel's mind that Heat players take it too far. Vogel said his comments were not directed at LeBron James or Wade when they attack the rim and go down. He conceded, "It's great defensive basketball when you draw a legal charge." But Vogel said he even criticizes his players if they flop.
Heat analyst Tony Fiorentino said he has a standard retort for those who make flopping accusations too casually: "I say, 'You take that hit. You'll be in traction for six months,' " Fiorentino said.
When Alzugaray challenged Vogel, saying Haslem takes his hits and does not flop, Vogel said, "A, I don't know about that."
Haslem said he takes it "in the chest" before he goes down. He said knowing how to fall without hurting yourself is "the real artistic part of taking a charge."
It's essential to getting the call, Askins said.
"You've got to hit the ground, because if you don't, it's going to look like what they call a blocking foul," Askins said. "You've got to make them run you over."
Askins said during his playing days with the Heat, practices under Pat Riley began with a "take the hit" drill in which centers left tire tracks on guards.
"We all enjoyed it," Askins said.
The strategy helped bring Miami its only NBA championship. During the 2006 NBA Finals, James Posey had a three-game stretch in which he drew six charges against Dallas.
Regardless what any rival might say, it's a tactic that won't be wiped from the Heat's defensive sets anytime soon. Battier, for one, wouldn't have it any other way.
"I'm probably the only person alive to take a charge from both Yao Ming and Shaq in a game, a full-court transition setting, and lived to tell about it," Battier said. "I'm not saying that taking a charge is the most cerebral play.
"You are a Secret Service agent taking a bullet for the team."
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