MIAMI - In three consecutive games, Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger has drawn a technical foul â€" each one in an altercation with a Miami Heat player, two involving forward LeBron James and one involving guard Dwyane Wade.
By Michael Hickey, US Presswire
Danny Granger says of his rough play in the series against the Heat: "I think it's just a product of the chip that I think I have on my shoulder."
By Michael Hickey, US Presswire
Danny Granger says of his rough play in the series against the Heat: "I think it's just a product of the chip that I think I have on my shoulder."
Granger has made it a point to let everyone know he is not backing down from James, Wade or the Heat.
At Tuesday morning's shootaround, James called Granger's antics "stupid."
"It's not going to work, whatever he's trying," James said. "It's not getting me off my game either. I don't know what he's trying, honestly. It doesn't matter to me. I'm here to play basketball.
"Nobody's fighting on the basketball court. C'mon. No one's going to fight. I'm not going to fight because I mean too much to our team, and I can't afford to be suspended for a game or do something stupid to get me kicked out of a playoff game."
It certainly hasn't bothered James who is averaging 30.5 points, 12.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists and three steals, including 40 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists against the Pacers in Game 4 Sunday.
The Eastern Conference semifinal series is tied at 2-2 heading into Game 5 tonight (8 p.m. ET, TNT).
Granger's actions are a product of the disrespect he feels the Pacers get and in defense of his teammates.
"There is a line, and I'm tiptoeing it," Granger said. "But I think it's just a product of the chip that I think I have on my shoulder, that we have on our shoulder as a team of not being respected, not just this series but all year.
"We had the fifth best record in the NBA, and we had maybe one (nationally) televised game. Three or four teams that didn't even make the playoffs that had more televised games than us."
Granger said Tuesday he isn't necessarily trying to get inside James' head and throw him off his game.
"Players of his caliber, I mean he's the MVP," Granger said. "A little trash talking won't get him off his game. It's more so of a fact that my team sees the way I respond to certain things. They feed off it. We've done it all year, and it's been productive for us."
James doesn't care.
"If he's trying to do it for his own self confidence … He's told you guys already, 'I'm not scared of LeBron.' So I guess he's doing it for his own psyche. I don't know. It's stupid."
Granger conceded he might have overreacted to Wade's reaction after Pacers center Roy Hibbert fouled Wade in Game 4. Hibbert held on to Wade's hand, and Wade threw Hibbert's hand away. Granger rushed in, got in Wade's face and picked up a technical foul.
"In the heat of the moment, I'll run to the defense of my teammates so often, sometimes being in the wrong, sometimes being in the right," Granger said. "But I'm blinded by it. They're my teammates."
Wade said Granger should cool it.
"Certain things you just can't keep doing. You just can't keep getting in people's faces," Wade said. "We're not fighting on this basketball court. So let's not act like we're going to fight. Let's play basketball."
"We can be physical. We can do all that. But certain things have got to stop. … What are you out here to do? You out here to play basketball or are you out here to be a tough guy? For us, we always play the game of basketball."
Pacers coach Frank Vogel defended Granger.
"Part of our preaching togetherness is making sure we have each other's backs," Vogel said.
"If somebody takes a cheap shot at us after the play then we're going to tell the other team about it. We're going to stand up for each other. We're not interested in getting unnecessary technicals. … We're going to stand up for ourselves. We're not backing down. It's part of our team for this series.
"I don't want any technicals to be honest," he added. "They happen."
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