UPDATED 7:06 p.m.:
Miami Heat center Dexter Pittman has been suspended three games without pay for striking the neck and shoulders of Indiana guard Lance Stephenson, and Miami forward Udonis Haslem has been suspended one game without pay for striking the head and shoulders of Indiana’s Tyler Hansbrough, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.
Both Pittman and Haslem had their Flagrant Foul Ones upgraded to Flagrant Foul Twos, as did Indiana’s Hansbrough, who struck the head of Miami’s Dwyane Wade on a foul that occurred shortly before Haslem’s foul.
The incidents occurred during the Heat’s 115-83 victory over the Pacers on May 22 at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami.
Haslem will serve his suspension on Thursday when the Pacers host the Heat in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series. Pittman will begin serving his suspension in Game 6.
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ESPN NBA analyst Tim Legler says Dexter Pittman should be suspended “four to five games” for his forearm shiver hit on Lance Stephenson Tuesday night.
With the Miami Heat blowing out the Indiana Pacers, 115-80, in the fourth quarter of Game 5 Tuesday in Miami, Pittman delivered a blatantly hard shot to Stephenson’s neck area as the Brooklyn native cut into the lane. The hit garnered one of three flagrant fouls in the game.
Speaking on the “Mike & Mike in the Morning” show Wednesday, Legler said Pittman should get “four to five games” and that he could have done severe damage had the hit clocked Stephenson in the “windpipe.”
“Pittman’s action was outrageous and his intentions, however, were even worse,” Alberto Ebanks, Stephenson’s agent, told SNY.tv. Wednesday. “I’m sure the league will impose an appropriate penalty.”
Stu Jackson, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations, will spend Wednesday reviewing the Pittman incident and the two other flagrants in the game to decide if any of them should be upgraded or downgraded and whether anyone should be suspended going forward.
X-rays on Stephenson’s collarbone were negative. Pittman did not speak with the media after the game.
Stephenson, the former Brooklyn Lincoln star, drew the ire of the Heat in Game 3 when he made a choke sign on the sideline after LeBron James missed a foul shot. Juwan Howard and Stephenson had to be separated before Game 4 when Howard came at Stephenson in response to his gesture.
Asked if Pittman was retaliating for Stephenson’s actions, James said, “I have no idea. Pitt is a big guy and he loves contact. I don’t know. … I need to see exactly what happen. There’s no room for dirty plays in our game, period, no matter if it comes from us or Indiana, anyone in the league.”
Earlier in the second half, Indiana’s Tyler Hansbrough hit Dwyane Wade, drawing blood above Wade’s right eye and earning Hansbrough a Flagrant Foul 1.
Less than a minute later, Udonis Haslem of the Heat clobbered Hansbrough in the face as he attempted a shot. Official Jason Phillips gave Haslem a Flagrant Foul 1 instead of a 2 which results in an automatic ejection.
“He came at me. It was pretty clear,” Hansbrough said, according to USA Today. “We will take it from here. It definitely got a little aggressive out there. It happens. Teams are so competitive out there. People are going to talk. Sometimes you have hard fouls and hard plays. I really haven’t looked at it. Some people told me it looked pretty bad.”
