Miami Heat’s LeBron James says teammate Dwyane Wade not a 'dirty' player – NBA news
Miami Heat’s LeBron James has said that his teammate Dwayne Wade is not a ‘dirty’ player after the latter had an entanglement with Boston Celtics’ Rajon Rondo during game 3 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals on Saturday.
The incident caught a lot of buzz in the League, as Wade was called ‘dirty’ after that embarrassing episode.
The unfortunate incident took place when Rondo pushed the ball away from Wade in the third quarter of game 3 and Heat superstar tripped while pulling Rondo down to the hardwood in the process. As Rajon tried to support his fall, his left elbow bent in an
awfully bad way that he dislocated it. Wade was called for a foul immediately.
Wade, who is not considered as a dirty player however, he surprised many with such an edge. Whether or not it was an intentional move, but it will stay put for debate. On one hand, Wade acutely barrelled into Rondo, dragged him down with his arm and stumbled
him with his leg as they fell to the floor.
On the added hand, however, it seems that Wade had lost his balance before he made contact with Rondo and that he was not seeking to shove the Celtics point guard down. In fact, he was trying to use Rondo’s physique to accumulate himself on his feet.
However, Rondo’s teammate Kevin Garnett was among the ones who believed that Wade made a dirty play. According to Celtics coach Doc Rivers, “Kevin was furious. He just didn’t like what happened.”
Rivers also said that not only Kevin, but a few other players were also furious about it and he had to stop them from retaliation.
An angry Wade responded, “Keep them back from what? Ain’t nobody fight. It’s basketball. So keep them back from what? They’re going to beat me up?”
At the post-game press conference when Wade was asked to justify his foul, LeBron James, who was sitting next to Wade on the dais, totally rejected the ‘dirty’ claim.
James was caught murmuring, “That’s retarded” while having his hand over his mouth. The microphone in front of him picked the comment and it was clearly audible to everyone in the room. When James was inquired about it, he posed as if he did not recognise
the offensive meaning of the remark. In fact, he started criticising the initial question asked from Wade.
James said, “I didn’t understand the question. It’s definitely blown out of proportion. I don’t think Dwyane is a dirty player. So it’s the same as me saying, ‘I don’t think that’s a great question,’ or, ‘I think it’s a stupid question.’ Dwyane has never
been a dirty player, so I don’t know why someone would even ask him that question.”
When Wade was asked about the ill-fated event after Sunday’s practice session at Emerson, he refused to comment on it.
Tags: