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Dwyane Wade: ‘I’m not a dirty player’ 05.08.11 at 2:00 am ET
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When Ray Allen gets in your face, you know you’ve done something wrong.

The NBA’s 3-point king rarely loses his cool, but once Dwyane Wade leveled him underneath the Celtics basket just 1:07 after sending Rajon Rondo to the locker room with a dislocated left elbow, Allen jumped to his feet and got into Wade’s face before being restrained by his Heat teammates.

If you’ll recall, it was Wade’s bullrushing of Paul Pierce in Game 1 that ultimately led to the Celtics captain’s ejection. Of his 10 personal fouls in the three-game series, at least three came the hard way.

“The game of basketball is a physical game,” said Wade, who has also taken 29 free throw this series, including two in Game 3 after a hard Pierce foul on a layup attempt. “I’m not not a dirty player. It’s physical. Everyone falls down, and everyone gets up.”

Thankfully, for the Celtics’ sake, Rondo did get up — triumphantly returning from what originally appeared to be a horrific arm injury in the third quarter after he got tangled up with Wade and bent his elbow back about 30 degrees in the wrong direction. The C’s point guard recorded four of his six points and one of his 11 assists while playing the entire fourth quarter of Saturday night’s 97-81 victory with essentially one arm.

“We play this game as competitors, and you never want to see anyone get hurt, whether it’s a friend or not a friend,” added Wade. “It’s someone we have respect for in this game. We have respect for each other. So, you never want to see anyone get hurt, no matter what kind of injury it is. Kudos to him for coming back. That’s a tough injury to come back from that fast. He showed a lot as a leader of the team, coming back and having the performance that he had with that injury.”

Whether or not Rondo falls into that friend category — and from the sound of it, he doesn’t — the Heat want to see Rondo in uniform for Game 4 on Monday night.

“We’re just glad that he was able to come back from it,” said Wade. “Even though people say that without Rondo they’d be a different team, we don’t want that. We want the Boston Celtics to be whole, so hopefully on Monday he’s there and ready to go.”

Rondo himself appeared fairly confident that he would return for Game 4 after what should be “a lot of treatment” on Monday. “I’m not concerned,” he said.

Added Heat superstar LeBron James. “You definitely don’t want to see anyone have a freak injury. As competitive as we all are, us against Boston, we all don’t want to see anything like that happen. So, on the injury, we hope the best for him, and hopefully it’s not as bad as it looked on the floor.”

Oh, it looked bad. And the original diagnosis was far worse. Celtics trainer Ed Lacerte and coach Doc Rivers were under the impression that Rondo was “out, basically for good” following the elbow injury, until Rondo got team Dr. Brian McKeon‘s blessing to join the huddle. So, he did, and with him the Celtics had hope again.

“I’m not going to go through the list of injuries that y’all aren’t even aware of,” said C’s teammate Kevin Garnett. “I’m just not going to put them out there like that, but I’ve seen him play through some horrific injuries, and all of us sort of look at each other and say, ‘What is he doing out here, and is he being smart right now?’ When he came in, I just said, ‘This is typical Rondo.’ Shorty’s a really tough individual. I don’t know what he’s going to be like when he’s 35, but right now he’s playing through a lot. He’s showing a lot of heart and a lot of grit. We see it. It doesn’t go unspoken or unseen. We see that he’s out here giving a full effort, so we’re following that lead.”

Perhaps it’s that brotherhood that caused Allen to react so uncharacteristically towards Wade. Whatever it was, the message was clear: The Celtics, with Rondo leading the way, aren’t going down without a fight.

As Wade said of Rondo in the locker room following the game, his own knees wrapped in ice, “He’s a tough motherf@$%er, but he’s going to be sore tomorrow.”

Read More: Boston Celtics, Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat, Rajon Rondo Print  |  Email  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • Schooley

    I’m not sure it falls under the category of “dirty” or “smart basketball,” but the one thing that no one has mentioned is what Wade did on that play that caused Rondo to go down the way he did. He was pulling him down by the jersey. He had done the same thing to Pierce earlier in the game on the drive to the hoop where Pierce fouled him and then nearly fell on top of him afterwards. It is easy to see in the replays, so I’m at a loss as to why none of the commentators points it out or tries to explain why this is acceptable.

    • http://Enteryourwebsite... Tannah2

      That is so true. I was saying the same thing when the injury occured. It is interesting how that play on Pierce was not taken into effect when determining if the play on Rondo was dirty or not. Great observation and glad that you made the point.

  • Rob

    Dwayne Wade is a great player. No doubt about that, but this series he seems to be taking the “it’s a physical game” thing to a point that seems reckless. When that recklessness starts causing injuries to players, the league should step in with a fine or suspension to get it under control. Kobe is as much of a competitor as there is in the league…….but you don’t see him hauling people to the floor. Wade needs to get it under control before he causes another injury to an opponent or himself.

  • mark

    I agree with the sentiments above. I actually thought that Wade not only pulled him down but then threw a leg sweep in to seal the deal. When he got up, he had this look on his face that looked guilty as hell. Total street hoops. I actually like Wade–he’s a phenomenal player and says all the right things–it’s just that I think he tapped into some primal memory and wanted to take it out on the source of his obvious frustration. Wade was beginning to think he was a god–and he was, but just not tonight.

    • http://Enteryourwebsite... punk move

      i agree that was very dirty i wa.s wondering when one of the celtics were going to give him a taste of his own medicine

  • http://n/a Robin Kelley

    For a “non-contact” sport – there’s a lot of banging going on. Wade has been engaging in extra-curricular contact that used to be the province of the less-talented (read Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, and others). He’s crafty, and the objective is to elicit a reaction from the opposing player to get an extra foul (2 technicals in Pierce’s case – in the previous game). This isn’t “hard-nosed basketball”; it’s thuggery – the kind of thing that Ron Artest champions. The NBA has the authority to review actions after the game; it would be heartening if they at least sent a memo to the Heat’s coach to let them know they’re watching – if not assess a fine for his deliberate actions. He caused Rondo’s injury inadvertently, but with the intention to restrict him well beyond the play – and that makes him a dirty player.

    Smarten up Mr. Role Model. We don’t need a Dwayne Artest in the league.

  • bill jones

    The Celtics won, so why the crybaby approach with Wade? You expect him to fall on the ground first with another player on top of him? Wade grew up playing on Chicago’s south side where the courts are made of asphalt. Of course, basketball is a contact sport. Kevin McHale, Dave Cowens, Kevin Garnett and other greats were known for being physical contact players. If Wade were playing for Boston, you would love every minute. Thuggery? Go back to your knitting.

    • http://Enteryourwebsite... Tannah2

      You sound unwise making this comment. Wade is my favorite non Celtic player, but his actions have been hard to ignore. Remember him pushing KG after the screen he killed Mike Miller with. The time he got Pierce ejected by jumping in his face after a legal screen by Pierce. The play in which he was fouled by Pierce and he grabbed Pierce’s jersey as he did with Rondo when he was falling down. Wade is taking his vendetta with the C’s a little too seriously. This is not his normal character and he just needs to stop it!

  • http://Enteryourwebsite... Dave

    This is not wwf wrestling,and I think wade is a dirty player 4 sure

  • billjonesisgay

    Wade has turned dirty in this series. The only way to deal is give him a taste. One high elbow from wade trying to get around a screen may have wade rethink his “its physical” philosophy. It may also give him a reason to go back to wearing band aids. take that to your knitting losah

  • Mike

    Why complain about Wade? If Rondo’s done because of this act then the Celtics are in trouble. You can’t take the fact that they won the game and excuse what Wade did. And who the hell cares where he grew up playing ball? This isn’t the asphalt courts of Chicago’s south side. It’s the NBA. Physical is one thing. Carelessness and recklessness are different. He’d be just as pissed if someone did that to him or Lebron. So let’s not fool ourselves into thinking DWade can do no wrong.

  • paul

    I love Wade as a player. He’s my favorite on the Heat. But it was pretty obvious last night that he was upset that Rondo had beaten him on one of his patented moves, where he doesn’t think ANYONE can beat him, and that he got revenge physically against Rondo. The Celtics have to talk to the League about this, because if that’s the way NBA basketball is played nowadays, the Cs will have to retaliate, and I suspect Wade will be first on the retaliation list. Think about it, Dwayne. Do you really want Shaq looking to injure you next time you go to the basket?

    On the positive side, it was nice to see all the Celtics on the floor gather around Rondo instantly. It looks like ubuntu may be back.

  • paul

    I agree with you, Mark, that Wade looked guilty when he got up – almost like he had even surprised himself. I think it just really got to him that Rondo had successfully defended Wade’s best move.

  • bill jones

    Rondo couldnt “best” Wade on his career day. Cry me a river. Talk to the league? The best team will win the series, as usual.

  • Bill Russell

    He is a DIRTY PLAYER! I used to like DWADE, too, as a non Celtic. But since he started to pull people down when he falls he is a MENACE on the court. I know the league will do nothing to this media darling but he should be suspended for not once but twice for trying to injure people by causing them to fall down by pulling them down. He would get sued in a civil suit if this was the case.

    The HEAT would not have won any of these games without the refs too. James and Wade have shot more FTAs than the Celtics have as a team. The NBA subsidizes the crappy HEAT with lots of FTAs. Last night when the HEAT got behind same thing happened the whistles came out to help the HEAT. For once in the series the fouls were near equal and you HEAT fans got beat by 20. Go smoke that for a while. Were it not for the refs tossing Pierce in game one we’d won that one too. Bottom line is without refs bailing you out you’d be done in any series.

  • Joe

    Billjones go screw yourself and get off this board punk!! Wade is a dirty player!!

  • Will

    If winning by any means involves hurting another player-possibly ending their career-intentionally or unintentionally, then winning a championship is not worth it. Why can’t the NBA apply the rules in the rule book to each and every player the same way? The rule book doesn’t state if you play at home or are deemed a star player you get more help from the refs. Like Lebron looking like Baryshnikov dancing around in the paint for a score. NO TRAVELING!? Doc Rivers couldn’t take enough Prilosec after that one. Or, how D-Wade tried to collapse the lungs of Paul Pierce in game one by crashing into a set pick and roll like he was juiced up on five hour energy. And, for an encore, he nearly tore Rondo’s arm off at the elbow in game three like some hungry ass bum ripping the drumstick off a Thanksgiving turkey! I think the league should check his jersey for sharp objects like razor blades during game four in case a Celtics player tries to grab him. And, speaking of razor blades why don’t Wade bring a blender and some Old Spice to the locker-room, give Lebron J. a shave, and return Joe Greene’s beard. I mean Lebron did put a hit on Rondo in game one like shades of Dick Butkus (rules don’t apply; see star player section of NBA rule book). I couldn’t find that part either. D-Wade might be a pupil of the “D-Howard School of Mercenary Arts”, the student has surpassed the teacher. The Heat may not win the title this year, but they are going make damn sure the Celtics don’t win it either. The Celtics are playing like the Celtics, and the Heat are playing like…well…the Oakland Raiders. I think no matter what happens for the rest of the post-season D-Wade wins the “Dirt-Devil” award as the dirtiest player in the 2011 playoffs.

  • http://Enteryourwebsite... Dobb

    The miami heat is desperate for getting past the celts, they will do any and everything to get that upper edge over there opponent, the bottom line is Labron and company have something to prove against the celts., this team is there hurdle and they must succeed to be labled as the best, not just on paper but on the floor as well..

  • Will

    I agree with you, Dobb, the Celtics are the Heats hurdle. And, D-Wade storms out the damn hurdle like he was Secretariat! I have lost respect for him as a player. I wonder how many people question his integrity as a friend?

  • http://yahoo john schaffer

    so sick of these heat fakers coming to write on our boards ,,,billjones , you sound like a heat wannabe you guys cant play and win by v=being fair you got to play dirty , yeah wade is adirty player only way he kinws , and of course the stern refs help him

  • ja_G

    the injury was accident. it can happen when you play sports.
    but how wade acted or said in the interview?
    he is a dirty player.
    he should have just said he wasn’t try to hurt rondo.
    it is unfortunate that he got injured that he will be alright.

  • DaddyV

    why isnt the league reviewing wade on the night??its not like it was an isolated incident he was pulling down players all night…as great as d-wade is we got to see his dirty side yesterday n im def not impressed..lost a lot of respect for him, id like to see a similar thing happen to him n see how he feels then

  • Lowpost

    I am a big Dwayne wade fan but I thought that Wade was outplayed by Rondo on that possession and took him down in frustration the same way a lot of flagrant fouls are committed.
    If the league fails to manage this well, then the players take things up a notch themselves and playoff basketball can go from tough physical ball to rough each other up ball.
    Something that more resembles hockey.
    The fact that Wade took him down in a clever way (not too overt for the refs) led me to believe that he knew what he was doing , (rough it up a bit) although I doubt that he wanted to injure anyone.
    Would not want to see him to that to artest or other quick tempered players.

  • Lowpost

    I should correct that to say I used to be a big Dwayne Wade fan, now the jury is out on him.
    Perhaps it is the new company he is keeping.
    for me a balance of talent and Character are the real stars in the game.

  • aahso

    I used to like Wade as a talented player, but no more. Wade needs to be sanctioned by the league for his dirty playing in the Celtics playoff round. Don’t understand why the refs & NBA officials appear to be colluding with Wade on these tactics. I wouldn’t pay to watch Wade in a game for anything at this point. But good job on camera work showing Wade wrapping arms around waists and grabbing jerseys as he tries to bring others down and hurt them. I can only hope the fire Wade is playing with will burn him good real soon.

  • Mike

    Rondo mugged Wade and then pulled him down. Wade landed on Rondo and, admittedly, used Rondo to break his fall. Rondo is a pest and constantly goes nose to nose with bigger people–it’s not Wade’s fault Rondo got hurt. Watch the replay about 5 more times and watch Rondo’s mugging act.

  • Mike

    Yeah, Wade is the new Bruce Lee. He knew Rondo’s elbow would freakishly dislocate. Get a clue, people.

  • BthaLegendary1

    Why we got these punkass trolls on our site, hope you and the Heat get what they deserve Monday and that is a swift kick in yo ass!

  • Will

    Mike, you are a blathering idiot! Why don’t you go an gargle some rusted cow balls and leave the commentary to the pros!

  • Mike

    Go back and look at the replay. Did Wade grab Rondo’s shirt? Yes. Did Rondo grab a hold of Wade to begin the fall before Wade even put his hands on him? Yes. People fall in the NBA all the time. That fall was started by Rondo. Don’t take my word for it. Look it up yourself.

    Its definitely unfortunate for the Cs but there’s a big difference between an elbow to the midsection and an injury from a fall like that.

  • Bruce

    Mike, you are right. There is a big difference between and elbow to the midsecdction and the “fall” as you say. The elbow was a one time frustration event that was open and got punished. The “fall” is a consistent behavior over many games and a tactic to play dirty and hide it.

    They aren’t the same.

  • Dan

    Everyone at the Garden tonite needs to chant “Dirty!” when Wade touches the ball!!

  • Realtalk

    This comment is pending approval and won’t be displayed until it is approved.

    You guys are all blind that was 100% Rondo’s fault! Find a couple of replays from different angles and you’ll see it:

    1. When the ball bounced off Wade’s foot he boxed out Rondo was pulling hard at Wade’s waist with his left hand and had his right elbow on Wade’s back/neck (Is that **** allowed ??)

    2. He pulls at Wade’s waist so hard Wade he loses his footing with his left leg and starts to go down, Rondo drives that right elbow into wade locking his arm. And they go down he was so intent on driving that elbow the dumb ass forgot to watch his left arm. I like Rondo but if he’s gonna play like that screw em.

    I had hoped he learned his lesson but since then he’s been diving into players trying to get contact with that left arm on purpose. Rondo’s trying to get players suspended from games with dirty tactics. Wade was framed Rondo did it all! He initiated and caused it all!!

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