We mentioned the flare-up earlier, but it bares repeating simply because of LeBron James‘ reaction to whatever Mario Chalmers was saying in the huddle. James jumped up at ‘Rio looking for blood during a timeout before Udonis Haslem pulled him back to prevent a possible involuntary manslaughter charge for ‘Bron. Later, though, James could be seen apologizing to his young point guard on the bench.
Here’s that scary moment for Chalmers:
And here is video of LeBron apologizing to ‘Rio for the physical reaction that almost spilled over into violence. Viewers can deduce that LeBron is telling the young Mario, “Yo, RIO! I was wrong, my bad.”
Doug Collins believes the apology shows great leadership on James’ part, and we agree, but that was a seriously close call by Chalmers. When it’s the HEAT of the moment, anything goes — even a possible strangling on the sideline.
Despite the back-and-forth between the teammates, James, Chalmers, Haslem and the rest of the Heat beat visiting Indiana 97-94 after battling back from multiple double-digit deficits in the second half.
Dwyane Wade led the Heat with his first 30-point game since Game 4 of the 2013 Finals, scoring 32 on 15-for-25 shooting from the field in the win.
What would have happened if Haslem had NOT held LeBron back?
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