Playoff basketball can get rather chippy at times. Teams going up against one another over the course of multiple games gives the opportunity to bad blood to fester, and even if that doesn’t necessarily happen between players or teams, isolated incidents can sometimes seem to escalate a little easier once the postseason rolls around.
One team that has always seemed to thrive when things get physical is the Miami Heat, as the organization for whatever reason is at its best when things get intense. On Thursday night, an incident popped up during Miami’s game against Philadelphia, and at the center of things was Dwyane Wade.
During the second quarter while the Heat were on offense, Wade grabbed Sixers reserve Justin Anderson’s arm and threw him to the ground. Anderson, obviously upset that another human grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground, popped up and went nose-to-nose with the Heat legend.
Justin Anderson doesn't want none of this Dwyane Wade smoke. pic.twitter.com/oiZRFqfZLu
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) April 19, 2018
There was no indication of what caused Wade to do this, but neither guy backed down from the other. Eventually, the officials were able to calm things down, and double technicals were assessed to the pair.
Anderson’s a tough dude, and Wade is the kind of battle-tested veteran who won’t back down from anyone. This might be a one-time thing between the pair, but after Thursday night, we’ll have at least another two games between these teams, which is plenty of time for more tensions to build up between the Sixers and Heat.
