LeBron James and the Miami Heat took offense about some of Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel's comments about their team after he called them "the next team in our way" and while James was miffed by the comments, Vogel cleared things up on Monday, saying he meant no offense and has great respect for the team.
Vogel actually said them "the next team in our way" and not "just another team" as James thought, which prompted him to say that the Heat were a great team and that it would be a tough series to prepare for. The Pacers coach cleared the air on Monday and said he had great respect for Miami and that the series should be a good one. The Pacers were expected by many to lose to the Knicks, but New York could not play consistently throughout the series and ended up losing 4-2 overall after getting the number two seed in the conference.
The two teams know each other well after playing last season and the words in the press are nothing new, as Vogel was fined last year for calling out the Heat on flopping and had to pay up $15K. Miami lost the first game before winning the next three and despite the fact that the Pacers won two of three during the regular season this year, Miami is not worried. Game 1 will be Wednesday after six days off for the Heat, but they understand what is at stake and the way the bench has played might be enough to put them over the top again.
The Heat finished off the Bulls in Game 5 back on Wednesday and got another long break, just like they did when the team finished off the Bucks in four games and since the Pacers played the Knicks in six, they will have off until Wednesday when Game 1 goes down in Miami. The Heat were able to shut down the Bulls despite 26 points and 14 rebounds from Carlos Boozer and six assists from Nate Robinson, who was solid throughout the series for Chicago. The Pacers and Heat know each other well and the play of Paul George and David West will be key, while once again the Heat will rely on James.
James led Game 5 with 23 points and eight assists and he played as well as he has in any series after losing the first game to the Bulls and now the team is one series way from getting back to their third straight finals. The Heat are likely going to win another championship and the finals could be a great matchup, as the Spurs and Grizzlies both should be tough teams to face off against.
"Sorry, sports world, the words 'just another team' never came out of my mouth. Great respect for LBJ and the champs. Looking forward to [a] great series," Vogel said Monday, according to NBA.com.
