Miami Heat’s Udonis Haslem Remains Unapologetic: “I Made A Play On The Ball”

Udonis Haslem is remaining unapologetic for his hard foul against Tyler Hansbrough during the Miami Heat’s Tuesday night victory against the Indiana Pacers.

When asked about the hard foul in the first half of Tuesday night’s game Haslem says:

“I made a play on the ball. You can’t suspend me for making a play on the ball.”

Haslem also reminds reporters and the league that during his nine-years in the NBA he has never once been charged with a violent act against another player.

The league still has the option to upgrade the foul to a Flagrant 2 foul which would lead to a one game suspension however at this time there is no indication that such a call will be made.

For his part Hansbrough has been very low key about the foul, revealing:

“I really haven’t looked at it. Some people have told me it looked pretty bad, so I have to see it and make my own opinion about it … I don’t usually talk a lot.”

Players for the Indiana Pacers in the meantime are convinced that Udonis Haslem through the foul on purpose in retaliation against Hansbrough who landed a similarly hard hit against Dwayne Wade earlier in the game. Wade was hit so hard he started dripping blood from just above his right eye which led to a Flagrant 1.

Pacers forward Danny Granger tells the Sun-Sentinel:

“Obvious, it was retaliation for the Tyler’s foul on Wade … I saw it was bad in the game, then I came back here [the locker room] and saw the replay. It was about three times as worse. I’ll be shocked if they don’t upgrade it after looking at it.”

Do you think a Flagrant 2 upgrade is necessary following the hit?