Miami Heat center Chris "Birdman" Andersen said he "can't regret" his suspension for Game 6 against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals. Meanwhile, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he had a talk about aggressive play with Andersen, who is now on the verge of a second suspension if there's any more rough play.
"We have to accept it and move on, it's irrelevant whether we agree or disagree," Spoelstra told ESPN. "I had a discussion with (Andersen) and that's between he and I."
The NBA suspended Andersen and issued a flagrant-2 foul for his blindside body check on Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough during his team's Game 5 victory on Thursday. Following the incident, Andersen shoved Hansbrough before players attempted to separate the two.
The foul upgrade is significant. Combined with a flagrant foul-1 Andersen was assessed during his team's series against the Chicago Bulls, Andersen now has three "points" in the NBA's discipline system for rough play in the playoffs. If he commits another flagrant foul during the playoffs, he would draw an automatic suspension.
That situation was likely the focus of Spoelstra's meeting with Andersen, which took place at the team hotel Friday night after the league levied the suspension. Andersen was the last Heat player on the floor Saturday afternoon at the end of the team's shootaround leading up to his Game 6 suspension.
"It was their decision, that was their decision and it is what it is," Andersen said. "I have to deal with the repercussions of it. ... It was the heat of the moment, the heat of the battle pushed me out of my comfort zone and got out of my composure. Now I'm dealing with it.
"I can't regret anything. I'm not going to change who I am or how I play. I just have to keep my composure better."
© 2023 Sportsworldnews.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
