Danny Granger's attitude during the Indiana Pacers series against the Miami Heat has been somewhere between that of an angry junkyard dog and a spoiled two-year-old throwing a tantrum because his mom wouldn't buy him any more Bob the Builder toys. Granger has done his best to try to provoke both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade into a physical confrontation, and the two are sick of it. LeBron today even called Granger's antics "stupid."
"Whatever he's trying, it is not working," James said according to ESPN ahead of today's Game 5. "He's said he's not scared of LeBron, I want to let (James) know. I guess he's doing it for his own psyche. It's stupid."
Wade was even more specific.
"My message to Granger was that you just can't keep running up into people's faces for altercations," he said. "We're not fighting on this basketball court, so let's not act like we're going to fight. We can be physical and do all that, but certain things got to stop. Are you out here to play basketball or are you out here to be a tough guy?"
"Nobody is fighting on the basketball court. C'mon," added James. "I'm not going to fight because I mean too much to our team and I can't afford to be suspended for a game or do something stupid to get thrown out of a playoff game."
Granger apparently has no problem with being so stupid apparently. He's racked up four technical fouls in each of the past three games.
"I think there is a line and I'm tip-toeing it," Granger said. "That's a product of the chip on my shoulder and we have on our shoulder as a team of not being respected."
Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes.
