Chicago ? A physical Bulls-Heat game turned into verbal sparring after Miami star Dwyane Wade was injured on Wednesday night.
Wade left early in Chicago’s 109-103 win because of a sprained right wrist, and after the game Heat coach Pat Riley accused Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich of dirty tactics.
“Hinrich pulled his hand. He does it all the time,” Riley told reporters. “That’s what he does. Anytime Dwyane comes off screens, they will always grab his shirt or grab his hands. It’s a tactic down below the body – the official can’t see it. He had Dwyane’s hand, and (when Wade) tried to pull it out of there, I think something happened.”
It appeared Wade injured his wrist coming off a screen while covering Hinrich, a Kansas University product, in the first quarter. Wade stayed in the game, but came out after the next timeout. He then went to the locker room accompanied by trainer Ron Culp. Wade’s injured right wrist showed no structural damage in tests performed on Thursday, and the team said its leading scorer was day-to-day.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Hinrich was played a tape of Riley’s accusations while he was dressing in the Bulls locker room.
“I can’t worry about Pat Riley – I just have to worry about myself,” Hinrich said, according to the Sun-Times. “He’s going to try and do his job, and I’m going to try and do my job. I can’t really comment on what he should be worrying about.
“It’s unfortunate (Wade) got hurt, but I wasn’t trying to hurt him. I was chasing him off a screen – then there’s contact. I don’t know if he got tangled up or whatever, and he started grabbing his hand.”
Wade wouldn’t go so far as to say Hinrich intentionally injured him.
“I’m not into throwing shots at nobody,” Chicago native Wade said, according to the Miami Herald. “I really hadn’t seen it. I just know I got injured on that play.”
Wade wasn’t the only player banged up on Wednesday. Bulls forward Luol Deng was flagrantly fouled by James Posey and landed on his surgically-repaired right wrist. Deng stayed in the game, and X-rays were negative.
Posey committed a flagrant foul on Hinrich in last season’s playoffs and was involved in a play that broke the nose of Bulls rookie Tyrus Thomas earlier this season.
“I don’t know if it’s something he sets out before the game to do or not,” Hinrich said, according to the Tribune. “It was a hard foul, obviously.”
Wade, who had 40 points and 11 assists in the Heat’s 101-85 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, is averaging 28.6 points and 8.2 assists. But he was shut out on Wednesday.
Bulls guard Ben Gordon scored 40 as Chicago improved to 13-2 at home. Gordon wasn’t buying Riley’s story.
“I think (the coach’s accusation) was very unnecessary,” Gordon said, according to the Sun-Times. “He should be worried about his players. Posey’s always in the middle of something. I think that was a cheap shot at Kirk. Kirk was just playing his normal defense. It was a freak accident.”
