Heat players see disparity in fouls being called
MIAMI — Complaining that calls are going against your team generally falls into the category of loser talk.
It would be difficult to point to cases where it served a useful purpose in reversing the trend.
But Heat guard Dion Waiters let it be known that the disparity of calls was a frustration in Wednesday’s 102-93 loss to the Wizards. It was bothering him enough that he raised the issue without prompting after practice Thursday.
“I don’t want to make it a big thing, but I’m just saying it so it can get it out there and they can take notice,” Waiters said. “And not just certain guys get certain calls, that’s not cool. You’ve got to treat everybody equal. At the end of the day, a foul’s a foul, bottom line.”
The Heat got to the freethrow line only 19 times compared to 31 attempts for the Wizards. Miami converted its first 10 free throws and made 16 total (84 percent).
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra declined to address the issue after the game. Thursday, he was adamant about his players not using the perception that they’re not getting a fair share of calls as a crutch.
“It doesn’t matter what I feel right now,” Spoelstra said. “I still want our guys to play to our identity offensively. That’ to be aggressive, that’s to attack, that’s to get to the paint. We’re second in drives. I love that.
“We can’t control the officiating,” he continued. “So, yeah, I am going to be hard on our team about not making excuses, not looking for a bail out from the officials.”
Nonethless, Waiters sees it as a troubling ongoing trend.
“We’re top five in teams getting to the paint, but we get to the free throw line the least,” Waiters said. “Sometimes that can be frustrating just not being able get the calls that some of the other guys get. I don’t know what else I need to do.
“You watch games and you see guys get to the freethrow line who [are] nowhere near as aggressive as you. It’s tough, especially with me, Goran [Dragic], [James Johnson]. If you watch, it’s contact every play with us. I’ve got to do a better job trying to keep my cool, but sometimes I get frustrated because I know for a fact that I’m getting hit.”
Hard on himself
Forward James Johnson continues to struggle. He was 1-for-5 in 27 minutes Wednesday.
Johnson, who signed a four-year, $60 million contract, has been unable to come close to his production of last season, and he is hard-pressed for an answer.
“I’m killing myself every night, every day. It’s just been terrible performances out of me and not just from an offensive standpoint, the defense,” he said. “Our second unit, Tyler and me, we should come in and have that same affect we had last year and we haven’t been able to do that.”
Spoelstra said he is confident Johnson will get back on track: “We believe in James. It’s still early. He cares and he wants to do the right play. He’s a giving player. … I think it will work itself out if we simplify his mind.”
White surgery
Forward Okaro White underwent what was termed successful surgery to repair a fifth metatarsal fracture in his left foot. The 85-minute procedure was performed by Dr. Thomas San Giovanni and Heat team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick at Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute at Doctors Hospital.
White was injured during a seemingly innocuous layup drill before Tuesday's practice. A timetable for his return has not been set.