Dragic: International players used to taunting

TORONTO — Goran Dragic has heard and seen it all before, especially playing international basketball his entire life.

Dragic has had to avoid coins and golf balls being thrown from the st ands, he’s been told his last name s h o u l d b e “Tr a g i c , ” n o t Dragic.

But what he heard from the stands Wednesday in Charlotte was a new one when somebody shouted, “Go back to Russia.”

Wrong country. Wrong continent.

“It’s the same if I said (to somebody who is American) ‘Go back to Mexico,’ “said Dragic, who is from the European country of Slovenia. He was smiling when he offered the analogy.

“But it’s nothing. The fans, they want to provoke you.”

And he does understand. Besides, it’s just an ignorant fan.

“If you go back to Europe, they know what was going on,” he said. “Everybody takes pride. It’s hard because this is a different continent. If somebody asked me about Asia, I would not know where some country is. I understand that.”

Words, though, are different than weapons.

Dragic has played internationally where the benches are protected by plastic to keep the players safe from objec ts thrown from the stands, mostly coins, but golf balls and, as one player once told Dragic, an orange that was tossed during a game in Greece with a razor blade inside.

“Over there, there’s more stuff,” he said. “As international players, we are used to that. Back home, you have a lot of games they are yelling some stuff that is really inappropriate, especially war stuff. You just need to let it go.”

Johnson in “whatever-it-takes” mode: James Johnson was ready Friday night to make his second consecutive start for the Heat.

Luke Babbitt’s strained hip flexor still is ailing, and coach Erik Spoelstra said following Friday ’s shootaround that he doubted Babbitt would be available. John- son equaled his season high with 26 points in his starting debut Wednesday in Charlotte. He had one of the most efficient games of the season making 10 of 12 shots (6 of 7 on 3’s).

J o h n s o n c a me o f f t h e bench for 71 games before making his first start.

“At this time of year, it’s whatever it takes, and J. J. understands that as much as anybody,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “The other thing about that is it’s not like he hasn’t played with those guys and often that’s been our closing lineup.

“We’ve been through so many machinations of our l i neups t hi s ye ar. Ever ybody has seemed to play with everybody. They ’ve been comfortable playing with different lineups; the bottom line is we need productivit y throughout the course of the game. It’s not just who starts. We have to sustain it. We were able to do that and take some punches the other night. We’ll have to do that again tonight.”

Spoelstra has rolled out 22 different starting lineups this season.

Johnson said he is ready to do whatever Spoelstra asks of him.

“I t ’ s j u s t w h a t e v e r i t takes,” he said. “I’m all in. Whatever coach wants me to be or wherever he wants me to play, I’ll do it.

“These are trying times. We’re in the trenches and whatever it takes to get a win.”

Johnson, who has started 141 of 470 games during his e i g h t y e a r c a r e e r, mos t o f t h o s e ( 1 14 ) c o ming i n Toronto, said his preparation isn’t any different with the exception of one area.

“I ’ m u s e d t o p l a y i n g against a bench guy or getting one or two minutes with the starter, and then the bench guys comes off,” he said. “It was pretty much the same except for getting my tendencies of who I was going to guard first.”

F r i d ay ’s g a me a g a i n s t Toronto started a difficult four-game, season-ending stretch for Miami in which it plays at Toronto and Washington before coming home to face Cleveland and Washington.