Fair or Foul?

Miami Heat shooting guard Dwayne Wade finds himself yet again in the middle of a controversial play that injured another opposing star player.

Ryan Fox (@Scoop_Fox87)

The NBA playoffs are a time when everything is put on the line. There are no second chances for those who fail, only heartbreak and disappointment. There are players who put everything on the line, pushing their bodies to go the extra distance to make that spectacular play, doing whatever it takes to win. Then there are some players who take the other route.

In Game 2 between the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat, the Pacers led, 73-69, with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. Heat shooting guard Dwayne Wade brought the ball down to Indiana's side, but then lost control. Pacers shooting guard Paul George, who was guarding Wade, tried to dive for the loose ball. Then this happened:

It looked like it was just an ugly collision between the two players. But when you watch the replay in slow motion, you first see Wade hit George in the back of the head with his left knee. Then when it looks like he's about to clear the fallen Pacer, Wade ends up lowering his right leg and clocks George a second time around. 

George ended up dazed and confused for the rest of the game, which the Pacers ended up losing, 87-83. Then to add insult to injury, the Indiana Pacers medical staff came out afterward and said George ended up suffering a concussion from the collision.

This isn't the first time Wade found himself in one of these "incidents." In fact, you could say he has a "history." Just ask Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo about the time in the 2010-11 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals when Wade took him down and ended up dislocated Rondo's elbow. Or how about you ask Charlotte Bobcats point guard Ramon Sessions about the time Wade kicked him in the groin in a December of 2012 matchup between the Heat and Bobcats. Or why don't you bring up the time Wade broke Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant’s nose in the 2011-12 NBA All-Star game.

Now there are some who will come out and defend Wade, saying Paul George tripped him up during the whole thing. But with a history of these incidents on his record, some might say this was all planned out by Wade.

So, WBOB Sports readers, I ask you: is Wade the saintly player that his fans say he is and was this just an unfortunate accident? Or is he the NBA equivalent of NHLer Matt Cook, who decided to help his team's cause by intentionally taking out Paul George? You decide.

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