Chris Andersen and Tyler Hansbrough have been chippy with each other throughout the Eastern Conference Finals, and this seemed inevitable.
The animosity came to a head early in the second quarter of Game 5 between the Heat and Pacers when Andersen and Hansbrough were hit with a double technical, and Andersen got a flagrant 1.
Andersen was lucky he wasn’t ejected. He initiated the conflict by dropping his shoulder and knocking Hansbrough to the ground. Then, Andersen lingered rather than running up court – Hansbrough had the excuse of being sprawled out on the court – and approached Hansbrough again. Andersen got chest-to-chest with Hansbrough and shoved him before the two were separated.
Maybe Andersen was trying to give the Heat a spark, considering Miami had trailed most of the game, rather than just losing his cool against a player who gets under many opponents’ nerves. But if that were Andersen’s goal, it didn’t work. Immediately after the altercation, Indiana went on a 5-0 run, including a Hansbrough free throw as a result of the flagrant.
