The first half of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night was physical and resulted in one flagrant foul and several technical fouls.
Joakim Noah and LeBron James were called for double-technicals at the end of the first quarter after they got physical with each other. James was attempting to drive but was called for an offensive foul. As he came into the paint, Noah wrapped him up. James responded by swatting Noah away, leading to words between the two. They were both assessed with technical fouls.
A few minutes later, Chris Andersen was called for a flagrant foul, and Nate Robinson got a technical foul a few minutes after that.
Andersen slammed into Marco Belinelli to draw his foul:
Noah and James have long had a history between each other, so the tension was not a surprise. Noah is one of the few people who not only is unafraid to stand up to LeBron, but actually appears to enjoy doing so. That’s probably why he thrives against them.
