Stan says many things Pacers fans feel. Surpised a coach said it though
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/s...a-sports-front
`Nasty' fans await Heat at the Palace
Ira Winderman
Staff Writer
Posted May 28 2005
MIAMI · Through the first two games of these Eastern Conference finals, the Heat has had its hands full with the Detroit Pistons.
Now it is bracing for an earful at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
"Detroit, even in the regular season, has a particularly nasty crowd," Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said Friday. "They're not just loud. Those people will say anything and do anything.
"Quite honestly, if I was somebody sitting in the crowd, it would be embarrassing. I have never understood the idea because I bought a ticket to the game, I can sit there and yell anything I want."
Although the Heat has not experienced anything at the Palace close to the Nov. 19 brawl between the Pistons and Pacers, it has had its ugly recent moments. Two seasons ago, it attempted to have a fan ejected for a stream of expletives directed at its bench. This past season, a fan was ejected for yelling a profane sexual innuendo at assistant coach Keith Askins.
"You can hear everything in that building," Askins said. "You can even hear the play calls from the other team's bench. I guess, in the development of that arena, they wanted good acoustics. It must be an amazing concert venue."
For the Pistons, it also is an impressive basketball venue. Detroit went 32-9 at home during the regular season, third best in the NBA behind the Spurs' 38-3 and the Heat's 35-6. The Pistons since have won five of six home playoff games.
That, Van Gundy said, is what will make the next two games of this best-of-7 series challenging. The teams enter Sunday's Game 3 tied 1-1.
"The difference in their crowd will have absolutely no impact on anything," Van Gundy said. "You ask any of our guys and coaches, I mean you love playing in places like that. It fires you up a little bit more.
"I've had it happen to me one time at a Marlins game, sitting next to somebody like that and we got up and left. That mentality is hard for me -- `I paid for my ticket, so I'll say whatever the heck I want to say, no matter who's sitting around.'"
In the wake of the brawl with the Pacers, security manpower was increased by 25 percent, to playoff level, with the number of uniformed police doubled to 20. Since that infamy, there has been no additional in-game contact between fans and players, including the recent playoff series against the Pacers.
Yet just a week after the Pistons-Pacers brawl, Askins and the Heat security staff had to make multiple requests to have Askins' harasser ejected.
"You go to every arena, it's loud," Van Gundy said. "But there aren't very many arenas where you specifically hear people yelling profanities and vulgar things at you. You just hear people yelling. But Detroit's a different place.
"Hey, what other arena did somebody throw beer on somebody?"
A cup of beer tossed at Pacers forward Ron Artest began the melee with Indiana that left nine players suspended and seven fans facing criminal charges.
"I don't think their security people cared. The thing worked out great for them, to be quite honest," Van Gundy said, with Indiana's roster emaciated by long-term sanctions, severe penalties that the Pistons avoided.
"I think Detroit and New York, you get some of the absolute nastiest people. Hey, that's the way it is. That doesn't make it any tougher to play. It's no louder than anywhere else.
"Hey look, every place is tough to play at on the road. Indiana has got a crowd that to me is very good, never says anything like that, and it is a very tough place to play."
From that perspective, refuge may come on the court the next two games, trading elbows with Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince.
"It's tough," guard Dwyane Wade said of the verbal jousting from the stands. "But they don't really impact an opponent. You'll hear things -- none of it is printable."
Despite the league's fourth-best road record and the top road mark in the Eastern Conference at 24-17, the Heat struggled for most of the season against elite teams away from AmericanAirlines Arena. It lost its final seven road games to teams that would finish with at least 45 wins, before winning twice in the playoffs in both New Jersey and Washington.
"We enjoyed those wins," center Alonzo Mourning said. "But this is a whole different ballclub, a better ballclub than what we played the first two rounds."
While there might be issues with the fans, when it comes to the Pistons, the Heat's respect is absolute.
"Look," Van Gundy said, "we're still behind the eight-ball in this series. It's 1-1, but they've now got the home court. We're the team that's fighting and scratching from behind."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/s...a-sports-front
`Nasty' fans await Heat at the Palace
Ira Winderman
Staff Writer
Posted May 28 2005
MIAMI · Through the first two games of these Eastern Conference finals, the Heat has had its hands full with the Detroit Pistons.
Now it is bracing for an earful at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
"Detroit, even in the regular season, has a particularly nasty crowd," Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said Friday. "They're not just loud. Those people will say anything and do anything.
"Quite honestly, if I was somebody sitting in the crowd, it would be embarrassing. I have never understood the idea because I bought a ticket to the game, I can sit there and yell anything I want."
Although the Heat has not experienced anything at the Palace close to the Nov. 19 brawl between the Pistons and Pacers, it has had its ugly recent moments. Two seasons ago, it attempted to have a fan ejected for a stream of expletives directed at its bench. This past season, a fan was ejected for yelling a profane sexual innuendo at assistant coach Keith Askins.
"You can hear everything in that building," Askins said. "You can even hear the play calls from the other team's bench. I guess, in the development of that arena, they wanted good acoustics. It must be an amazing concert venue."
For the Pistons, it also is an impressive basketball venue. Detroit went 32-9 at home during the regular season, third best in the NBA behind the Spurs' 38-3 and the Heat's 35-6. The Pistons since have won five of six home playoff games.
That, Van Gundy said, is what will make the next two games of this best-of-7 series challenging. The teams enter Sunday's Game 3 tied 1-1.
"The difference in their crowd will have absolutely no impact on anything," Van Gundy said. "You ask any of our guys and coaches, I mean you love playing in places like that. It fires you up a little bit more.
"I've had it happen to me one time at a Marlins game, sitting next to somebody like that and we got up and left. That mentality is hard for me -- `I paid for my ticket, so I'll say whatever the heck I want to say, no matter who's sitting around.'"
In the wake of the brawl with the Pacers, security manpower was increased by 25 percent, to playoff level, with the number of uniformed police doubled to 20. Since that infamy, there has been no additional in-game contact between fans and players, including the recent playoff series against the Pacers.
Yet just a week after the Pistons-Pacers brawl, Askins and the Heat security staff had to make multiple requests to have Askins' harasser ejected.
"You go to every arena, it's loud," Van Gundy said. "But there aren't very many arenas where you specifically hear people yelling profanities and vulgar things at you. You just hear people yelling. But Detroit's a different place.
"Hey, what other arena did somebody throw beer on somebody?"
A cup of beer tossed at Pacers forward Ron Artest began the melee with Indiana that left nine players suspended and seven fans facing criminal charges.
"I don't think their security people cared. The thing worked out great for them, to be quite honest," Van Gundy said, with Indiana's roster emaciated by long-term sanctions, severe penalties that the Pistons avoided.
"I think Detroit and New York, you get some of the absolute nastiest people. Hey, that's the way it is. That doesn't make it any tougher to play. It's no louder than anywhere else.
"Hey look, every place is tough to play at on the road. Indiana has got a crowd that to me is very good, never says anything like that, and it is a very tough place to play."
From that perspective, refuge may come on the court the next two games, trading elbows with Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince.
"It's tough," guard Dwyane Wade said of the verbal jousting from the stands. "But they don't really impact an opponent. You'll hear things -- none of it is printable."
Despite the league's fourth-best road record and the top road mark in the Eastern Conference at 24-17, the Heat struggled for most of the season against elite teams away from AmericanAirlines Arena. It lost its final seven road games to teams that would finish with at least 45 wins, before winning twice in the playoffs in both New Jersey and Washington.
"We enjoyed those wins," center Alonzo Mourning said. "But this is a whole different ballclub, a better ballclub than what we played the first two rounds."
While there might be issues with the fans, when it comes to the Pistons, the Heat's respect is absolute.
"Look," Van Gundy said, "we're still behind the eight-ball in this series. It's 1-1, but they've now got the home court. We're the team that's fighting and scratching from behind."
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