MIAMI -- Add another tab to the Miami Heat-Boston Celtics bad blood file.
Dwyane Wade accused Rajon Rondo of committing a "punk play" in the closing seconds of the Heat's 120-107 victory in the season opener Tuesday night. Rondo was called for a flagrant foul on the play after he grasped Wade around the neck area on a drive to the basket.
After the whistle, Wade raised the ball over his head like he was about to throw it at Rondo but stopped himself.
"I got my kids watching so I stopped myself but it was a punk play by him," said Wade, who had a team-best 29 points in the win. "He clotheslined me."
Wade hinted he might have a response the next time the teams play on Jan. 27 in Boston.
"I'm here to play basketball, man," Wade said. "If you want to do something else, then go do something else. Boxing, this is not it. I was glad I was able to stop myself in that very moment and move on from it. We'll see next time we play."
Rondo, who had a near triple-double with 20 points, seven rebounds and 13 assists in the loss, blew off Wade's comments.
"I don't have any response to that," Rondo said. "Everybody is entitled to their opinion. He has a voice. There's nothing else to it."
Ray Allen, Wade's new teammate and someone who has his own running grudge with ex-teammate Rondo, came in to pull Wade away from the mini-confrontation after the foul.
LeBron James watched the play on TV in the locker room while being treated for leg cramps and said he was relieved Wade didn't get caught in retaliation.
"He did show poise, I saw the anger on his face and what he wanted to do and I'm glad he restrained from what he wanted to do," James said. "It wasn't a basketball play."
Wade and Rondo have a history that dates to the 2011 playoffs. In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the players got tangled up and it resulted in Rondo dislocating his elbow after a fall. At the time, some Boston players felt Wade had intentionally tried to throw Rondo to the ground.
