NEW YORK It comes like clockwork, the confrontation that, if you hadn't seen it so often, might have you concerned. You might even think it could escalate, ending with one guy clocking the other. But this is merely the way Mario Chalmers' teammates - most notably LeBron James and Dwyane Wade - communicate with him on the court.
"Tough love," James calls it.
That affection was evident again in Thursday's first half, well before Chalmers - playing his third straight strong playoff game - helped the Heat pull away from New York to take a 3-0 series lead. After a turnover, James appeared to unleash some frustration and fury on the fourth-year point guard.
"People commonly misread LeBron's facial expressions, and his body movements and body language," Erik Spoelstra said. "Sometimes they are very innocuous conversations, but because LeBron is so loud and boisterous, people interpret it the wrong way.
"If you saw that play, LeBron threw it out of bounds, and there is a miscommunication. And by the time they reached half-court they were smiling and high-fiving each other, like 'OK.' "
It is OK, for one reason: Chalmers apparently can handle it. It is one of the seven wonders of the Heat, in the same class as James' closing speed, Wade's body control, Chris Bosh's soft touch and Shane Battier's uncommon intelligence.
"An almost unnatural self-belief and self-confidence in his abilities," Spoelstra said of Chalmers.
Spoelstra wasn't mocking.
He was marveling.
"That's a big part of why he has been able to be successful at the pro level," Spoelstra said. "And so, if people yell at him and try to correct him, it doesn't bother him, it doesn't faze him at all. Big moments, opponents, players with great reputations, that doesn't faze him at all."
And it can't, because it never stops. Asked if he had ever played with someone with thicker skin, Wade mentioned former Marquette backcourt mate Travis Diener.
"But Mario, we give it to him," Wade said. "I look at him sometimes, and I give him a hug. We give it to him."
Wade insists that comes from recognizing Chalmers' importance. Chalmers shot well and played steadily prior to the All-Star break, and the Heat was dominant. Chalmers slipped in several areas after the break, and the Heat was closer to ordinary.
"But he takes a lot," Wade said. "He takes it from his head coach, he takes it from me, he takes it from 'Bron, he takes it from everyone else.
"You've got to be tough. That's the one thing we know about him, at the end of the day, no matter what, we know that he's tough. We know he's a big-game player, and he's going to be there when we need him, but it's the little things in between we're trying to work on."
Chalmers claims that he now is more comfortable giving a little back.
"He does a little bit now," Wade said. "You know what? Has our respect."
Chalmers has had private talks with the two stars, and come to understand their intentions. He knows that James "looks at me like a little brother.
"Some of the times, the way he talks to me, people might take it like he's talking to me offensively or disrespectful, but we have that type of understanding. If I say something to him, he can say something to me. As much as he says to me, he takes as much of it back."
Really?
"Nope, nope," James said, smiling. "I'm his big brother and I can say whatever I want to him, and he has to take it."
James recognized early in his Heat tenure that he could mold Chalmers, who is less than two years younger, the way he tried to guide Daniel Gibson in Cleveland.
"Certain guys you can talk to in ways you can't talk to others," James said. "My relationship with 'Rio is different than anybody else's."
James acknowledged that Chalmers didn't understand at the start, but believes he does now.
"The best thing about him is he takes constructive criticism," James said. "And you know, when I get on him, it's not because I'm trying to down him. It's because I think he's really good, and I don't like him making mistakes. I make mistakes as well, but I love when he plays at a high level."
He has in this series. Chalmers is shooting 53.9 percent, and averaging 14.3 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals. His team has won three times. And he even appeared to win Thursday's argument.
"Sometimes I do tell him he's right," James said. "But that's just for his confidence."
As if he needs more.
@ calling him Rio
and took that shyt straight to the hole on the defender
@ Chris Bosh's soft touch 