Indiana Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough is fouled hard by Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem in the first half of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Dwyane Wade sat in the media room wearing a Band-Aid over his right eye, looking like he went 12 rounds with Manny Pacquiao. Danny Granger left the arena in a walking boot, while Lance Stephenson may have injured his collarbone and David West is nursing a sprained knee.

Things got so heated between Miami and Indiana Tuesday the playoff contest turned into an old-fashioned basketbrawl, a battle royale reminiscent of the days when hard fouls were the norm and the action was more suited for the Octagon. The league office handed down the punishments on Wednesday, suspending Heat forward Udonis Haslem for one game, reserve center Dexter Pittman for three games, and Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough’s hard foul was upgraded to a flagrant 2.

Hansbrough ignited the fireworks in the second quarter with a hard foul on Wade, cutting the Heat star above the eye. Haslem returned the favor by whacking Hansbrough across the face. Both men were assessed a flagrant 1 foul. Wade said the Haslem foul doesn’t deserve a suspension, but he believed Hansbrough — also known as Psycho T — went a little too far with his tomahawk chop to the face.

“I took a shot that I thought was uncalled for. My face is not the ball so he didn’t make a play on the ball,” said Wade.

Hansbrough and Haslem were not the only ones who delivered blows in Game 5. Pittman leveled Stephenson with a WWE-type clothesline that would have made Charles Oakley proud. Stephenson immediately grabbed his shoulder and may have sustained a collarbone injury. It was an obvious retaliation to Stephenson’s choke sign aimed at LeBron James in Game 3 in Indiana.

“The Dexter Pittman play is as dirty as it gets. That should be a four to five games (suspension),” ESPN analyst Tim Legler said.

TV replays showed Pittman launching himself into Stephenson, and was later caught on the monitor winking at someone, giving the impression that he was targeting Stephenson and his elbow wasn’t accidental. The great Pat Riley once said that there is never such a thing as a accidental elbow. Pittman and Haslem delivered a powerful message to the Pacers that you don’t mess with any of the Heat superstars.

“You want to have great competitive games. You’re not giving up layups but you don’t want to hurt nobody,” Wade said. “It takes away from the game. I told my teammates that [Hansbrough] foul was over with so let’s focus on the game.”

West also left Game 5 early with a knee sprain, an injury he believes he sustained due to the physical play. “Guys just dove into my knee. Part of the game, I guess. But I can take care of myself. I don’t need the referees to do that. That will be dealt with,” West said. “It was just one of those things. It’s been a tough series, a very physical series.”

When someone asked West if one of the Heat players went after his knee on purpose he replied with a very cryptic message: “It’s part of the game. Again, I’ll take care of it. I can handle myself.”

The series has been extemely chippy from the start, with pockets of confrontations between West and Mario Chalmers and LeBron James and Granger. Now Hansbrough, Haslem and Pittman have cranked up the physical play as both sides are trying to apply the knockout punch.

Granger and James have been knocking each other around all series long, and Granger has gotten in LeBron’s face a couple of times. But one he literally tugged on Superman’s cape when he pulled LeBron’s jersey at halfcourt to prevent a fastbreak. LeBron didn’t appreciate the tug and threw his left elbow up to send a message, which caused Granger to flip.

Granger sprained his left ankle in the second quarter of Tuesday’s game in Miami when he stepped on LeBron’s foot while shooting a three, so his availability is now in question. He tried to give it a go in the second half but had to leave in the third quarter, which was when the Heat blew the game wide open.

Pacers president Larry Bird called his team “soft” after Game 5, but it’s a bit hard to digest that harsh criticism especially when you have three guys in the training room with major injuries. And don’t tell Wade and Haslem the Pacers are playing soft because their faces have taken a pounding.

The Indiana Pacers have nothing but great things to say about first-round pick Tyler Hansbrough.

The NBA Summer Pro League is the best place to evaluate a rookie, a second-year player or a developmental league player looking for a guaranteed contract. If a player can survive and thrive in the summer league, they will most likely survive and thrive in the NBA. The summer league is where coaches, scouts and general managers get to see their prized rookies during the controlled scrimmages and find out if they scored a home run or struck out in the draft.

There were a handful of first- and second-year players who stood head and shoulders above the rest. They were (in no particular order):

BLAKE GRIFFIN, L.A. Clippers, PF: Named the most outstanding player of the Las Vegas Summer Pro League. In his summer league debut, the No. 1 overall pick scored 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field and grabbed 12 rebounds. Against the Memphis Grizzlies and their top rookie Hasheem Thabeet, Griffin scored 18 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and lowered the boom on the Griz with three spectacular dunks in the first half. He is the most NBA-ready player from the class of 2009. The 6-10, 250-pound man child from the University of Oklahoma has tremendous bounce off the floor and a terrific athlete for a true power forward. He runs the floor incredibly well and attacks the rim with force. The Clippers are extremely happy to have Mr. Griffin and he should complement second-year guard Eric Gordon and PG Baron Davis.As long as he doesn’t get hurt, Griffin is a lock to be the 2010 NBA rookie of the year.

No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin was named the most outstanding player in the Las Vegas Summer Pro League. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

RUSSELL WESTBROOK, Oklahoma City Thunder, PG: The second-year point guard was easily the best player in the Orlando Summer League. The former UCLA standout showed great explosion on his dribble drives and finished strong at the rim. Westbrook was paired with rookie SG James Harden and the two lit up the scoreboard and played like vets. After a solid rookie season, Westbrook is primed for a breakout season and validate OKC’s gamble in last year’s draft.

TYLER HANSBROUGH, Indiana Pacers, SF-PF: The Pacers definitely got their money’s worth with this pick. Hansbrough is a coach’s dream, and Coach Jim O’Brien is gushing about his prized rookie. “The first thing that he brings is intensity and an energy level that very few people that I’ve been around in my life can bring to a practice,” O’Brien said of Hansbrough, who was named to the All-Summer League first team in Orlando.

Stephen Curry will don the Golden State Warriors uniform this season. Curry is joined by his father, Dell (left), and mother, Sonya. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

STEPHEN CURRY, Golden State Warriors, PG: The book on Curry was that he is a lights out shooter with a quick release and unlimited range. What the book didn’t say about the son of former NBA sharp-shooter Dell Curry is his court awareness. One scout at the Vegas Summer League said Curry has “super court savvy” and is “deceptively good getting to the basket.” Don Nelson has been able to find gems in the past (Mitch Richmond, Tim Hardaway, Latrell Sprewell, Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard) and Curry is no exception. In five games, Curry averaged 17 points and made 10 of 29 3-pointers.

TYREKE EVANS, Sacramento Kings, PG-SG: Whether he’ll end up as a point guard or shooting guard with the Kings, one thing is certain – Evans is a player. At 6-5 and 190 pounds, he has the size and the athleticism to get his own shot, creating a lot of matchup problems against smaller backcourts, and he can defend. He’ll pair up quite nicely with 6-6 SG Kevin Martin. One scout said Evans “looked smooth.” Against the Milwaukee Bucks’ summer league team, Evans poured in 33 points and got to the free-throw line 19 times, converting 17 of them. He also added seven rebounds and seven assists. Now that’s a stat line!

BRANDON JENNINGS,  Milwaukee Bucks, PG: The Euroleague experience has definitely paid off for Jennings. The 6-1 left-hander looks comfortable running pick-and-rolls and his body has matured enough to point where he can get in the painted area, set up teammates or score on his own. He averaged 14.6 points and a summer-league best 8.2 assists. His quick hands were also on display, averaging 3.6 steals per game. Bucks coach Scott Skiles has liked what he has seen so far from his future point guard. Against the Sacramento Kings, Jennings scored 13 points, dished out 14 assists and racked up a summer pro league record seven steals.

ANTHONY RANDOLPH, Golden State Warriors, SF-PF: Another great find by Don Nelson. The versatile forward lit up the Vegas Summer League circuit with a then-record 42 points against the Chicago Bulls. However which way you spin it, scoring 42 points is impressive regardless of the level of competition. Randolph made 13 of 22 field goals and 16 of 21 free throws. When asked about his explosive effort, he said he was disappointed he only got three rebounds.

GEORGE HILL, PG-SG, and DeJUAN BLAIR, PF, San Antonio Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs’ youth movement has officially started. Hill, a 6-2 combo guard with freakishly long arms, is a very steady and very smooth player with the potential to be a lock-down defender for Coach Gregg Popovich. Hill plays under control and his facial expression never changes – it’s the Tim Duncan influence. Blair is playing with a huge cinder block on his shoulders, proving to scouts that he probably should have been taken in the first round instead of the second round. The 6-7, 265-pound former Pitt standout averaged 16.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and shot 53% from the field.

CHASE BUDINGER, Houston Rockets, SF: The former Arizona Wildcat was somewhat of a surprise in the Vegas Summer League. The 6-7 small forward showed he can get his own shot and a quick bounce off the floor. He averaged 18 points a game to lead the Rockets and shot 68% from the field and 94% from the free throw line in five games. Not bad for a second-round pick.

HONORABLE MENTION: Anthony Morrow, Golden State – The undrafted guard from Georgia Tech established a summer league record 47 points against the New Orleans Hornets.  DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors – The one-and-done USC guard-forward was coveted by Toronto from Day 1, and he has not anything to disappoint the Raptors. Rodrigue Beaubois, Dallas Mavericks, G: Mavs owner Mark Cuban calls his outstanding rookie from France “Roddy Buckets.” He had a 34-point game against Houston on July 11. Jodie Meeks, Milwaukee Bucks – Another second-round draft pick who played well in Vegas. The former Kentucky sharpshooter led the Bucks in scoring at 19 per game and made 53% of his 3-pointers. Darren Collison, New Orleans Hornets – Hornets coach Byron Scott loves the way Collison plays the game: hard and fast. Jonny Flynn, Minnesota Timberwolves – Not the top guard in the Vegas Summer League, but showed he can handle the point. James Harden, Oklahoma City Thunder – Surprisingly athletic and has the ability to put the ball on the floor and create shots for himself.

Tyler Hansbrough still has work to do before he joins North Carolina's legendary list. (AP)

Tyler Hansbrough recently became the greatest scorer in North Carolina history. What does it mean for Hansbrough’s place among Tar Heel legends? Nothing. Absolutely, nothing.

Hansbrough may be the No. 1 scorer in Chapel Hill, but he has a ways to go before he becomes a member of Tar Heel royalty. Heck, I have a hard time putting Hansbrough on my all-time North Carolina squad. To be on a member of the Tar Heel Supreme Court, you have to have a complete resume, meaning a stellar college career as well as a successful NBA career.