Mike Lowell isn't unfamiliar with the spirited back-and-forth when it comes to a big postseason game. So handling such a moment should be old hat for the 2008 World Series MVP.
But the former Red Sox third baseman was admittedly caught off guard when some good-natured trash talk was thrown his way while sitting courtside at Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals in Miami.
"The coolest encounter was when the referee was warming up, running up and down and he runs right by me. He said, 'One thing I heard was that Mike Lowell can't hit.' I'm like 'Who is this guy? What did I do to offend him? I'm just sitting in these seats,'' Lowell said on the Bradfo Sho podcast. "So, right before tip-off he comes over and says, 'I'm Joe Crawford and Jerry Crawford is my buddy.' Joe Crawford is the NBA ref, Jerry Crawford is the major league umpire. He said, 'I told him I saw you right before the game and he said to say hi.' I was taken aback. I was like, 'Man, the NBA refs are already on me and I hadn't said a word.'
"I thought there would be a lot more trash-talking. The trash-talking is more after timeouts and when the whistle blows. There isn't as much as you think. I mean, it's playoff basketball which is great so the intensity is there. I like the defensive intensity."
While Lowell does own season tickets to the Heat, the vantage point for the Red Sox Hall of Famer was certainly unique thanks to a friend who offered him the courtside seats.
When asked to offer the three best things about sitting in such premium seats, Lowell explained his perspective.
"Top three things are how every rebound is well above the rim," he said. "Nobody is rebounding the ball like a pick-up game. These guys are flying. Another thing people don't realize is on the defensive side is the picks are crushing each other. The refs could call a foul every time down the floor. They really can. The picks are set hard. There is holding, there is everything ... One of the nice perks is if you have to go the bathroom there is a section just for the people there so you don't have to wait in line so you don't have to miss the game."