Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel has been fined $15,000 for making suggestive comments about officials rewarding flopping in his team’s upcoming playoff series with the Miami Heat, the NBA has announced.

“They are the biggest flopping team in the NBA,” Vogel told reporters earlier this week. “It’ll be very interesting how the referees officiate the series and how much flopping they reward.”

Vogel’s Pacers took down the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night, punching their tickets to the second round of the playoffs. The Heat downed the New York Knicks one round later to lock in their matchup for round two.

Vogel may have made his comments knowing full well he’d be fined; it may end up being worth it. It might be worth a few grand for the young Pacers coach to impose his will on the officials through the media before the series gets underway. Indy and Miami tip things off tomorrow in South Florida.

Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel defended his team’s reaction to their victory against the Chicago Bulls earlier this month on  ESPN Radio’s “Scott Van Pelt Show.”

“I think there is a little dispute about how much we really celebrated,” Vogel said Monday. “We were excited. We’re excited every time we get a win. In particular any road win and against a team that we struggled to close out some games against last year…”

Vogel’s comments came several days after Bulls star Derrick Rose expressed his dissatisfaction in the way the Pacers celebrated their victory. “”I’ll never forget how they celebrated just from winning this game, I can’t wait to play them again,” Rose told the media following the game.

The Pacers’ win in Chicago on Jan.26 ended the Bulls’ 12-game home winning streak.

The Bulls, who ousted the Pacers last year in the first round of the playoffs, currently have a record of 18-5, placing them first in the Central Division.  The Pacers hold the second spot with a 14-6 record.  The next meeting between the two teams will be in Chicago on March 5.