Udonis Haslem will miss Game 6 for this flagrant foul to the face of Tyler Hansbrough. (Andrew Innerarity - REUTERS) The chippiness that has been present throughout Indiana’s Eastern Conference semifinals series with the Miami Heat boiled over in Tuesday’s Game 5 in the form of several flagrant fouls. And two of them drew suspensions from the league late Wednesday.

Udonis Haslem will miss Thursday’s Game 6 in Indianapolis for hammering Tyler Hansbrough in the face with both hands on a shot attempt. Dexter Pittman’s hard elbow to the throat of Lance Stephenson earned him a three-game suspension.

Pittman was averaging all of 3.5 minutes in the two games in which he’s played this postseason, but the loss of Haslem could be critical for Miami. He scored 14 points on 5 of 6 shooting in the Heat’s Game 4 victory and was the only player outside of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to crack double figures.

Speaking of James, the three-time MVP said he’s bracing himself for more physical play when the Heat try to close out the series Thursday night. Meantime, the Pacers will try to shed the “S-O-F-T” tag team president Larry Bird gave them after their blowout loss in Game 5.

Hakeem Nicks is expected to need three months to recover from a broken foot. (Jamie Squire / Getty Images) Another day of organized team activities has ended with another significant injury for the New York Giants.

Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks broke his right foot running a route today and is expected to have a pin surgically implanted Friday. The Giants say they expect that he’ll need about three months to recover, which would put him in doubt for the season opener Sept. 5. It wasn’t immediately clear how Nicks was hurt because the OTA was not open to members of the media.

Shaquille O’Neal — make that Dr. Shaquille O’Neal — received a Ph.D in education from Barry University earlier this month. (Peter Andrew Bosch / AP)

Updated at 3:30 p.m. with report that O’Neal won’t interview

Shaquille O’Neal will not interview with the Orlando Magic for the team’s vacant general manager position, according to an ESPN Boston report.

Jackie MacMullen cited unnamed sources who said that O’Neal has decided he wants to continue as a TNT analyst.

Originally filed at 1:43 p.m.

How does Dr. General Manager Shaquille O’Neal sound?

ESPN reported that O’Neal and the Orlando Magic would meet as early as next week to discuss the team’s vacant general manager position.

Magic officials weren’t commenting on the report by Chris Broussard, but Shaq, who, as a player, bolted Orlando for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996, was campaigning for the job a couple of months ago. As is always the case with O’Neal, though, he may not have been entirely serious.

The San Francisco 49ers came within an overtime field goal of reaching the Super Bowl last season — and they did it was a passing offense that ranked 17th in the NFL in passing offense.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith throws during Wednesday’s OTA. (Paul Sakuma - AP) After failing to land Peyton Manning this offseason, the 49ers re-committed to quarterback Alex Smith. And now, finally, they’re putting some talented pass catchers around him.

Smith is getting to know his new top options — the un-retired Randy Moss, former New York Giant Mario Manningham and first-round draft pick A.J. Jenkins — at San Francisco’s OTAs this week. And so far, he loves what he sees.

“It’s like waking up on Christmas,” Smith said. “You have a lot of new toys out there, new presents.”

Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees — a $3 billion enterprise? (Al Bello / Getty Images)

The New York Yankees owned by anyone not named Steinbrenner?

You cannot be serious.

For several generations of fans, the idea might be unfathomable, but the New York Daily News reports that “rumors are flying in Major League Baseball and New York banking circles that the family that has owned Major League Baseball’s premiere franchise since Cleveland shipbuilder George Steinbrenner purchased the club for $8.8 million in 1973 is exploring the possibility of selling the Yankees.”