Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel has fired a warning shot across the bow before their series with the Toronto Raptors even begins.

Vogel clamored for officials to swallow their whistles, and to not fall for the Raptors' bids for embellishment.

"We’ve got to be disciplined with our hands and with our body position," Vogel told reporters in Indianapolis, according to Chris O'Leary of The Toronto Star.

"And understand that they’re going to throw their bodies into us, snap their heads back and swing their arms through legal defenders and hope the whistle blows."

Vogel's pointed comment undoubtedly hints at the Raptors' 141 free-throw attempts in four matchups this season.

Raptors head coach Dwane Casey didn't take the bait, and opted instead to shift the focus back to the Pacers for playing sloppy defense with their hands.

“The way Indiana plays with their physicality - grabbing, holding, bumping, and grinding - we’ve got to play through that and I’d much rather be doing that at home than on the road,” Casey said.

To Vogel's point, the Raptors do rely on free throws to fuel their fifth-ranked offense. Toronto averaged the third-most free-throw attempts per game this season.

But there's a reason for that: the Raptors drive more than any other playoff team. Casey's team forces the issue by inviting contact.

Granted, the bottom line might be the only thing that matters. The Raptors tried 14 more freebies per game than the Pacers in going 3-1 vs. Indiana in the season series, but that disparity isn't just borne out of bias. The Pacers averaged the fourth-fewest drives per game this season, so perhaps the problem comes from within.