Joakim Noah has a polarizing personality. You either love him or hate him. Apparently Pacers forward Danny Granger leans toward the latter.

After the Bulls eliminated the Pacers on Tuesday night, Granger said Noah played “cowardly” and accused him of taking cheap shots that were unnoticed by the referees. Granger was referring to the physical play that took place between Noah and “Josh McRoberts”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1Id0BM9JBM in Game Five, resulting in McRoberts’ ejection.

Granger isn’t the first person to dislike the way Noah plays the game, nor will he be the last.

A quick Google search paints a picture of the kind of hate Joakim has generated since his days at Florida.

But that’s what happens when you play the game with intensity: The home fans love you, and (almost) everyone else hates you because you’re not on their team.

I know how Noah’s haters feel — I used to be one of them. I could not stand Noah when he played for Florida; there wasn’t one concrete reason, but he got under my skin.

I thought the Bulls made a huge mistake drafting him in 2007. It wasn’t until the Bulls played the Celtics in the 2009 Playoffs that I saw all of the things that make Joakim Noah great:

*His intensity*

Noah’s “steal and dunk”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1xau9SKa-w in triple overtime of a tied Game Six against the Celtics remains one of the greatest plays I’ve ever seen in any sport.

Noah might not be the prettiest or best player on the court in terms of speed, shooting ability, athleticism, natural talent or ability to speak the English language, but you’ll never find someone playing harder than Joakim.

*His quotes*

There’s way too many to list here, but explaining why “Cleveland sucks”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN0WqSeCKW8 has to be my favorite Noah quote to date: “You think Cleveland is cool? I’ve never heard anyone say, ‘I’m going to Cleveland on vacation.’”

*His genes*

His father, Yannick Noah, is the source of Joakim’s athletic abilities. Yannick was a professional tennis player in France; he won the French Open in 1983.

Noah’s mother, Cécilia Rodhe, is the source of Joakim’s — and his sister’s — good looks; she used to be a Swedish supermodel and was named Miss Sweden in 1978.

*His style*

Not many can pull off a white suit, afro and “bowtie”:http://scienceanddimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/joakim-noah.jpg while still looking classy. Joakim Noah couldn’t either when he wore that outfit to the draft, but you can’t knock him for trying.

*His dancing abilities*

Although he might not show it on the court, Noah proved after winning the 2007 NCAA National Championship that he can funnel his energy into “a majestic display of both innovation and grace”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ3y5hTHuP4, using dance as his medium.

Like Noah himself, it’s truly something you need to see to believe.

Kevin Thornton is a freshman in Media. He can be reached at [email protected].