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The trouble with Dwight 05.27.10 at 2:31 am ET
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ORLANDO — Dwight Howard has been causing the Celtics major problems throughout the series and not just with his defense and rebounding. His elbows have also become cause for concern, specifically the elbow the knocked out Glen Davis in the third quarter of Game 5.

“Yeah, I didn’t know that was legal, but anyway, he did,” Doc Rivers said. “But listen, he’s a physical guy. We know that and he should be. That is his gift. Honestly, that is his gift. So he’s doing what he should do and we’ve just got to do a better job of taking the hits, I guess.”

A foul by Howard against Kevin Garnett in Game 4 was upgraded to a Flagrant 1, the league announced prior to the start of Game 5. In the aftermath, Garmett was hit with a technical foul in a game the Celtics lost in overtime.

Earlier in Game 5, Howard shoved Garnett in the back but there was no call. Rivers was seen having an animated conversation with official Joey Crawford during the next timeout and there is no question that Howard’s physical play has been a source of frustration for the Celtics throughout the series.

“We’re just trying to win,” Howard said. “Our intent is not hurt anybody out there, but basketball is a very physical sport. You’re playing against a very physical and tough team in the Boston Celtics.”

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  • http://WEEI Frank Graves

    I don’t think Howard’s elbow hitting Davis was a pure accident. Not that he was trying to hit him, but he has a habit of pulling his arms down very fast and hard after any rebound attempt, which sort of makes accidents happen. The same thing seemed to happen when Pierce went down briefly in the 3d quarter with a pulled shoulder; Howard hit him from behind while on the way down with an very unnecessary broad sweep of his arms. Basically, he is trying to make it punishing for anyone to be near him after he goes up, which at some level is really flagrant fouling, not just “being very physical and tough” like he is quoted above.

  • Flipfou

    Should call Howard “SuperHack” instead of Superman. His game is built on free swinging and he knocked Big Baby, Daniels and Pierce hard literally knocking 2 out of 3 out of the game, and possible Game 6 as well. Refs need to watch that aggressiveness on the floor and if i was the C’s I’d flop everytime he comes down hard after Tom Thibodeau and Doc sending an “Elbow” highlight clip to the NBA front office and the officiating crew before tomorrow night’s game

  • http://bing.com Randy Christian

    NBA stands for NOT BASKETBALL ANYMORE. The new faces of the league(LeBron and Dwight)are allowed to play like middle linebackers. They routinely initate contact on both ends of the floor

  • CP26

    Why all of a sudden are Boston fans complaining about physical play. As an objective viewer with no ties to either team, I think both teams are playing tough and physical. Everytime Howard is in the post, Sheed, Perk and Davis are banging him, pushing, elbowing him and Celt fans aren’t complaining. They are doing “what they are suppose to do” and so is Howard! You can’t have it both ways. Either call out your own players when they do wrong or shut up and let them play the game the way experts say playoff basketball should be played!

  • Magic Fan

    Oh my goodness… Are we really, going to whine about grown men doing what they do best… Hard nosed tough bball. I mean it could look like an high school JV game (with no one with-in are reach of anyone), but what good is that, It’s the conf finals (I’d be pissed if it was lazy bball at this point). I like the celts, I think they are a good team, but I like my Magic better. So are you saying you’ve never seen “baby” play a tough game, perk,.. I know you’ve seen sheed play that way, that’s his game, he loves to frustrate opponents with physical play (he’s done it throughout his career). When he’s doing it doc doesn’t have anything negative to say, nor does anyone else. To me it was just another game, though a good one from the Magic. Everyone should simply ease up, these are men, not little boys, if you can’t take a couple blows (and at some point you will have to), then you probably want to play in Sri Lanka (not sure I spelled the right)or something. BE EASY FOLKS

  • Otto

    You chowderheads crack me up! Complaining about physical play; ha!. Wasn’t part of the Celts game plan to beat up and bang on Dwight? It worked for the first couple of games but now that the shoe is on the other foot, you’re complaining? I’ll agree on one thing; the officiating does suck! The only difference is that the calls are going the Magics’ way for a change! That being said, “Go Sox”!

  • http://bing.com Randy Christian

    There is a difference in allowing tough physical play and blatant bais from the league and referees in dealing with their new faces of the NBA (Lebron and Dwight). Even the most casual fan can see there are far too many plays where Dwight’s inadvertent elbows hit players around the head that never result in the personal fouls that are levied against other post players. I do not need some playoff expert or a Magic fan to explain how playoff basketball should be played.

  • Magic Fan

    Yeah ya do, Randy… You need it… You need it bad…
    By the way thanks for the shout-out, thought I’d return the favor.

  • Dwight Howard is Overrated

    The only difference between the Celtics and Magic is that when the C’s play physical against Howard, the refs call the fouls. When Howard is physical, they seem to “miss” the calls. Only in the NBA is it socially acceptable to have the refs directly alter the outcomes of games just to entend a series. Perkins’ first technical foul is a joke and so was the second one. The refs wanted the only player in the league who can keep Howard in check out of the game.

  • Celts-Sox

    My frustration mainly comes from the fact that Perkins and Wallace spend the game in foul trouble while Howard never has to sit with foul trouble (except for game 2) for playing the same game. In the play Perk ended up getting ejected on, Howard barrelled into the lane and elbowed Perkins in the chest to get position. No foul was called. Perkins then bodies him up to play defense and gets called for incidental contact. I’m not necessarily saying call a ton of fouls on Howard, but let Perk and Wallace bump him down low without fouls if you are going to let Howard use his elbows and check people to get position. Just keep the game consistent. Not to mention the players never get into the flow of the game when the refs are so inconsistent throughout.

  • Mike

    OK, let’s call it what it is, dirty play as opposed to physical play. You don’t hit that many people with elbows accidentally. There is a total intent to injure going on with Howard. I haven’t seen anything like this since Mc Filthy & Mc Nasty plaeyed in Detroit. It wasn’t until Parrish finally said ENOUGH and put the hammer on Laimbeer that things got straightened out.

  • Eric

    the issue isnt that the Celtics arent hitting Howard too, its that he doesnt get called for his hits! we bump him off the block, foul…he drives his shoulders and elbows through us, no call. Its fine that the celtics get called, they are fouling, but Howard is fouling too and is NOT being called. And the double technicals as an easy way our for the refs is BS, they need to man up and regulate the game without causing players to be ejected for no reason.

  • Ed G

    Howard is not Superman. He Plays more like the Incredible Hulk. Garnett, Perkins and Davis in the head that’s not an accident. He’s a physical Player (borderline Dirty).

  • Steve

    Officiating was horrendous.
    Magic brought it to the Celts 2nd game in a row.
    What bothers me is not that Dwight was especially dirty, he was a bruiser…it was that the refs ignored any call against him, while calling phantom calls against the Celts.

    Yes the first few games the Celts were very physical…AND GOT FOULS CALLED ON THEM for their play.

    The Refs decided this game to let Dwight play brutally physical, but the Celts wee called if they got too close to a Magic player never mind actually commiting a foul

    If they say “It’s playoff basketball, let the boys play”, then keep the calls the same for both sides.

    Tell you what did scare me about this game was Orlando shot the lights out from outside

  • scott

    you know my problem is when howard drives his shoulder threw perkins chest on the block and perk gets the foul. thats bs. perk does his fair amount of fouls but you have to call it the same on both sides, and they dont even come close. the one thing i will say is if the magic pull this out they can credit it to the punishment howards dealt out to all the celtices. from smashing them with elbows to throwing pierce and rondo to the floor at the end of plays. more power to ya if you can get away with it.

  • Frank

    In the old days, we knew how to handle dirty players…
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7r6vXeOfyQ
    Kevin McHale Clotheslines Kurt Rambis

  • aidan ankarberg

    what else would you expect from a bunch of inner city moon crickets?

  • Kerrie

    If there’s no intent to injure, then he wouldn’t be flailing his elbows all over the place trying to get in a cheap shot after a rebound, or knocking people down after a foul call. That’s more than playing physical. That’s playing a little dirty. I’m sick of the ticky tack body contact fouls on Perk. The foul right before his second tech. wasn’t even a foul. Howard didn’t even think it was a foul, cause he started running back to play D. Sheed does foul a lot, but there were plenty of times where Howard was holding Sheed & Sheed was whistled for the foul. WTF is that? The NBA has the worst officiating in sports. Foul calls are so inconsistent. The last 2 games, the Magic had all the calls going their way. Lets hope we get all these call tomorrow night.

  • santos

    howard can play as physical as he wants!but the nba,s gotta let perk do the same,instead of flagging him for looking at them!

  • Howard is Dirty

    Howard is dirty! What will it take, someone to be killed by one of Howards elbows, or follow throughs? He already knocked Glen Davis’ teeth out, giving him a concussion, leaving one less player for the Celtics, and he may not play in the next game. Then Van Gundy compares foul calls. If you make a compilation of all of the fouls that the Celtics put on Howard then they would be nothing compared to what Howards’ fouls look like on Perk, KG, and Pierce. The NBA is so concerned with public image, what are you teaching the young kids these days, as long as your a NBA super star your almost untouchable. Yes, basketball is a physical game, but Howard takes a lot of flagrant cheap shots. Howard should be suspended, he should probably play football instead, he’ll feel right home. That had to be the worst officiated game I ever saw, especially in an eastern final game five playoff game. These refs should be fired, both techs on Perk were total jokes. I can’t believe the NBA didn’t take both techs away, just kidding, I do believe it. Seriously though if these refs continue to be this bad then I think the NBA has no right to fine any player or coach for comments that they have on some refs, and fans can’t count on a fair game, and will lose interest. Perk was ejected on two bogus techs leaving the Celtics without their best defender on Howard, hmmmmmmm. If the Magic end up winning the series it wont be just on their own merit, it’ll be with the help of incompetent refs, and the greedy NBA, “where caring matters”.

  • Townie47

    I think Howard is a great player and if he were on the Celtics I would like him even more, but as stated above several times he (as other stars) gets too many “calls” for being one of the faces of the NBA. I teach my players to use their elbows, especially on rebounding, but you have to step with a pivot foot and move your elbows. If you just swing your elbows flat-footed you get a foul called and you would deserve it. Every year the NBA is accused of “influencing” games to get the match-up they desire- – and I agree that it happens and if you look objectively you can see it. Joey Crawford is a clown and is one of the guys they want in there to do their bidding. Take it home Celts!! Let’s GO SOX and does football start soon??

  • otto

    Hey Celts fans; quit your crying. It’s pathetic! The Celts are on the verge of a Bruins like collapse!

  • Howard is Dirty

    That’s all you got Otto, that’s because you have nothing else. If you don’t see how the refs have a big part in the outcome of the games then you don’t know the game. I heard channel 5 had put together Howards greatest hits, you should check it out.

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    This web site is really a stroll-through for all the info you wanted about this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse here, and also you’ll positively discover it.

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