I thought I saw a thread here for this, but I can't find it. If so, lock this up and accept my humble apology, I did try to find it. After Dwight got the first tech during game 4, which seemed pretty ridiculous, Howard was apparently fined 15k for making contact above the shoulders with Los Angeles Clippers forward Matt Barnes, it was announced Monday by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations. Now, what I wanna know is, how many of their team is going to get fouled for all that "above the shoulder" contact on him in game 5 last night? There were at least 2 hard fouls in said area. Honestly, I could hardly see the foul on Barnes in the game 4 clip at the link, and it looked like a rebound to me, straight up and straight down.... but somehow we got a foul, a tech, and a 15k fine. But when it happens to him? Worse? Nothing? I get sick of the way he gets officiated... no wonder the dude gets frustrated. Nevermind Barnes should have gotten the tech for rolling up on him after the foul on the play in game 4 and talking trash right in front of the ref, but it amazes me the things they are getting away with and for which we are punished.
I wonder if the Clippers and the Mavericks have a process of always reporting missed and questionable calls into the league during the playoff. I don't think the Rockets have anything like that and I hope they do. The way Howard (and even Jones) is called for these flagrant fouls vs the non flagrant against Howard is ridiculous. I still remember the flagrant against Howard for a "hard" slap on the ball against Dirk and the non-flagrant against Howard when his head was hit. I always assumed hitting the head is always a flagrant 1, until after that was called a regular foul.
i watched the video a couple of time and don't see the contact above the shoulder. Must be missing something.
I don't care so much about the fines, or even the calls really so much, except how they take us out of our game, forcing you either to sit the bench ,or to play complacently. When those things happen to us so easily, but it goes completely unnoticed when its done to us, it's pretty irritating and appears borderline deliberate.
Yeah, me too, but there were a couple against him in game 5 that were CLEARLY above the shoulder, replayed etc. with Reggie (My how I am sick of him and his sidekick doing our games, thrilled every time clippers do anything, playing them up all the time) downplaying the contact. To his defense (I think I threw up in my mouth a little) he did think Barnes should have gotten a tech for his reaction to the play in game 4.
I'm still confused on why Big Baby's tackle on Dwight was only ruled a common foul. Perhaps I didn't see it close enough, but that looked to me more like a football play than a basketball play. Still, I'll take it as long as Jordan gets in foul trouble early and is forced to sit.
It was a different play where Howard ran up and clothesline Barnes pretty much and it was deserved of a fine. http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nba_tv/2015/05/11/20150515-dwight-howard-hou.nba/
Did people talk about Dwight shoving the refs hand away in g4? I'm surprised that didn't get more attention during the broadcast. A more sensitive ref may have thrown him out.
Big Baby wrestled Dwight to the ground and was ruled a common foul. Barnes also jumped and pulled Dwight down but both landed on their feet. Dwight gets hammered because he's bigger and stronger. Defenses are allowed to do wrestling moves on him because he doesn't go down and cry in pain like other superstars would.
If that was Crawford he'd have been thrown out no doubt. Fortunately, it was a ref who understood the game isn't about the refs.
I see Dwight pushing the ref's hands out of the way a few times. Being fined, ex-post and not immediately thrown out or suspended, after the fact, reads as closer to the side of luck/fortune than anything else. You shove the ref's hands away like that on multiple occasions and you get fined less than .1% of your salary means the less we discuss this the better.
Not like I didn't post the video that accompanied the article, funny guy... but point taken that the hit occurred just before the given footage. Props to Khandum, you not so much. As for the rest of it, maybe you could address the hard fouls from last night I'm talking about and whether they too deserve a fine, rather than bringing up other stuff. I too was a bit concerned he might be suspended for a game after the frustration contact with the ref...another point entirely. Still, in my opinion, he gets played pretty hard, penalized somewhat easily at times, and rightfully frustrated (thus to your points about his frustration upon leaving the game contact with the ref, etc.)... though I also admit he dishes it out to where he is able.
Still can't believe they don't call the first foul on Barnes and just waited for Dwight to retaliate.
Ah, so the NBA posted the wrong video. Yea, that was a smack right into the head and deserving of a fine. Howard needs to learn to stay cool or retaliate in not as obvious ways. Need him to stay out of foul trouble. Also, he should learn to fall down in that instance so the ref call the foul. Can't believe I said it, but that was clearly a foul on Barnes smacking right into Howard and extending his arm and if the Ref isn't calling it, you got to do something about it yourself, including flopping. Or just take it and continue playing. Keep your cool.
You would think the NBA would be a little more strict than this on Matt Barnes. Barnes doing that blatant hit/push on a screen is what caused the melee between the Rockets and Suns several years ago. [youtube]MAx5gtnp9FU[/youtube]
Barnes wanted no part of Alston, he looked scared, Alston was in his face and daring him to do anything and he didn't try anything. Thanks for that video, totally missed how Dwight hit him in the face, I actually like that one. Too bad he got taken out of the game mentally because of it.
