Dwight Howard invites heckling fan to ‘come out here’ during Game 4 loss
Dwight Howard seemed to be spoiling for a fight from just about the second he took the court on Sunday night, getting physical with multiple Los Angeles Clippers in an apparent attempt to show that the Houston Rockets wouldn’t be outmuscled or intimidated in Game 4 at Staples Center. The approach backfired, as Howard picked up two personal fouls and a technical in the first three minutes and 40 seconds of game time, and spent the night battling both foul trouble and Clipper physicality. He finished a team-worst -28 in 18 1/2 minutes of floor time before foulng out of/getting ejected from the Rockets’ second straight blowout loss, which left Houston one loss away from elimination.
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It was a frustrating night for Howard, who starred for the Rockets in their Round 1 beatdown of the Dallas Mavericks, only to find himself recast in the role of Dallas defensive centerpiece Tyson Chandler in this series, struggling to protect the paint against a swarming Clippers crew that’s overwhelming Houston’s perimeter defense on seemingly every trip that hasn’t been short-circuited by an intentional foul. He allowed that frustration to boil over during a stoppage in play on Sunday, in a brief chat with a hecking Clippers fan:
Dwight’s been known to engage with heckling fans in the past, but all things considered, this was considerably calmer and more measured than it could have been. It’s got to stink to have people making fun of you for playing poorly while your team’s in the midst of getting crushed; simply saying “come out here” is an awful lot nicer than, say, literally anything Matt Barnes has ever said or ever will say.
Whether the league office agrees and lets this particular bit of back-and-forth slide remains to be seen. After fining both Barnes and Joakim Noah for stepping over the fan-interaction line this week, Howard’s comparatively tame banter could get swept up in a broader push encouraging players to stop engaging, period. Come what may, let’s just be glad that this didn’t happen in Cleveland. Cats need no invitation to jump on the floor there.
Whatever comes of Howard’s back-and-forth, though, this doesn’t seem like an especially good look for him. The Clippers — Barnes in particular — have pulled his card time and again in this series, getting rough with Howard both verbally and physically to get him off his game. Seeing Dwight respond more strongly to a fan in the stands than to the opponent on the floor sure seems like an indication that the Clippers are accomplishing their goal.
Hat-tip to Stephen Douglas at The Big Lead.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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