[thepostman]

I know there aren't a lot of NBA fans on here, but I just wanted to ask you all a question about Dwight Howard.

I am an Orlando Magic fan, always have been growing up in Orlando...

It is pretty clear that the Celtics are the better team and all of that...but what has come out of this series is a lot of talk out of Boston that Dwight Howard is a dirty player...simply because some Celtic players have gotten hurt by him...

I view it as Howard rebound the ball, getting the ball up and turning to look for an outlet pass just as you are taught and there is incidental contact....yet if you listen to Celtic fans you would think he was head hunting with his elbows...

Now is it me simply being blind or am I correct to say these fans are crazy??

[Sly Fox]

How about a little of both ... his elbow-swinging is well documented. It is primarily an aspect of his hustle but it is dangerous when you are his size. Calling him dirty is pushing it. I think the worst I would tag him with is reckless.

[SuperJon]

I don't think he's dirty but I think, like many players in the NBA, he takes his cheap shots when he can. He'll throw a player down on a hard foul, swing an elbow at times, and that type of stuff but pretty much everyone in the league does that at one point or another.

[thepostman]

well yeah, i completely agree with that jon, but the way the Celtic fans have been crying about howard the past week you would've thought he was the dirtiest player ever...if anybody on the magic is a dirty player it is matt barnes, and he pretty much admits that anyways, haha

[flamesbball84]

howard is pretty close to "dirty" territory with those elbows he throws with no regard for anyone's safety, only thing that prevents him from dirty territory is that he doesn't make an intentional effort to hurt a player, and sometimes some of the cheap shots he throws makes you wonder even then.

[JK37]

Celtic fans have been crying

That's nothing new.

howard is pretty close to "dirty" territory with those elbows he throws with no regard for anyone's safety, only thing that prevents him from dirty territory is that he doesn't make an intentional effort to hurt a player, and sometimes some of the cheap shots he throws makes you wonder even then.

Gee, I'm sure this wouldn't have anything to do with your blind allegiance to the school where Boston's starting point guard played his college ball, right?

Predictable...

[thepostman]

howard is pretty close to "dirty" territory with those elbows he throws with no regard for anyone's safety, only thing that prevents him from dirty territory is that he doesn't make an intentional effort to hurt a player, and sometimes some of the cheap shots he throws makes you wonder even then.

intentionally trying to hurt or be chippy is one thing, being aggressive is another...its a fine line, but is just crazy how one week howard can go from being too soft to all of a sudden being dirty...garnett has a past of doing similar things, yet celtic fans think he's an angel...and love the guy...the hypocrisy here is just ridiculous...

howard can't win...he's either too soft or if he plays the way people say he should its being dirty...just doesn't make sense...

[flamesbball84]

Celtic fans have been crying

That's nothing new.

howard is pretty close to "dirty" territory with those elbows he throws with no regard for anyone's safety, only thing that prevents him from dirty territory is that he doesn't make an intentional effort to hurt a player, and sometimes some of the cheap shots he throws makes you wonder even then.

Gee, I'm sure this wouldn't have anything to do with your blind allegiance to the school where Boston's starting point guard played his college ball, right?

Predictable...

So how's that pertain to the elbows Howard throws on Pierce, Garnett, Perkins, Big Baby, and the rest of the NBA, which by the way well over 90% of the players in the league didn't even go to Kentucky, if you'd do your research.

- Howard dirty elbow on Dalembert, one in which he got suspended for

- Another elbow to Lebron

Blatant intentional shot to Garnett's face

- follows through on the foul and pulls Perkins to the ground

[thepostman]

Celtic fans have been crying

That's nothing new.

howard is pretty close to "dirty" territory with those elbows he throws with no regard for anyone's safety, only thing that prevents him from dirty territory is that he doesn't make an intentional effort to hurt a player, and sometimes some of the cheap shots he throws makes you wonder even then.

Gee, I'm sure this wouldn't have anything to do with your blind allegiance to the school where Boston's starting point guard played his college ball, right?

Predictable...

So how's that pertain to the elbows Howard throws on Pierce, Garnett, Perkins, Big Baby, and the rest of the NBA, which by the way well over 90% of the players in the league didn't even go to Kentucky, if you'd do your research.

or they elbows that hit both jameer and courtney lee last season...oh wait they are his team mates...clearly he is dirty

[flamesbball84]

here's a good collection of some of his recent cheap shots
http://www.sawxblog.com/2010/05/video-o ... inals.html

[thepostman]

here's a good collection of some of his recent cheap shots
http://www.sawxblog.com/2010/05/video-o ... inals.html

clip 1, more of a flop

clip 2, i can see why people could call that dirty, but it was PP and he does the same crap too...but yes i can see how people could call that dirty

clip 3 hard foul on a big guy...that is what you are taught to do, don't give up anything easy

clip 4 he was trying to get garnett off of him, looked like incidental contact...but again I could see how people would think that...but as the clip says garnett is someone dwight looked up to and it was classic KG...

clip 5 thats a joke...completely incidental...

clip 6...ok, that was the only one out of all these clips that was clearly intentional...he was retaliating for Dalembert hanging off of him, but that doesn't make it right

with that said, please explain to me how this is any different then what every other dominant post player has done in nba history...that is the real question...

its comical the Celtic fans are crying about howard, yet they are probably the most physical, cheap shot team in the league....thats their rep which is why howard and the magic had to step up their physical play in this series...

again I am a Magic fan and I know I see things one-sided...but I just can not quite understand how howard is any different then any other dominant big man that has played in the league...