Dwight Howard/LBJ and Officiating

by derekk on May 30, 2009 7:56 PM EDT

Ok, two things first.

I fully expect the Magic to win the series against the Cavaliers tonight or Monday night at the Q. If the Cavaliers win the series, they are the better team.. for now.

There is no corporate/NBAratings ref officiating conspiracy. Just inconsistent reff'ing throughout the games and unfair calls, whether missed or misinterpretted by the refs. They are people and they try their best. My best theory is that they are blinded by LBJ's legitimate Legendary skills and thus most calls are indeed most (or all) likely in LBJ's favor. And given that Dwight is no pretty offensive powerhouse at times (for now..), they feel more free to call it on him. Now to make it worse for the officiating refs, both Dwight and LBJ are total whine babies way too often with the reff'ing and need to both take it down a notch or altogether stop it.

But here's where I finally get to the mainpiece of this fanpost which this NBA.com Rob Peterson http://my.nba.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5700037939 points out.

We have another fanpost on TQC http://www.thirdquartercollapse.com/2009/5/29/892767/188 that looks at LBJ's amazing rate of FTAs with even less playoff games than the others in NBA history. But thats not EVEN the big problem when concerning the Magic and Dwight Howard.

Its that Dwight Howard as quoted by SVG on the same date as this fanpost (saturday, before game 6 of magic-cavaliers)- "I don't think there's a player at his level in the history of the league who has been called for as many fouls," Van Gundy said. "He's fouled out four times in 31, 32 or whatever it is playoff games (editor's note: it's 31) and Tim Duncan has fouled out six times in a 190 playoffs games."

[Further taken from Rob Peterson's article, ]

Actually, Duncan has only fouled out of four of his 160 postseason games, which is amazing in itself. Shaquille O'Neal has fouled out of 11 of his 201 postseason games!

By comparison, Howard has already fouled out of three of the five games this series!

"He doesn't get the benefit of any call," Van Gundy said. "Anything close is a foul. For them it's good strategy because right now, any contact, straight up-and-down or not, it's a foul."

This FanPost was made by a member of the Orlando Pinstriped Post community, and is to be treated as the opinions and views of its author, not that of the blogger or blog community as a whole.

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I missed another point in my Fanpost.

This is not the defensively aggressive Dwight Howard either, who has gotten 20+ rebounds and 3+ blocks in other games and playoffs games. He barely hit 10 rebounds in the last (fouled out) game 5 :(

by derekk on May 30, 2009 8:04 PM EDT reply actions

Tonight will be different. (I hope)

The Surfdog

by Surfdog on May 30, 2009 8:11 PM EDT up reply actions

In all fairness...

I wouldn’t be surprised if Dwight was more foul-prone than a lot of players at his level. I feel like, to make comparisons, you’d have to look at other centers with a primarily physical-based game — how many games did Shaq foul out of? (Though Shaq’s a completely different matter.) How many games did Ewing foul out of? Duncan plays a very restrained game ~~- I’m not calling Dwight clumsy or violent, just saying there’s a lot more moving around in Dwight’s game, and moving around -~~→ getting called for fouls, as often as not..

Then you have to look at the era, which makes it a lot easier for post defenders to rack up fouls. Not saying Dwight has or hasn’t been treated fairly by the refs, just saying I wouldn’t rush to judgment.

Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.

by 3.3seconds on May 31, 2009 3:24 AM EDT reply actions

If you look at the replays a lot of those fouls weren't playoff fouls.

In the playoffs they ordinarily don’t call those type of fouls. You didn’t see him fouling out of games in the regular season. IMO. they have been calling a lot of ticky tacky fouls on him. Evidence last night the refs must have got the WORD. Let him play and he DOMINATED.

The Surfdog

by Surfdog on May 31, 2009 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions

50 percent that,and 50 pct he had a craaaazy night. hopefully he has some more of it where that came from

by Dzogi on May 31, 2009 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Amen.

The Surfdog

by Surfdog on May 31, 2009 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions

If the Magic want to beat the Lakers, Dwight needs to be at his best.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on May 31, 2009 5:14 PM EDT up reply actions

i don't want to be mr. negative or anything,

but do you think that dwight can keep it up on last night’s level for a few more consecutive games?

by Dzogi on May 31, 2009 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Depends on how the Lakers decide to defend him.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on May 31, 2009 7:51 PM EDT up reply actions

He doesn't have to.

A 26/13 effort from him would be great. Also great: a 16/17 average, like he had in Boston. It all begins with the one question: how are the Lakers going to defend the Magic? I wouldn’t be surprised if Dwight took a back seat on offense again — the Lakers’ post defense is better than their perimeter D, and the perimeter was where we beat them in the regular season.

Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.

by 3.3seconds on Jun 1, 2009 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Dwight can't take a back seat in the offense. Not if the Magic want to win the series.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Jun 1, 2009 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Its happening again...

And i reiterate its not the fouls we are giving to Kobe and the Lakers. I could care less about how often they shoot FTs, but Dwight is fouling at about the same rate as utterly foul prone Andrew Bynum whos not even in tip-top game shape yet from injuries.. I mean… Hello…. Thats something LA would want every single game. Howard is getting FEW rebounds and blocks and is tentative on top of it. Its getting to the point where Dwight has to go all out on defense, whatever he’s going to do, do it quickly than hold-and-wait, go for rebounds and blocks, try not to foul obviously, but we need full effort. He did that after another stupidly officiated foul-prone game against Boston, and was a MONSTER. Let the cards fall where they may be, he cant play diminished because of fouls at all.

by derekk on Jun 6, 2009 6:37 PM EDT reply actions