Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy, who criticized his peers earlier in the playoffs because they were lobbying for calls, lashed out Saturday before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final at the way Dwight Howard has been treated by officials.Howard went into Saturday's game having fouled out four times in his 17 postseason games, covering three different series.
He also has a playoff-high 77 personal fouls.
"There's never been a big guy in the history of the league who has been called for as many fouls,'' Van Gundy said. "It's sort of amazing that he doesn't get the benefit of any calls. Anything close is a foul.''
Van Gundy has been particularly irked that Howard has been called for so many fouls against LeBron James. He has been called for 27 fouls in five previous games against Cleveland, and 15 of them were committed against James.
"The calls (fouls) on other great players have to be pretty clear,'' Van Gundy said. "LeBron had a couple of close ones on block/charge, and we're just not going to get that call. That seems to be the way it normally goes, but on Dwight, it's gone the other way.''
Van Gundy even had his staff go back and research the personal foul history of other All-Star big men in the league. Tim Duncan, for example, had played in 155 playoff games in his career going into this season, and he had fouled out of just four games.
Howard has been more tentative defensively in this series, and Van Gundy blames it on the way he is being officiated. Howard, the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, averaged a league-best 2.92 blocks per game during the season. He has only six blocked shots in five game in this series.
"It hasn't been easy for him from a defensive standpoint,'' Van Gundy said. "It's been a frustrating series for him in terms of fouls. He needs to do everything harder and better and just clear his mind.''
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-30-2009 @ 9:59PM
daveenlakwood said...
Mike Brown didnt make any adjustments.... he keeps doubling Howard....Mo Williams is not taking shots after guaranteeing a win.... both need to be shown the door after the season.... this is the same crap Mike Brown did in the finals against the Spurs.... coach of the year my assss.......... he looks like every other Cleveland Coach during the last 4 decades.... a loser! Lebrons teammates packed it in for vacation it's over
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5-30-2009 @ 11:09PM
hdattach said...
This is a good article. Finally someone in the media actually reported on what everyone has been saying all along. The NBA tried to fix the Games in which Lebron has played. Especially this series. There was no way Cleveland could compete with the Magic. They are a one man team. Dwight Howard is the most physically dominant player in the League. He's a monster.
It was just getting out of hand with the way the refs were trying to change the outcome of the games. It was ridicules and everyone who watched the games knew it. They were fixing games.
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5-30-2009 @ 11:22PM
rmikes said...
dwight howard is a monster and its about time these refs had the guts to call this mans fouls.I have NEVER seen so many elbows in my life! These refs are so worried about what some idiots think that they don't want to call this foul happy elbow slinging player's fouls! I hope he hurts somebody real bad so they have to call this monster's fouls! Only wimps see Dwight howard getting bad calls! Orlando has a better team but these officials need to watch dwight howard closer from now on. The better two teams are in. Now let's see if the refs call it closer on howard that he's playing KOBE! If not I really hope this monster hurts somebody!!!!!!!
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5-31-2009 @ 7:17AM
worthy said...
monster?? the only monster I seen from last series was lebron running over and on top of players and 95% of the time getting the block call what a joke, I hate hearing the announcer say how do you stop 6"8' 270lbs. The you see him run over a guy and get the call I guess if the game is called that way you can't stop him. I watched them alot the whole year the cavs got the calls all year trying to set this up, it just got to easy to spot in this big game good job to the officals, you didn't steal the game from the better team.
5-30-2009 @ 11:56PM
forlivingoutloud said...
I love how lebron left the floor before shaking hands with the other team... so much class for an mvp...... NOT!!!!!!!! What a poor loser...
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5-31-2009 @ 12:21AM
Bryan said...
Stan Van Gundy can't come out and lobby the refs after he criticizes other coaches for doing the same thing.
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5-31-2009 @ 9:37AM
hdattach said...
Without the Refs cheating for him, Lebron is just another Player. The level of competition is so high in the NBA, none of the players are really that much better, except for the really big strong guys like Dwight Howard, a Young Shaq or a Hakeem Olajuwon. Otherwise the refs pick who is the hero. The Same is true of Kobe. There are so many great 2 guards and small forwards in the league that the difference between them is almost nothing. The NBA picks who they think the Fans want to see and promotes them and makes them win using the refs.
It's all about selling t-shirts and other crap with the NBA Logo on it.
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