Did you see DH throw an elbow to Dalembert's yesterday? Shades of Karl "elbows" Malone. Cheap shot, and Howard should be watching the next game on TV.
1 game suspension. Oh well the Magic have home court and will be in Orlando for game 7. If they would have lost game 5, they'd be in deep shit. Even with Howard, I don't think they would have won in Philly anyways.
Philly is not good enough to guarantee a win at home against anybody, and any chance you get to close out a series, you have to try and take advantage. Howard deserved the suspension. The thing is he may have got his message across at the same time. Sometimes that is more important.
It depends. I saw both plays, and the Howard Elbow was much more "Intentional". The Rondo foul was nasty, but watching it there was much more intent on making a legitimate basketball play as compared to trying to tear somebodies head off with an elbow strike while the ball was being inbounded.
I can't believe they didn't call that a flagrant foul. I don't care when in the game that was, a foul is a foul. Miller was clearly not focusing even a minute after that blow. Chicago got fucked.
If the league office changes it to a flagrant, they have to replay at least the second Miller free throw, correct? Because if they change the call to a flagrant, than it is Chicago with two shots and the ball. They might cede Miller missed the first free throw legitimately. But if it is called flagrant, then Miller would have been trying to make the second free throw, instead of purposely missing. And of course Bulls would have the ball back. And then again, you really do have to give the Bulls back both free throws, even if you force Miller to take them himself in the replay, because in the actual game, Miller was in an injured state where he should have been taken out of the game. But with it only being called a personal foul, Doc Rivers would have gotten to send Aaron Gray in the game to shoot free throws. If it was properly called, Del Negro could have brought Tyrus Thomas in for Miller, and then sent Gordon to the line, who would have likely made both free throws, and Bulls would either win on the last posession, or the game would go into double OT. So much for the NBA not wanting refs to decide the outcome of games....
At the same time, I can look all through the years, and look at teams that competed for titles, and almost everyone has guys that are willing to do dirty work on their team. There are many nights I wish Portland had at least one or two nasty streak type players who would come in and put somebody on their back when it was needed. Von Wafer irritating you? Put him on his back. Aaron Brooks coming down the lane untouched by Blake? Put him on his back. Opposing team fouling our guys hard? Foul their important players hard and see if it keeps up.
Samuel Dalembert gets hit in the back of the head. Brad Miller gets smacked in the face. Which is worse? Obviously the one that sent a tooth through a guys lip, causing him to spit up blood all over the court, and to have to get stitches afterward. Rondo didn't make anything that could be considered a basketball play. His arm was 3+ feet away from the ball. He just took a cheapshot at Miller's face.
[video=youtube;r6JpEx_CqOc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6JpEx_CqOc[/URL][URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6JpEx_CqOc[/video] Start 36 seconds in. I don't know how anyone with a brain can say that Rondo wasn't going for the ball.
