Superman May Have an Impulse Control Problem

It appears a fan in Dallas may have already gotten under the skin of Dwight Howard.

In a 123-120 loss to the Mavericks, Howard picked up a technical foul late in the fourth quarter after tossing the ball into the stands at a fan. This was by no means a malicious act. The toss itself was rather benign. However, it's odd that Dwight would choose this course of action.

The rule is not ambiguous in any way. If a player throws the ball into the stands, the referee is going to dispense a technical foul every single time. It's akin to a football player removing his helmet on the field. It's an automatic flag.

I have to assume Howard is well aware of this rule and was simply caught up in the moment.

But why this particular fan?

Of all the verbal abuse Howard must surely endure in NBA cities near and far, what exactly was so unique about this cat?

Perhaps he just wanted to get that dude more involved in the offense. The fan may have been riding a hot hand and wanted the ball.

Then again, perhaps not.

The fan in question appeared to be chewing on Dwight pretty good and had likely been wearing him out the entire game. I'm of the opinion that when fans pay to attend a sporting event, they can talk as much as they like, within reason. But this dude seemed like a vicious little bastard. When Howard gently tossed the ball at him, he actually attempted to swat the ball back at him. Then he continued the jawing.

Golly, what a swell guy. Maybe he was channeling a Taco Bell commercial.

Of course, we weren't privy to the endless discourse that no doubt took place between Howard and this Mavericks enthusiast throughout the game. But Dwight should probably be more focused on his job all the same. Actually, he did put up a monster line in the loss, going off for 33 points and 11 boards on 12 of 16 shooting. Howard was even competent from the foul line, putting in nine out of 13 attempts.

However, despite the Man of Steel’s best efforts, the Rockets were outscored 36-19 in the fourth quarter and lost the game.

So, you know Dwight, good game and all. But maybe we should devote some time to these impulse control issues.