Dikembe Mutombo is somewhere shaking his head in disgust. After Trevor Ariza was called for a blocking foul last night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dwight Howard channeled his Houston Rockets paint-protecting predecessor by playfully waving his finger at the crowd.
No, Dwight. You don’t get it.
Mutombo’s finger-wag is iconic, and only meant to be performed after a big-time swat of an opposing player. You can’t pull it out to show displeasure with a questionable call.
Take notes:
Of course, Kevin McHale and company probably don’t care either way as long as Howard sustains his dominant defensive play of the season’s early going. Houston leads the league in defensive efficiency mostly thanks to Dwight protecting the paint and thwarting pick-and-rolls like he did in his Orlando Magic heyday. Should he keep this up, there’s every reason to believe that Howard can win his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award – and perhaps even emerge as a legitimate MVP candidate.
Come to think of it, perhaps Dwight was just waving a finger at all of his detractors?
(H/T r/nba)
What do you think?
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