MAGIC’S HOWARD SUSPENDED FOR GAME SIX

Apparently as interested as guaranteeing a game seven in the opening round series between Orlando and Philadelphia as in meting out justice, the NBA has suspended Magic superstar center Dwight Howard for tonight’s game six.  Howard swung an elbow at the head of the Sixers’ Sam Dalembert in Orlando’s game five victory on Tuesday night.

Video replay clearly showed Howard swinging his elbow at Dalembert’s head, though no contact was made.  At the time, the ref assessed a technical foul against Howard though did not eject him from the game.  Later in the contest, Howard caught Philly’s Courtney Lee with an inadvertent elbow strike that sent the rookie guard reeling.  Lee suffered a fractured sinus in the collision with the big man, rendering him unable to play in game six.  His status for the rest of the playoffs has yet to be determined.

The NBA’s executive VP of basketball operations, Stu Jackson, explained the rule and why Howard wasn’t ejected at the time of the infraction:

"They saw the elbow thrown but they couldn't determine whether or not the elbow actually made contact with Dalembert. This was an elbow that was thrown that made contact above the shoulders and by rule there's an automatic suspension."

According to Jackson, the contact was clearly evident on the video replay which mandated the automatic suspension.  The Sixers also lobbied hard for the suspension, both to the league office and in the media.  Team general manager Ed Stefanski tried to liken the elbow to a ‘sucker punch’ in a Philly area radio interview that included the following comment:

"The rule is obvious. I contacted the league immediately after the play. ... To me there's no difference than a punch. The rule states clearly if there's an elbow thrown to the head and there's contact, then the player should be ejected. The officials said that they didn't see contact and that's why they gave him a technical foul instead of an ejection. I have no idea what the league will do, but to me the rule is black and white, it's clear. What I saw was clear. I felt an elbow above the shoulders made contact on someone's head and it wasn't part of the play."

Howard will accompany his team to Philadelphia, but won’t be allowed in the building during the game.  Likely understanding that questioning the judgment of NBA officials is a no-win proposition, he was apologetic in his comments on the situation:

"I'm very disappointed but I have to respect the NBA's decision. I didn't intend to hurt anyone. I have complete faith in my teammates that they will come out and get the job done tomorrow night."

Orlando currently leads the best of seven series 3-2.  A potential game seven would be played on Saturday on the Magic’s Amway Arena home court.