"I really don't know what a flagrant foul is anymore." – Jeff Van Gundy, after Dwight Howard's foul on Andre Iguodala pic.twitter.com/qAJiXfbCxC
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 28, 2015
The NBA upgraded Dwight Howard’s common foul/forearm-to-the-throat of Andre Iguodala during Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals to a flagrant foul 1.
Looking at the play, it’s hard to argue with the upgraded foul call. Per NBA rules and regulations, a flagrant foul occurs when there is any “unnecessary contact committed by a player against an opponent.”
In case it wasn’t abundantly clear, this is unnecessary contact:
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With the newly awarded flagrant, Howard also accumulated his fourth flagrant foul point of the postseason. Amusingly enough, that means that Howard will automatically be suspended for the first game in which he is eligible to play next season.
HOU's D. Howard has common foul upgraded to Flagrant 1 (WCF Game 5, 3:35/qtr 4), suspended one game to open 2015-16 regular season.
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) May 29, 2015
Granted, a single game suspension at the start of the regular season is barely a slap on the wrist. All that means is that James Harden will have to single-handedly carry the Rockets for one game and that’s something that Houston is used to anyways.
