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The Weekside: Dwight Howard and the search for a villain

By Jared Wade

May 23, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) reacts while speaking to the media after the game against the Golden State Warriors in game three of the Western Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
May 23, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) reacts while speaking to the media after the game against the Golden State Warriors in game three of the Western Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Vaudeville’s Villain

Al Horford got ejected last night in the Hawks’ Game 3 overtime loss to the Cavaliers. Other than LeBron turning an 0-for-10 shooting start during the first 14 minutes into a 37/18/13 stat line, this was the marquee story of the night.

The Hawks center is normally a polite, mild-mannered chap — a gentle giant, if you will — so it was against character to see him drop what Deadspin called a People’s Elbow on Matt Dellavedova.

It was tough to determine Horford’s intent in real time and arguably even tougher in slow-mo. But especially given Al’s reputation, the overwhelming consensus I saw on NBA Twitter (and these former players) is that he should not have been ejected.

It’s tough to say. He clearly went after Delly, and his post-game comments indicate that he knew why he was doing it. Horford admitted he “shouldn’t have got caught up in that” and twice noted that Dellavedova has “gotta learn” to stay away from people’s legs.

If I was judge, jury, and executioner, I would have slapped Horford with a flagrant but not kicked him out of game that was a last-ditch effort for the Hawks to salvage their season. The NBA, through official Ken Mauer, reiterated that Horford was tossed because he made contact “to the shoulder and head area of Dellavedova.”

It turned into a good game that Atlanta could have won anyway, so the ruling wasn’t the whole difference in this overtime affair.

Thus, more than focusing on an aggrieved team whose chance to redeem itself was ruined by refs (and because both Conference Finals are now 3-0 and there is nothing else to discuss), the NBA question of the day is ask whether or not Dellavedova is a dirty player.

He put Taj Gibson into a leg lock in round one, seemed to extend the contact with Horford in a dangerous way last night, and injured Kyle Korver (obviously by accident, to me) in Game 2.

As with Dwight Howard, he is an easy guy to dislike.

I honestly have no opinion on whether or not he is dirty — that a morality argument I’ve never cared for no matter the player. But it does now appear that Delly is the heir apparent to The Machine, and that’s nice to have in our lives.

I wouldn’t call Sasha Vujacic dirty so that’s not the similarity. But they are both foreign-born, scrappy, shooting-specialist agitators who are improbably generating attention for themselves while playing next to the league’s best player despite looking more like a dude you would see on the elliptical at Planet Fitness than someone who should be hitting 3s in the NBA Finals.

Every story needs a villain.

Some ad wizards out there are trying to cast Draymond Green in that role, but it doesn’t fit. He’s a talkative, lovable jokester with an everyman game even if his edges are a bit rough for the average Sportscenter viewer. Plus, the Warriors are too fun to watch for any of their players to wear the black hat.

No. Draymond won’t do.

So here we have it, America.

Here is our foreigner with questionable sportsmanship. It’s perfect. And even if nothing comes of Delly’s leg-hunting ways in the Finals, at least we’ll have something to debate.

Lord knows the series itself won’t be competitive.

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