Dwight Howard gets ejected for hanging on the rim (Video)

Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard gets ejected for second technical foul of the game against the Boston Celtics for hanging on the rim after a dunk.

Things were getting very physical in the Atlanta Hawks’ road game against the Boston Celtics on Monday night. These two Eastern Conference rivals have had a testy relationship over the years and don’t particularly like each other.

After getting a technical foul for shoving Celtics center Al Horford, Hawks center Dwight Howard was assessed a second technical foul for hanging on the rim. This resulted in his immediate ejection from the game.

The officials at the TD Garden did not think too highly of Howard’s lackluster chin up on said rim. They didn’t think twice about removing the disgruntled Hawks center from the game. Did it merit a technical foul though?

It did come across as a bit petty. Howard totally deserved his first technical for shoving Horford after a hard foul at the basketball. However, wouldn’t it have been better to see Howard continue to battle with Horford in the low post all night?

Horford left Atlanta after nine seasons to join the Hawks’ biggest rival in free agency. Howard, an Atlanta native, joined Atlanta in unrestricted from the Houston Rockets on a three-year deal of his own.

Should Howard have hung on the rim and tried to do a chin-up? Probably not, as it resulted in his ejection. Tensions are high in this rivalry game and Howard’s ejection may negatively impact the Hawks’ chances to steal a big game on the road.

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Boston is currently the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta finds itself in fifth place. Both of these teams are riding a little bit of a losing streak. What better time for a win than against a team you don’t care much for at all?