File this post under the "In Case You Missed It" folder. Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com' fantastic TrueHoop basketball blog, makes the point that all flagrant fouls are subject to league review. Within this post, he outlines how a Dwight Howard suspension is possible (though unlikely). He also cites the elbow to Samuel Dalembert during the 2009 Eastern Conference playoffs that sidelined Howard for one game. Is the clothesline to Paul Pierce worse? Check out the aforementioned link and think about it.
Dwight Howard at risk of suspension
Dwight Howard's flagrant foul in the second quarter was a blow to Paul Pierce's head. The league reviews all flagrant fouls and expects to come to a conclusion about that on Wednesday. Blows to the head in the past have often resulted in one game suspensions, including Howard himself for an incident against the Sixers last year. Orlando is down 2-0, and no matter what happens, Howard is going to have to be careful going forward. This was Howard's first flagrant of the postseason, so the flagrant 1 he got Tuesday night gives him his first "playoff flagrant point," as it were. If it's upgraded to a flagrant 2, that would count as two. As soon as Howard gets past three such points for the postseason, he'd be suspended for a game.
Howard Clotheslines Pierce:
Howard Elbows Dalembert: