Although better known for his wide smile and jovial manner, Howard's on-court temper has him bordering on serious trouble as he leads the Orlando Magic deep into the playoffs.
Howard received his fifth technical foul in the playoffs Sunday night, leaving him just two away from an automatic one-game suspension. The technical count would follow him all the way through the NBA Finals if the Magic make it.
The Magic lead the Cavaliers 2-1 in the Eastern Conference finals.
"Yes, we've talked with Dwight about it. He is at a level now where we certainly don't need to be playing without him for a game," said Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy. "He needs to be careful. This is not good. It's something he should have been able to avoid."
Howard got his technical Sunday with 2:50 remaining in the third quarter, seconds after receiving his fourth personal foul. Howard spent the entire game in foul trouble. As he was walking back to the Magic bench, he turned and said something to those on the Cleveland bench. He was standing next to official Joey Crawford when he spouted off.
"Pat [Ewing, Magic assistant coach] tells me every day, to stay focused, but all it takes is one little incident. I'm going to do my best to stay away from any more problems [technicals]," Howard said. "I'm not going to get into it with the referees anymore."
Howard has been in foul trouble throughout this series, and throughout the playoffs. In 15 playoff games, he now has 66 personal fouls, which has added to his frustration level.
He already served one, one-game suspension in the first round of the playoffs, Game 6 against Philadelphia for throwing an elbow that hit Sixers center Samuel Dalembert.
"I'm not going to let down my team, my city," he said. "I'm not going to let anything like this get in the way of our goal, and that's to win an NBA championship."
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