Did Brendan Haywood Give Dwight Howard a Cheap Shot in the Lower Back?

Tough to tell if Haywood hit him with something, but wait for Howard to go back to the bench, and watch how he explains to a teammate what happened. Howard missed Sunday’s game against Denver with a lower back injury, which Stan Van Gundy attributed to Haywood’s cheap shot.

Said Stan Van Gundy: “Haywood just punched him literally with a closed fist right in the back. So (Howard) got through the game because he was loose, but then it really tightened up.”

Countered Haywood (notice: There’s no denial): “Man, I don’t know what’s wrong with Stan. Stan’s going to say what Stan wants to say. We don’t gotta play them no more. The game’s over with. I think Dwight caught me with more shots than I caught him. He’s the most physical player in the league. So it is what it is. Stan made his comment. I haven’t got a call from anybody (in the league office), so I guess nobody’s listening.”