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.”