Kevin Durant To Dwight Howard: "You're A Pussy"

I don't think you can really call what happened between the Thunder and Rockets last night a "basketball game," what with both teams shooting under 30 percent and the Rockets winning 69-65 (even the mid-90s Knicks would blanch at that score). An ugly game like that tends to breed contempt—both sides let loose some hard fouls, and Scott Brooks decided to get in Patrick Beverley's face at one point—so it's not surprising that this game featured what is a favored pastime among NBA superstars: Dwight Howard getting told what a huge bitch and or pussy he is.

Last night, it was Kevin Durant throwing emasculating barbs at Dwight from the bench:

That's not quite as harsh the "Soft motherfucker, bitch-ass nigga" that Kobe hit Dwight with during the season opener, but the message is the same: Nobody thinks Dwight Howard is tough, and everyone is very eager to let him know as much.

Which, fine, Dwight Howard may be softer than a roll of toilet paper, but he's been carrying that reputation for a while now, and nobody's really risking much by calling him out. At this point, calling Dwight Howard a pussy rings about as hollow as KG barking in the face of a rookie shooting guard. All it tells anyone is that you know how to find an easy target.