Yes, I’m being sarcastic in the title of this piece, but stick with me. Despite Dwight Howard‘s 20 points and 21 rebounds in Houston’s big comeback win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, the big man was as frustrating to watch as ever.

Forget reality for a second. Imagine if the Houston Rocket’s comeback never happened and the Rockets had lost that closeout game. In that alternate universe, Howard (and James Harden and Kevin McHale) would have been toasted by the media.

But we hold a special place in our brains for Howard, for each good play was partnered with an unfortunate, forehead-slapping, bonehead move that made our brains explode. Here’s a few of those plays from game 6.

1st Quarter

Howard picks up two fouls in 4 seconds, begs McHale to let him stay in the game.

After a rebound, Dwight gets tangled up with Blake Griffin, he pushes Griffin off with his forearm in a way that could have easily resulted in his third foul.

2nd Quarter

Howard misses four consecutive free throws as his free-throw counterpart DeAndre Jordan hits 4-4.

3rd Quarter

Howard hockey-checks an airborne Blake Griffin, risking not just a flagrant foul, but getting thrown out of the game. Luckily for Howard, he as only assessed a flagrant-1. This is after he was ejected from Game 4 and vowed to keep his cool for Game 5.

4th Quarter

Howard calls a timeout as he’s exhausted and his Rockets are on a run. Yes, Houston ultimately won the game, but you could tell how exasperated his teammates were with the timing of the timeout.

Dwight Howard does what Dwight Howard wants. The biggest problem with the big man seems to be that he has a specific expectation the way the game should be played/called. And when the game doesn’t go that direction, he reacts immediately to it — usually by complaining.

Whether it’s to the refs, other players or his teammates, you see Howard getting frustrated, fouling unnecessarily, retaliating against physical play and throwing up his hands and running his mouth. Basically, he behaves like a child that feels as they’re being treated unfairly.

It’s this behavior that contributes to his being the Rodney Dangerfield of the NBA. It’s this stubbornness that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar saw and had this to say about Howard’s philosophy: “Maturity-wise, he doesn’t get it.”

Remember, this is Dwight Howard’s ELEVENTH season in the league. Despite over a decade of NBA experience, Howard still plays and acts as it’s his second or third year as a “professional”; as if he is still learning how the game has both ups and downs.

Newsflash Dwight: the NBA isn’t going to bend to your warped ideals, you have to adjust to the NBA. If you ever come to that epiphany, you (and whatever team you’re with) will be better off for it.