76ers' Dwight Howard on Technical Fouls: I Feel Like I'm 'Targeted' by Officials

Philadelphia 76ers star Dwight Howard doesn't think all of his technical fouls are deserved.

Howard, who has a league-high 15 techs, told reporters Monday that he thinks officials are purposely giving him a hard time. 

"I do feel like I am being targeted, every night," he said, per Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who reported that Howard's next technical foul will earn him a $5,000 fine and a one-game suspension. 

Howard is averaging 17.4 minutes per game, but his stats aren't consistent with his low time on the hardwood. He ranks 11th in the league in offensive rebounds (2.7 per game) and 17th on the glass overall (8.4 per game), according to Narducci.

He was tossed in two consecutive games in March when the team played the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. 

He said his aggressive style of play shouldn't come across as a personal attack on his opponents. 

"I come from old-school basketball so I like to talk trash, I like to hit people, I like to push people, hands down," he said. "It’s not like I’m doing it to be malicious, but it’s how I play, it’s Philly basketball so I can’t help it." 

He earned his 15th during the team's 132-94 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday when he clapped after the referees made a call. Head coach Doc Rivers also was hit with a technical foul for complaining about the call on Howard. 

"Sometimes the refs do give me some calls that I feel are unwarranted, even the technical foul last game, I got a tech and I just clapped, so you know some things seem kind of crazy," Howard said. "But I have to realize my position on this team and what I have to do to help this team win. I have to make sure that I hold myself accountable to do the right things."