Howard Is Super Against the Sixers
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April 29, 2009
ORLANDO -- There is a tent-like banner draped across the outside of Amway Arena. It has no name, number or mention of anything Magic, yet it reminds everyone coming into the building what to expect.
The banner is nothing but a giant Superman logo, the one adopted some time ago by center Dwight Howard. It's his calling card.
This is his house. And this still is his series.
The Orlando Magic grabbed a 3-2 lead Tuesday night in this best-of-seven playoff series with the Philadelphia 76ers, again riding on the back of Howard, their man of steel.
Howard had 24 points and 24 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive end that continually frustrated the Sixers, prompting Philly Coach Tony DiLeo adamantly to complain during his post-game media session that officials were allowing Howard to stay in the lane too long.
"Dwight Howard had a great game. He is a great player, but he just lives in the 3-second lane on offense and defense,'' DiLeo said. "He doesn't need any advantages. You can interpret that any way you want.''
The Magic won, 91-78, and Howard obviously was juiced from the start. Less than three minutes into the game, he tangled with Philly center Samuel Dalembert under the basket, then hammered him in the head with an elbow, drawing a technical foul, but luckily escaping an early ejection, a decision that the league is expected to review on Wednesday.
Later in the first period, Howard inadvertently hammered teammate Courtney Lee, knocking him out of the game with an elbow to the face. Howard had soared over Lee to block a shot by guard Willie Green, but he crashed into Lee on his decent.
Lee had to be helped off the court, and he was taken to a local hospital for an MRI with a possible concussion. His status for Game 6 in Philadelphia Thursday is uncertain. Howard's status for Game 6 also might be in jeopardy, depending upon a league review of his technical foul.
"It's been a dog fight out there all series,'' Howard said. "We're just trying to become a more physical team. We've got to become a better defensive team.''
The Magic have been dragged into a tougher-than-expected first round series, a grind-it-out style of play that just doesn't fit their strengths, forcing them to lean on Howard more than they ever have. Often in this series, it has been hard to tell which is the higher-seeded team.
The Magic won 59 games and the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with a high-scoring, finesse style of play that included an array of 3-point shooters who loosen defenses for Howard inside.
But with Philadelphia shutting down the Magic's 3-point attack, more of the focus has been on Howard, who has averaged 24 points and 15.8 rebounds in this series.
"Philadelphia has been able to make the game more of a grind it out game than we would like,'' said Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy. "They lean on us. Where we've tried to get going in transition, they've done a heckuva job. They've made it tough. There just isn't a lot of freedom of movement out there. It's tough to get the ball movement we'd like.''
For Howard, his 24 rebounds set a franchise playoff high. He was active around the basket, much too quick for either Dalenbert or backup center Theo Ratliff, who combined for nine personal fouls.
After the game, Howard sounded concerned about the condition of Lee, but he sounded a little apprehensive about a possible league review of his elbow that hit Dalenbert. The Sixers had asked for a review by the league before the game even ended.
"I hope there isn't any suspension,'' Howard said. "But it's very physical in the paint. All we can do is hope for the best.''
Even with Howard, the Magic are expecting another tough fight, a difficult game to close out the series. Without him in Game 6, the Magic would become a serious underdog. Losing their only real physical player in a physical series would be devastating. No one else on the Magic is averaging even six rebounds in this series. When it comes to rebounding, it's Howard or nothing.
The Magic averaged 101 points this season, 10th best in the league. They are averaging just 92.6 in this series, still yet to break the 100 point mark. Their 3-point shooting has been almost shut off as they adapt to a new style of play. They averaged 10 3-pointers during the season, but they are averaging fewer than seven against Philadelphia.
It took a big fourth quarter by Rashard Lewis Tuesday to keep the Sixers from staging another comeback. Lewis, who struggled early in the series, had a series high 24 points in Game 4, yet the Sixers stopped double teaming him because Howard had become such a focus for them.
"It's not like I'm out there trying to hurt anyone,'' Howard said. "I think everyone know how I play basketball. Just go out there and try to win.''
