Howard Catapults Magic to Finals

By Josh Cohen
May 30, 2009

ORLANDO -- It was the perfect time to deliver a scintillating performance.

Dwight Howard was expected to flourish throughout the playoffs after a spectacular regular season, and he has. His Game 6 marvel, nonetheless, was on a totally different level.

It was so glittering he earned MVP chants from the elated Amway Arena crowd in the final minutes.

The game’s most dominant center and 2008-09 NBA Defensive Player of the Year stole the show on Saturday night. ‘Superman’ registered a playoff career-best 40 points and added 14 rebounds and four assists as the Orlando Magic thrashed the Cleveland Cavaliers, 103-90, to advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history.

“Dwight was dominant tonight,'' teammate Rashard Lewis said of Howard, who became just the second player in NBA history to post at least 40 points and 14 rebounds in a conference final clincher. "He scored when he had to and he pretty much carried us on his back.”

Howard, who throughout this series overpowered Cleveland’s interior, established supremacy from the opening tip. He flushed home several thunderous dunks, connected on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar replica hooks and not surprising anymore, buried his free throws (12-of-16).

The three-time All-Star was efficient, too. He shot 14-of-21 from the field and didn’t record his third foul until late in the third quarter.

“I don’t know what else he could have done,” Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy said. “He was fantastic. He was unbelievable.”

As legendary centers like Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon demonstrated throughout their careers, Howard showed why every championship contender needs a prevailing big man.

Yes, the Cavaliers had the league MVP LeBron James. But Howard’s presence turned out to be much more significant. He required double teams on nearly every possession, which freed up Orlando’s 3-point shooters. The Magic went 12-of-29 from beyond the arc in Game 6 and their 62 treys in the conference finals tied the NBA record for most 3-point field goals made in a six-game playoff series.

Much to the credit of Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing, D-12 has shown outstanding progression in all areas of his game. His defense improved immensely after leading the league in blocked shots during the regular season, his free throw shooting has jumped up during the playoffs and his court leadership is like never before.

Looking ahead to The Finals, Howard probably doesn’t mind a matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers. He helped the Magic win both meetings this season against L.A and individually played extremely well.

D-12 combined for 43 points and 32 rebounds in the two victories. Orlando, in fact, was one of only two teams this season (the Charlotte Bobcats being the other) to not lose to the Lakers.

Howard and his teammates will celebrate for a short while and get some much-deserved rest. But over the next few days, they will be right back in the gym to get ready to accomplish their ultimate goal -- capturing an NBA championship.

“I'm happy we won, but we got to move on to the next series, which is the Finals,” Howard said. “So I'm happy about tonight. Go home and relax with my family and tomorrow wake up and get ready to go back to work.”