Howard Plays the Hero in Game 4
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May 26, 2009
ORLANDO -- It was as close to a must-win contest as there could be for a team leading 2-1 in an Eastern Conference Finals series.
The Orlando Magic did not want to relinquish home-court advantage and they certainly did not want to lose another contest courtesy of a few LeBron James last-second shots.
The Magic needed their superhero to come through in the clutch and Dwight Howard; Orlando's Superman did just that.
After James forced an extra session by calmly draining two free throws with 0.5 seconds left over a deafening Amway Arena crowd, it appeared as if the Magic's Game 2 fate was doomed to repeat itself.
Instead of falling back and being a witness to another phenomenal display by the league's reigning MVP, Howard put the Magic on his broad shoulders and demonstrated to a national audience that only one superstar is allowed to shine in Orlando.
The Magic's All-Star center exploded in the extra session, erupting for 10 of the Magic's 16 overtime points to lift them to a thrilling 116-114 Game 4 victory and a 3-1 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
"He played great and played with a lot of confidence," swingman Mickael Pietrus said of Howard's performance. "That's what we need from him."
Howard finished the night with 27 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots.
However, his most impressive display may have come at the free throw line.
Often criticized for his inconsistency at the charity stripe, Howard buried seven of his nine free throw attempts. And with his team clinging to a two-point advantage with 21 seconds left in the extra session, Superman knocked down two freebies to give the Magic some breathing room.
"When he (makes his free throws) he is just very, very difficult to play," Magic Head Coach Stan Van Gundy explained. "It is why we could go to him down the stretch. It is why we could try to run a play for him on the last play of the game."
Howard has already had a number of shining moments in his illustrious five-year career from winning the 2008 Slam Dunk contest to being named the 2009 NBA's Defensive Player of the Year. But should the Magic earn a trip to The Finals, his overtime delivery in Game 4 could reign as his most important achievement.
"He was huge," Hedo Turkoglu said of Howard's excellence in the post against Cleveland in the extra session. "They can't stop him down there."
When he's playing at this level, the real question is can he be stopped at all?
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