NBA Playoffs - Dwight Howard where have you gone?
NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.
Theo Ratliff drawing a charge on Dwight Howard
Image details: Detroit Pistons v Orlando Magic, Game 3 served by picapp.com
The Pistons have a habit of nullifying the best player on the other team. In the case of the Orlando Magic that player would be Dwight Howard, better known to some as Superman.
For the first three games Dwight Howard was up and down, but key to the Magic fast break.
Then came game four and the disappearance of Dwight Howard.
But perhaps basketball’s Man of Steel possesses feet of clay.
High drama generally serves as a casting call for the game’s true stars, but Dwight Howard disappointingly proved again in Game 4 against the Pistons on Saturday that he’s currently more a creation of hype than its validation.
He shrank from the pressure. It was as though the basketball doubled as Kryptonite.
“They played defense on him, we didn’t,” Antonio McDyess said. “They stopped giving him the ball in the paint. (Hedo) Turkoglu just started taking over the game, and (Howard) wasn’t getting the ball in the paint. That was huge.”
McDyess was being charitable.
Howard didn’t get the ball enough, especially late, because he didn’t want the ball enough.
Dwight Howard was Superman at the slam dunk contest. He is super built in the upper body. The NBA marketing guys love him. He made the All NBA first team, which puts him on a par with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Wonder what Rasheed thinks of that?
There’s always blame when stars don’t shine, but Howard can only fault himself because for all his above-the-rim theatrics and man-child physical form, Howard doesn’t score unless he rolls off the screen for a thunderous slam or goes back up quickly with an offensive rebound.
Howard’s offensive repertoire remains at a rudimentary level. He’s not comfortable making an away-from-the-basket offensive move. He rushes shots, clumsily throwing up garbage and then complaining that the referees aren’t giving him a fair whistle.
The Pistons removed Dwight from game four and now it is up to Stan Van Gundy to find a way to put him back for game five.
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POSTED IN: Detroit Pistons, Dwight Howard, NBA Basketball, Orlando Magic, Rasheed Wallace
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