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Esko wrote:It comes down to Dwight Howard, plain and simple. If he averages 20 ppg and 15+ rpg, but more importantly, SHOWS the world that he is a legit playoff candidate, the Magic are a scary team. The problem is that Dwight has had some terrible games as of late, and I'm questioning his attitude at this point of the season. KG and Pierce want it more, so I can see the Celts owning the Magic. The Pistons though, can be beat.

I read this post and got to thinking: It's not about shard, hedo, battie, or even garrity, it STARTS AND ENDS with dwight howard. This playoff run will be his biggest test in a magic uni. It's his time now, he's got show he's a leader of this team and dominate opponents, but before that he's got to show up. This is gonna be his time to prove himself as a complete stud bigman by doing big stuff in the playoffs when it matters most. I've had dreams of Howard going back on offense after swatting a shot, demanding the ball, getting it, faking one way, and going the other way with the hook. Pump faking till his defender is dizzy and then just jamming it over him with complete and utter dominance. This begins the legacy of Dwight David Howard, and I look forward to it.

So with that said, let's hope d12 comes through like he has done for everything else practically, but this time it's gonna be on the biggest stage.


LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!!

Dwight sets the tone on offense and defense, plain and simple (that's why he deserves more blame when our team plays flat).

Dwight is the leader of the team. The team plays accordingly to his energy level.

Dwight will have a tough challenge in the playoffs and he is only as good as his teammates are... Yes he has to dominate, but he also needs his teammates to knock down the shots and come thru when he's caught up on the double-team... (i wonder if they practice the double-team - his passes look soft sometimes) - Also, it's hard to dominate offensively if he doesn't touch the ball! What happened to the pick and rolls?! We need to penetrated the basket more and dish to Superman more often... bounce pass, no-look pass... something!

It does start and finish with Howard, but if he doesn't get the good passes or can't pass out of a double-team, then we may not last in the playoffs!

GO MAGIC!!!

He says he wants to be the greatest ever right?? well Legends are made in the playoffs, lets hope he's ready

Dwight averaged 15/15 last season in the playoffs against a great Detroit defense and a much better team with less of a supporting cast.

That was his first taste, and pretty good numbers despite game 2 when he was sick.

Dwight can turn it on whenever he wants, the problem the last few games has been his energy and determination. It's hard for a young guy to get motivated when we're locked into the 3rd seed. Dwight is just going through the motions right now until the playoffs. I fully expect him to kick it up a notch on the intensity come playoff time.

paternity test...

Don't expect too many pump fakes. You might be able to count the number of times Dwight has pump faked in his entire career on one hand.


But I agree, it does come down to Dwight. He has to be trying to dominate every second of the game. Defense and offense. He can't get frustrated like he does in the regular season. If he is frustrated he has to take it out on the other team.

magicfan4life05 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



I read this post and got to thinking: It's not about shard, hedo, battie, or even garrity, it STARTS AND ENDS with dwight howard. This playoff run will be his biggest test in a magic uni. It's his time now, he's got show he's a leader of this team and dominate opponents, but before that he's got to show up. This is gonna be his time to prove himself as a complete stud bigman by doing big stuff in the playoffs when it matters most. I've had dreams of Howard going back on offense after swatting a shot, demanding the ball, getting it, faking one way, and going the other way with the hook. Pump faking till his defender is dizzy and then just jamming it over him with complete and utter dominance. This begins the legacy of Dwight David Howard, and I look forward to it.

So with that said, let's hope d12 comes through like he has done for everything else practically, but this time it's gonna be on the biggest stage.


LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!!

:rockon: :beer: :beer:

You know what....? I think this is a little too much, too soon, and if you really are expecting that this season, then you are setting yourself up for a big letdown. Legends might be born in the playoffs, but not usually when it's only their second trip to the playoffs and they are only 22 years old. How many other guys -- especially big men -- who meet those criteria do all that (Shaq is one, but even he was older than 22 -- are there others?)?

Dwight does need to play hard and at his best, and I think that's really all we can ask of him. It's really unfair to put all of that on just one person, especially the youngest one on your team. Teams make that mistake too often, and it ends up crushing those players a lot of times.

For one thing, how do you expect him to do all that if he can't get his hands on the ball because he is the focus of all the defense, as has been the case a lot lately. (And no, you don't want anyone throwing most big men a bounce pass -- Pau Gasol might be an exception. Big guys usually don't handle those well. I know you didn't say this, but someone else did.)

Dwight will have his day to do all that. But I think you might be getting a little ahead of yourself.

theTHIEF wrote:paternity test...

That's what I was thinking , he's been stinkin it up since she filed that suit against him

his biggest test... managing Gortat in practice