Of course, we’re upset about losing a tough game like we did Tuesday. We poured everything we had into that game. We looked at the film today and saw that the game came down to doing all of the little things. In games like this it’s more about having energy, running back on defense, rebounding and scrapping for loose balls. Those are the things that win big games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Right now, Boston is making those plays, but we know we can turn it around and swing things in our favor.
We know those were two winnable games. From here on out, it’s about winning one game. You have to win a game, then you win another and you keep on winning. We’ve been in this situation before and it’s time for us to respond. There’s no need to say that we’re going down fighting because we’re not going down!!! We have to think positive because if we think negative, we are going to lose. Like I told the guys in the locker room, if anybody has doubt, we’re not going to win. But if everybody’s on the same page and believes we’re going to win, then we’re going to win it.
Really, there’s no pressure and we know what we have to do. We’re still the same team that we’ve been all season. Nobody has their head down or is complaining about Tuesday night. We’ve moved on. Why sit and worry about it and stress about what we did to lose the game??? It’s over. We have to go into Game 3 as if the series is 0-0. That’s what we did in the last series going back to Atlanta and we were able to succeed; we have to do that again.
Stick with us Magic fans. We’re going to need you guys when we bring this series back to O-town in a few days. This team has plenty of fight left and we’re not going to quit for one second! Believe me when I tell you this: We can still do this and we will!!!
Well, we lost a tough one on Sunday against the Celtics. Sure, we wanted to go 16-0 in the playoffs, but nobody is perfect. You’re not going to go through the playoffs these days without losing a game; These teams are tough! Losing a game happened, but now it’s all about how we bounce back from it.
Our main goal was to win every quarter and play harder than the other team. The Celtics played harder than us on Sunday and that’s how they won the game.
I know we’ll respond and am not worried one bit. We always find a way to bounce back; I’m confident that we’ll do it again. We understand what we have to do and have already talked about what we need to do to win Game 2. We have to put this game behind us, learn from it, but put it behind us.
Trust me, we knew from experience that this was going to be a really tough series. Boston played great against Cleveland and the Celtics are one of the best defensive teams in the league. They are full of vets who know all the little tricks. We had a tough time with them in the playoffs last season and they were tough every time we played them this season, so we knew this series was going to be a dogfight.
To me, this series is a lot like the Charlotte series in the first round. They have a lot of bigs and a lot of bodies to send at me with Perkins, ‘Sheed, Baby and KG. What they are going to try and do is frustrate me and get in my head. I have to stay focused and not get so frustrated.
I’ve been going up against ‘Sheed for years when he was in Detroit and now in Boston, I know what he’s trying to do out there. Perkins is really strong, but I need to avoid getting in those wrestling matches down low and just use my quickness. When I use my quickness and my moves and we swing the ball, we can get easier shots.
Last night, I was out of rhythm. I have to do a better job of getting it back. Boston plays very physical defense so I have to find ways to get the ball and not get into a wrestling match with those guys.
Magic fans, we’ll be fine. We showed great heart in the fourth quarter coming back the way we did. We might lose a game from time to time, but this Magic team will never quit. We’re going to fight to the final horn.
I think we learned some things in the fourth quarter that will enable us to be a lot better on Tuesday night. We talked as a team in the locker room and nobody was down at all. We’re an upbeat group and one loss doesn’t rattle this team.
We’ll bounce back because we always do. I have faith in my team; we’ll be ready to go. We know what kind of nasty, physical series this is going to be, and we’ll be ready for it.
Dwight Howard
Howard was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Dwight Sr. and Sheryl Howard and into a family with strong athletic connections. His father is a Georgia State Trooper and serves as Athletic Director of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, a private academy with one of the best high school basketball programs in the country, while his mother played on the inaugural women's basketball team at Morris Brown College.[1] A devout Christian since his youth, Howard became serious about basketball around the age of nine; when in the eighth grade, he resolved to be selected as the number one pick in the NBA Draft one day.[2][3] Despite his large frame, Howard was quick and versatile enough to play the guard position.[3] He elected to attend Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy for high school, and in his four years he played mostly as power forward, averaging 16.6 points per game (ppg), 13.4 rebounds per game (rpg) and 6.3 blocks per game in 129 appearances.[1][3] As a senior, Howard led his team to the 2004 state title.[3] He averaged 25 points, 18 rebounds, 8.1 blocks and 3.5 assists per game.[3] That same year, Howard was widely recognized as the best American high school basketball player, and he was awarded the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award, the Morgan Wootten High School Player of the Year Award, Gatorade National Player of the Year and the McDonald's National High School Player of the Year honor.[4] He was also co-MVP (with J. R. Smith) of the McDonald's High School All-American Game that year.[4]
Dwight Howard Mix
Early years
Following his high school successes, Howard chose to forego college and declared for the 2004 NBA Draft—a decision partly inspired by his idol Kevin Garnett who had done the same in 1995—where the Orlando Magic selected him first overall over UConn junior Emeka Okafor.[1][3] He took the number 12 for his jersey, in part because it was the reverse of Garnett's 21 when he played for Minnesota.[5] Howard joined a depleted Magic squad that had finished with only 21 victories the previous season; further, the club had just lost perennial NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady.[3] Howard, however, made an immediate impact. He finished his rookie season with an average of 12.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg,[6] setting several NBA records in the process. He became the youngest player in NBA history to average a double double in the regular season.[4] He also became the youngest player in NBA history to average at least 10.0 rebounds in a season and youngest NBA player ever to record at least 20 rebounds in a game.[4] Howard's importance to the Magic was highlighted when he became the first player in NBA history directly out of high school to start all 82 games during his rookie season.[4] For his efforts, he was selected to play in the 2005 NBA Rookie Challenge, and was unanimously selected to the All-Rookie Team.[4] He also finished third to fellow center Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats and guard Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls for the Rookie of the Year award.[7]
Howard reported to camp for his second NBA campaign having added 20 pounds of muscle during the off-season.[3] Orlando coach Brian Hill—responsible for grooming former Magic superstar Shaquille O'Neal—decided that Howard should be converted into a full-fledged center.[3] Hill identified two areas where Howard needed to improve: his post-up game, and his defense. He exerted extra pressure on Howard, saying that the Magic would need him to emerge as a force in the middle before the team had a chance at the playoffs.[3] Even though the big man played tentatively at times, he was able to build on his strong rookie year with an impressive sophomore season. On November 15, 2005, in a home game against the Charlotte Bobcats, Howard scored 21 points and 20 rebounds, becoming the youngest player ever to score 20 or more points and gather 20 or more rebounds in the same game.[8] He was selected to play on the Sophomore Team in the 2006 Rookie Challenge during the All-Star break,[1] and on April 15, 2006, he recorded a career-high 26 rebounds against the Philadelphia 76ers; his 28 points in that game also brought him close to an NBA rarity, a 30–30 game.[3][6] Overall, he averaged 15.8 points and 12.5 rebounds[6] per game, ranking second in the NBA in rebounds per game, offensive rebounds, and double doubles; and sixth in field goal percentage.[1] Despite Howard's improvement, the Magic finished the season with a 36–46 win-loss record and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season since Howard's arrival.[9]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_Howard
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