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The last time we saw the Los Angeles Lakers, nearly a week ago, when they were topping the Houston Rockets small-ball in the second round of the playoffs, centers Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee had been relegated to socially distant cheerleaders on the bench. . A major role in a nearly empty, fanless arena, though not what a future Hall of Famer and two-time NBA champion were used to.
But this was exactly what Howard had promised the Lakers he was prepared for this season, when they brought him back to the organization after his ill-fated 2012-13 season left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.
In a meeting after meeting with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, coaches Frank Vogel and Jason Kidd, and his teammates LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Rajon Rondo, Howard assured them that he would do what the team needed this season. . To prove it, he came up with the idea of an unsecured contract that would give the Lakers the ability to cut the bait at any time, holding him accountable for his game and actions.
“It was about Dwight proving to himself that he was ready for this role,” said Howard’s agent, Charles Briscoe. “I had lost almost everything. I felt that if I wanted to get something back, I had to start at the bottom and go back to work.”
If the Lakers needed him to bounce back, he would. If they needed me to be a cheerleader, because Houston’s small lineups left him virtually unplayable, he would be a cheerleader.
“Old Dwight might have had something to say about it,” Briscoe acknowledged. “But his mindset throughout this year has been to do whatever it takes to win a championship.”
In this Western Conference finals matchup against the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers were pretty sure they were going to need Howard to help defend NBA center Nikola Jokic.
They’d be happy if he could give them a physical presence off the bench, maybe fouls Jokic a few, and buy some time at center so Davis could play his preferred power forward position.
On Friday night, in a 126-114 win over Denver, the Lakers got a lot more from Howard than they bargained for.
From the moment Howard came jumping off the bench with 10 minutes to go in the second quarter, the dynamics of the game changed. He started fighting with Jokic inside as they battled for post position. Howard slashed the back door for the alley-oops, drove hard to the basket, blocked two shots, created two steals and committed four fouls in his first seven minutes.
“I had the opportunity to get there once and I always promised myself that if I had the opportunity to return, I would give my teammates everything I had and put it all on the line,” said Howard, who lost in his only Appearance. in the NBA Finals in 2009 with the Orlando Magic.
Perhaps most importantly, Howard made Jokic, Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap commit their third personal fouls and take their seats before halftime. Although the Lakers didn’t extend their lead while those three key Nuggets were out, putting those players into foul trouble seemed to knock them out.
“I think I started the game really well,” Jokic said. “Then I committed three fouls, which got me a little bit.”
Jokic and Murray scored or assisted on 29 of the Nuggets’ 38 first-quarter points, continuing the momentum they had built in their seven-game series over the LA Clippers. The Nuggets led 38-36 at the end of the first quarter. But the Lakers were on a 20-3 streak in the first 5:35 of the second quarter and never lost again.
Jokic committed two offensive fouls, the second after fighting Howard with 7:22 remaining, and had to sit for the rest of the half. Although staying away from foul trouble had been a point of emphasis for Jokic entering this series, this was the first time in his postseason career that he committed three first-half fouls.
Howard was so effective for the Lakers in the first half, Vogel opened him up for the second half, and in 39 seconds, he had fouled Jokic with a fourth foul.
Murray and Jokic each finished with a respectable 21 points, but Denver needs a lot more from its two young stars to surprise the Lakers in this series. The happy Jokic recorded just two assists, tied for his second-fewest in any game this season, regular season or playoffs, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
When asked about how the game was officiated afterwards, Murray lamented: “Just try to play it. It’s difficult. They want to talk about every call, have full conversations, and try to manipulate what happens, but you know, you can’t worry about that. We know how it’s going to be, we know we’re the youngest team. We’ll just play through it. We’ll find a way. We’re not going to go too easy. “
None of Denver’s greats were particularly effective defending Davis, who finished with 37 points and 10 rebounds. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Davis scored 13 against Jokic with 4 of 6 shots, 11 against Millsap with 3 of 6 shots, 6 against Mason Plumlee with 2 of 3 shots and 2 each against Jerami Grant and Murray. .
How much did foul problems contribute to the way you defended? It’s hard to tell against Davis, who ironically was named the All-NBA first team at center this year, ahead of Jokic, due to new rules that allow him to qualify as a center.
Denver, of course, has a very recent history of rebounding from series deficits, having gone 3-1 holes against the Utah Jazz and Clippers in these playoffs.
The Lakers had also lost the first game in their first two series. They would lose the first game, make adjustments, and then win four in a row. On Friday night, it looked like they only needed a quarter to make adjustments against the Nuggets.
“These guys are extremely difficult to score, and it will take us some time to figure out all the coverages and be precise with them. We know the coverages, but sometimes it takes a little time to find a team,” Vogel said. .
“I thought we increased our attention to detail, focus, physicality, effort in the second quarter. I challenged our guys to be one of those games where we give up a great first quarter, we’re going to 20 points, 20-quarter on point, quarter of 20 points. They responded to that. They definitely picked up focus and had a strong defensive game after the first. “
Vogel did not single out Howard by name for changing the dynamics of the game, except to note that he has lost a significant amount of weight this season while regaining his body after back surgery last season.
There weren’t many people who believed Howard could contribute to the NBA again after that surgery, the second time he had back surgery in his career. Much of Howard’s game, the game that earned him dunk contests and Defensive Player of the Year awards early in his career, was based on athletics.
But the Lakers gave him a chance because, like Howard, they didn’t have many other options.
