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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: MAGIC v CAVALIERS

May 28, 2009

Dwight Howard

CLEVELAND, OHIO: Game Five

Cavaliers Â– 112
Magic - 102

Q. Again, you guys got behind early, third time in this building. I think it is 22-16, 23, something like that. What seems to be the problem getting behind, and then how are you able to dig out of that?
DWIGHT HOWARD: Well, they just come out shooting the ball extremely well. I think the first quarter they shot 67 percent. So they didn't miss a lot of shots.
And we came back. We just fought our way back. And I think down the stretch we made a lot of turnovers that got them going.

Q. I realize the fouls are a little frustrating, but what do you think you can do to help yourself stay on the floor a little bit?
DWIGHT HOWARD: Nothing. Can't worry about it. You know, they are either going to call a foul or they are not going to call it. My main job is to try to stay focused and, you know, not worry about some of the calls that tend not to go my way.
It is tough, you know, because I want to be on the floor to help my teammates, but things happen.

Q. Again, you have been having some very close games throughout the series. What do you think the Cavs did tonight that pretty much put them ahead to win the game tonight?
DWIGHT HOWARD: They had a lot of guys that shot the ball well, Mo Williams, Delonte, Daniel came off the bench with some big shots, and LeBron closed it out. It was a great team effort on their part. Everybody came out to play tonight, and that's what they got to go with.

Q. Your team came up 112 points tonight, 34 in the fourth. Is there anything defensively that stands out that are just kind of falling apart tonight and what needs to change?
DWIGHT HOWARD: They hit shots. Next game we got to do a better job of containing LeBron at the top of the key. He got a lot of easy points. He created for others.
So we got to do a better job when he catches at the elbow or in the middle of the free-throw line and he backs down and tries to force his way to the hole. We got to do a better job.

Q. What mental approach do you guys take to Game 6? Stan was saying you have been through pretty much every situation already during these playoffs, but this is another big test for you.
DWIGHT HOWARD: We have. We lost tonight. It is over with. We got to come back ready for Game 6 from the start and protect our own floor.
We bounce back well. We know what it is going to take. We just got to come out from the beginning.

Q. Along the same lines, sometimes the media maybe makes a little bit too much of this pressure, that word. Do you view Game 6 as more of a closeout game for you guys, not wanting to come back?
DWIGHT HOWARD: I don't think there is any pressure. We just have to step up our intensity, especially at the beginning of the games.
We didn't do it tonight and they got off to a big lead. We had to try to fight our way back. And then turnovers was key for us. In the second half, we had too many, too many chances to take the lead and build upon it. We turned the ball over a lot, and that gave them a chance to really, you know, come back and, you know, knock the shots down and get their offense going.

Q. Are you at the point that some point in the fourth quarter you have to put two guys on LeBron just to get the ball out of his hands?
DWIGHT HOWARD: Maybe. We got to have a better defensive effort on him. It is just too easy for him right now. He's catching it in the sweet spot and it is one dribble to the basket. We got to make it a little bit tougher on him and make him take tough shots.

Q. Do you feel like you can be as physical as you want to be?
DWIGHT HOWARD: Nope.

Q. The way you guys came back, went ahead by eight, does that instill confidence going back home?
DWIGHT HOWARD: No. We shouldn't have -- we shouldn't lose any confidence just because of the game tonight. If anything, we should learn, you know, from our mistakes tonight and make sure we don't do the same thing in the next game, and hopefully the outcome of the game will be a little bit different from tonight.

Q. You said you don't feel you can be as physical as you want to be, but as a team you outshot them from the free-throw line, 41 attempts to 34. Again, that's a few games where you have had more free-throw attempts as a team. Are they just singling you out or -- with the officiating? What's the complaint?
DWIGHT HOWARD: I may shoot a lot of free throws. But like their coach said a couple games ago, he was going to make sure he was going to foul me to put me on the line. Does that mean we can still be as physical as I want to? I don't think so. But I just got to find a way to stay aggressive without fouling.
It is tough, but just got to stay aggressive and not foul.

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