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NBA FINALS: MAGIC v LAKERS

June 9, 2009

Dwight Howard

ORLANDO, FLORIDA: Game Three

Los Angeles Lakers - 104
Orlando Magic - 108

Q. Kobe got off to a really quick start tonight and you guys were able to slow him down tremendously throughout the game. Talk about the adjustments that you made for the last three quarters to slow him down. Also you had your best shooting night so far in the series but you had mentioned you were frustrated about the defense the Lakers were showing you. What adjustments did you make to make yourself more comfortable tonight?
DWIGHT HOWARD: Well, with Kobe, there was really nothing we can do. We tried to get the ball out of his hands, make everybody else make plays. But with Kobe, he had it going. We had no answer for him. In the first half I think the biggest thing was -- in the first quarter and throughout the game, when we got into him, made him put the ball on the floor and attack the rim, it's tough on him to score. But when he's coming off, pump-faking and getting to the line, it's very hard for us to guard him.
As for me, I just tried to be patient when I got the ball and tried to finish. Their guys, they played very tough, physical in the paint. My teammates found me in good shots to score, so I tried to do the best I could.
Q. You guys shot 75 percent in the first half, ended up with a Finals record 62 and a half percent. What was that like to have sort of the floodgates open after the frustration in the first two games?
DWIGHT HOWARD: It was good. We were taking better shots tonight. We didn't rush. We attacked. That allowed us to get some easier shots. Instead of us shooting the ball with a big guy Lamar or Gasol in our face, we did a good job of getting to the rim. Skip did a good job of attacking and allowing guys to get open for free shots. We have to do that against a team like the Lakers, make them move and try to get easier shots, and we did a good job of that tonight.
I think Rashard did a great job of getting open. We found him in good spots, and he knocked down shots.
Q. What's the difference on the bench when you guys are shooting like that versus maybe certain times over the last couple games where you're shooting maybe 30 percent?
DWIGHT HOWARD: Well, everybody, they want to shoot more. Once they see that they're making shots, everybody wants to shoot. I think our confidence, it rises once a couple guys make shots. We don't hang our head. Even though we did miss some shots tonight, we kept attacking. Hedo was great attacking the rim, Skip did a great job of attacking, finding guys, open shots. We did a great job of getting open shots tonight. I think we've got to continue to do that if we want to shoot a high percentage.

Q. You've talked about how resilient you guys have been throughout the playoffs. You were down against Philly, down against Boston. How important was it to show that you weren't just going to roll over but put up a fight?
DWIGHT HOWARD: We lost two games, but there's no need to roll over. It's a seven-game series. A team has to beat you four times to end the series, and we felt good knowing that we had three games at home. We really wanted to get the first one tonight. We're happy that we won but we're not satisfied. There's a lot of areas that we need to work on to improve our chances of winning. I think we've got to do a good job of taking care of the ball, especially coming down the stretch. As a team we've got to be able to not turn the ball over as much, and I think we did that tonight.
But we've got two more games here, and we've got to pick it up.

Q. Just talk about Rashard's play throughout the playoffs and The Finals so far. And do you consider him one of the more underrated players in the league?
DWIGHT HOWARD: Well, we don't care what nobody says about Rashard. We understand what he does best, which is shoot the ball and attack, and when he's playing with a lot of freedom, he's able to do a lot of different things.
I think Rashard has been one of the most consistent players on our team all year. He's had some up-and-down moments, but he's always been consistent. Even when he's not shooting the ball well, he's still going to give you everything he's got. Even when he's not making shots, he's going to take shots, he's going to find a way to get into a rhythm and he's going to play hard. That's all you can ask from Rashard.
I don't think he came in thinking that he was going to be the focal point of the offense, but he understands when he gets the ball, he has a tough -- he does a good job of scoring. He can shoot the ball, face up, get to the rim. He does a lot of great things for us.
Q. You had seven turnovers in the most recent game out in LA, but a couple of those were three seconds, a couple were offensive fouls, but there were some strips of the ball down in the paint. You didn't give that up tonight and they were still trying to attack there. Did you concentrate more on trying to ensure that you don't give it up in there?
DWIGHT HOWARD: Well, me and Stan, Pat, all the coaches, we watched a lot of film. One thing that the Lakers are doing every time I put the ball on the ground, they're coming to steal. The first two games, even tonight, they did a good job of that. I just tried to be a little bit more patient, accept the double-team, kick it out and just try to be strong and aggressive really when I got it down in the paint.
But the Lakers are a great team. Their team defense is real good. Just have to continue to be patient and allow my teammates to make shots, and that way it'll open up for me.

Q. One more thing, I asked Rashard about this: You guys had five guys score 18 or more points. That balance is rare on a team.
DWIGHT HOWARD: In order to beat this team you have to have a balanced attack. They're tough. They're a tough team to beat, and this is the NBA Finals. You can't do it alone. You have to have a team effort. Somebody has to step up every night and give you good numbers, offensively and defensively. I think we're a good team, and when we play the way we played tonight, we're tough to beat.

Q. As a leader on this squad, coming back to Orlando, down 0-2, what types of things did you talk about with your team to encourage them and to come out here and do what you did today?
DWIGHT HOWARD: See, I think the thing about our team is when we lost Game 2, I think we was upset in the locker room for a moment. We talked. But I think we might be one of the silliest teams you'll ever see. We didn't allow us being down 0-2 to discourage us from winning. We've come a long way, and our goal is to win the championship. We're going to continue to fight.
All I told my teammates is you've got to continue to believe. We've had two tough losses, but things will turn around for us if we continue to believe, go out there every night, give 100 percent for 48 minutes, and the outcome should be in our favor.
Q. Can you explain where you are in your effort to be as physical and aggressive as you possibly can be without picking up fouls and without drawing the attention of the officials?
DWIGHT HOWARD: Well, it's different. I think with Bynum, he doesn't mind banging, and with Gasol, sometimes you've got to be aware of what you do in the paint. Gasol is very smart. He's been playing for a long, long time, and I think with him, I've just got to be smart. You've got to be physical but you've got to be smart. I don't want to pick up any cheap fouls and have to sit on the bench. My teammates put so much trust in me that I've really got to be aware of what I do on the floor. There's going to be times where I make mistakes, but it's going to be physical in the paint.
For me, when my teammates see me being physical, fighting for loose balls, rebounds, then they tend to start fighting a little bit more. I just have to be aggressive and try not to foul.

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