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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CELTICS v MAGIC

May 16, 2010

Dwight Howard

ORLANDO, FLORIDA: Game One

Boston Celtics 92
Orlando Magic 88

Q. Dwight, Vince said he wondered if you guys were ready for the intensity, the defensive intensity they played with. Maybe it shocked your system early on and took you a little while to get into it?
DWIGHT HOWARD: I don't think it shocked us. I just think as a team we were just so anxious to get out there and play. After we started missing a couple of shots, I think we just got out of the flow of the game. When you're playing against a good defensive team like Boston and a good offensive team, you know, you have to take care of the ball. But at the same time you just have to play the game. But we have to get stops. We didn't do that early. We dug ourselves a hole. It was tough to get back from it.

Q. Dwight, did you feel like you guys were rusty from the layoff with that slow first quarter?
DWIGHT HOWARD: I don't think it was rusty. Like I said, we were anxious. Ready to get out there and go. I think they did a lot of good things on defense. They pressured us. They made us take tough shots. We just got to play. I don't think we moved the ball early like we needed to to get them off our bodies. I think that's what we have to do to beat this team. We have to move the ball and play inside-out, and make shots.

Q. Dwight, I just want to ask you about the job that Perkins, Wallace and Davis did in tandem against you. What did each guy do in particular that maybe frustrated you. And as you struggled to get your shot going early, did you sense your frustration level growing?
DWIGHT HOWARD: No, not really. I just think for me I just have to get into a good rhythm. I'm out of rhythm. I played like a robot. It's just me I have to get on rhythm. Find ways to get the ball, and not get into a wrestling match with those guys. I think that's playing to their advantage, trying to wrestle with them and fight for position. Then they can play better defense that way.
So they played great defense tonight. They made it tough for me to score. But, you know, I'm not happy with the way things happened tonight. Now I have to go back and regroup and look at film and really focus on better ways to get position and score.

Q. I was talking to Patrick and he said you have to make some more of those shots. Do you agree with that and how do you feel about that?
DWIGHT HOWARD: We're going to miss shots. I'm going to miss shots. But I think the more I get into a rhythm I'll be better off. I wasn't in a good rhythm tonight. I just have to come back in Game 2 and not try to force anything. But at the same time just still be aggressive.

Q. What's it like they have so many big bodies that they can just foul you, foul you, foul you?
DWIGHT HOWARD: It was like that in the first series against Charlotte. They had a lot of guys and a lot of bodies. I think that's what they're going to try to do is try to frustrate me and get into my head and play their game. So I just have to do my best to stay focused and not get frustrated.

Q. Dwight, you had spoken a little bit yesterday about not wanting to wrestle with Perkins, try to use your quickness. How did that go tonight?
DWIGHT HOWARD: Well, I think I got into a little wrestling match with all of those guys. Like I said earlier, that's playing to their advantage. They want me to wrestle and fight with them. That takes me off my game. So I just have to not wrestle with them. Just play.

Q. Vince said that this could be the wake-up call maybe that you guys needed since you haven't lost in so long. Do you agree? And how do you think you'll respond?
DWIGHT HOWARD: We always find a way to bounce back. I'm not worried about that. I think we understand what we have to do. All of us have already talked about what we need to do to win Game 2. I just think we have to put this game behind us. Learn from it, but put this game behind us. People say we haven't lost in a while. But I don't think we focused on that. I think our main job was to win every quarter and play harder than the other team. Tonight they played harder than us. That's how they won the game.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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