Superman Takes It to Another Level, Krypto-Nate Not Impressed

“Dwight was unbelievable, unbelievable.”

Those were the words of Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy after watching his star center obliterate the Charlotte Bobcats in a 107-102 overtime win.

Dwight Howard finished with an unbelievable line of 45 points, 19 rebounds and 8 blocks. This was the first performance of its kind since 1972, when blocks became an official stat. Howard was working hard throughout regulation, but the other pieces around him failed to play up to his level.

That did not discourage them however, as they would use Dwight the guy when they needed points. In fact, the only big play that Howard didn’t complete himself was the final play of the 4th quarter.

With :08 seconds left in the game, Rashard Lewis hit J.J. Reddick for a game tieing 3-point shot. In the overtime period, Superman won the jump ball, hit all 4 of his free throws and snagged 3 rebounds.

Dwight’s performance tied him with Shaquille O’Neal with 18 straight double-doubles for the franchise.

If there is any time for Howard to make a strong run for the MVP award it is now. With Jameer Nelson out, the Magic are expected to experience a huge drop in the standings. Anthony Johnson is a veteran point guard, but he might start to wear off near the end of the year due to his age.

Dwight is the most dominant big man in the game now that Shaq is aging and he certainly has the fans on his side thanks to his appearances in the dunk contests. And he is starting to draw the females away from LeBron James and Dwayne Wade thanks to that tight shirt he wore in this years dunk contest.

However, Dwight would not be the star of the night without some tough competition from noneother than KryptoNate himself. Robinson lead his Knicks to a 112-107  overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Nate finished with 32 points and 10 rebounds, including a 15-foot jumper and a layup in OT that ended up winning the Knicks the game. Robinson had an arguably better performance than Howard did in his final game before the All-Star break.

Nate had 33 points, 15 assists, 9 rebounds and 5 steals, the first player to do so since Magic Johnson in 1981. If Nate keeps this up, he won’t just earn a starting job with the Knicks, he might find himself in the Dallas for the All-Star game and not just the dunk contest.

When asked about actually playing in the ASG, Nate replied, “That’s what I’m trying to get to, but for the most part we’re just focused on the playoffs now. Next year will come.”

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