Dwight Howard Says He's 'Still a Champion' After Losing Game 5 to Warriors

The Houston Rockets finally shuffled their way out of the postseason Wednesday night.

The team's Game 5 loss to the Golden State Warriors was expected if not inevitable, and a long-building frustration seemed to be seeping out of the Rockets as their streaky run in the 2015 NBA playoffs came to a clunking, turnover-ridden finish.

Houston's angst manifested itself in a number of ways, the most interesting being Dwight Howard's comments to the assembled media at the postgame presser.

As CBS Sports' James Herbert (h/t Sporting News' Jordan Heck) reports, a sullen Howard told the media he will not let the loss bring him down, because he is a champion.

"It's tough, but I won't stop fighting," Howard said. "I'm going to continue to push myself to the limit and remember that, no matter how the season ends, I'm still a champion. And I won't let anyone tell me anything different."

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Technically, this is true.

Howard is a champion—a dunk contest champion. Which is cool, or was cool, back when the world was pure and entertainment was feeding a blob that lived on your keychain.

Of course, Howard is not an NBA-title-that-means-something champion. He did get to an NBA Finals with the Orlando Magic in 2009, which counts for something, just not a ring or other trinket you can use as a prop in a guerrilla marketing stunt.

So yes, Howard will get raked over the coals for his phrasing, but the underlying sentiment remains admirable: He views himself as a champion and wants to hold himself to a champion's standards. These are good things.

On the flip side, calling yourself a champion aloud before earning a title is a great way to catch all the misery. Just saying.

Dan is on Twitter. He is not a champion, but he aspires to tweet like one.