Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic Talks to B/R About the NBA MVP Award

Dwight Howard, in his seventh season in the NBA, has taken his game to new heights.

While Howard has been in the MVP conversation for several years now, he's fallen short to LeBron James the past two seasons and Kobe Bryant the year before that.

I had the honor of interviewing Howard the other day, and we spoke at length about the NBA MVP award.

When I asked Howard about the MVP award and what it would mean to him if he won it, he was very straightforward with me.

“It would mean a lot,” Howard said. "I really took the time, like I do every year, every summer, I took the time to get better. I think this year, a lot of my hard work is paying off."

As any player should, Howard covets the award.

Howard is in the midst of a career season, averaging 22.9 points, 14.2 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.4 blocks. He's playing with a renewed vigor, and while the Magic are on pace for fewer wins compared to last season, that can mainly be attributed to a top-heavy Eastern Conference and a retooled Magic squad.

"It would really mean a lot," Howard reiterated to me. "I put in a lot of work this summer to get better. I really want it."

While Howard has been mentored by Patrick Ewing for the better part of his professional career, he spent some time with Hakeem Olajuwon—one of the greatest centers to ever play in the NBA and a former recipient of the MVP award—over the summer to work on his game.

"We worked together for like four days," Howard told me. "I learned a lot in four days. I think what really got me over the hump is, night in and night out, working on all that stuff."

As he continues to raise his level of play, he strengthens his case for a late-season push to overtake—who many believe is leading the MVP race—Derrick Rose.

However, instead of harping about it and constantly trying to plead his case to others, Howard is letting his play do all the talking for him.

Orlando fell into a slump for the better part of December, and many were quick to write the team off along with Howard's MVP chances. When it looked like the Magic were falling out of contention with the losses piling up, Howard put the team on his back and raised his game to a new plateau.

Facing off against the league-leading San Antonio Spurs in a late December game, Howard refused to let his team continue their free fall. He scored 29 points on 11-of-13 shooting and pulled down 14 boards while blocking three shots.

The Magic crushed the Spurs 123-101 that night. It was also the start of a nine-game win streak that saw huge victories over the likes of the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks.

Orlando is 27-14 since that season-altering game against the Spurs in December. Howard helped clinch yet another playoff berth for the Magic last week after he had 31 points, 22 rebounds, two steals and three blocks against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Since the All-Star break, Howard is averaging an absurd 23.3 points, 16.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 3.7 blocks.

The Orlando Magic are also doing their part to help his case. They're campaigning on behalf of Howard with a website, Dwight4MVP.com, to help him earn the recognition he rightfully deserves.

Howard, who appears—depending on who you talk to—third on most people’s MVP voting lists, has a strong case to be No. 1.

“They’re talking basically that it’s LeBron James or Derrick Rose,” Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters a few weeks ago. “So I don’t understand why his name is not in the discussion.”

A criteria that often gets lost in all the gaudy stats and scoring numbers is defense.

"I never look at the points. I still have to play defense, rebound and block shots," Howard told Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. "They got to consider defense in what is an MVP."

Howard, the reigning two-time Defensive Player of the Year, looks to have a third one lined up for his trophy case. At this pace, he should have no trouble matching and surpassing Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace's record of four NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Howard continues to do his part by consistently putting up awe-inspiring performances on a nightly basis on both sides of the ball.

"It's everyday," Howard said to me. "Working on everything, and I think it's made me a better player. Also, a little bit more discipline than I have been in the past with my work."

Not only is it more discipline, but Howard has a more aggressive and serious demeanor on the court this season.

When I asked him about his change in attitude, Howard said: "I still have my fun. I just know when to be serious and when to have fun. It's tough for me to be somebody who's so serious on the court because a lot of fans come to the game and they want to enjoy themselves and they want to have a good time. I try not to be serious enough to where I forget about keeping that kind of support."

Howard may or may not realize this, but that same support can help to make or break his case for his MVP candidacy.

It won't be easy for Howard to leapfrog Rose or James for the lead in the MVP award race, but with 12 games left in the regular season, closing the gap in the wins column with the Chicago Bulls or possibly even surpassing the Miami Heat could drastically alter the MVP conversation.

Howard is playing out of his mind right now, and nothing is going to stop him from making life incredibly difficult for the MVP voting panel.