Never Change, Stan

I have never been a fan of Keyshawn Johnson. In fact, I've despised him for years. But I started thinking about his infamous "Get me the damn ball" quote the other night while watching the second quarter of the Celtics-Magic game. I'm sure you have an idea where I'm going with this. If the Magic were smart (to our benefit, they are not) they would lock Dwight Howard in a room with Keyshawn and not let him leave until the art of "getting the damn ball" has been effectively presented to him. Howard simply isn't imposing his will when his team needs it most.

This series is tied 1-1 but there were two points in which the Magic have absolutely needed him to take over. The first was late in the fourth quarter in game 1 when their seemingly insurmountable lead was slipping away. The second was midway through the second quarter on Wednesday when the Celtics were taking control. Howard went 2-6 from the field (including a wild 10-foot hook shot) and 1-4 from the line after returning with 8:15. At this point the Magic were down 35-27 and the game was still in reach but Howard didn’t come back with the mentality that he wasn’t going to let the Celtics run away with this one. That’s where the Keyshawn reference comes into play. Sure, the guy sounded like a jerk and he was an overrated ball-hog of a receiver but when you apply this thought process to basketball, specifically the best center in the league, it certainly has merit.

Howard had 12 field goal attempts in game 1 to go along with 5 free-throw attempts. You could make the argument that the game dictated his touches because the Magic were killing the Celtics up and down the court. He only had 13 and 8 in game 2. Seriously. That is an absolute joke. I don’t even pin all the blame on the Magic guards. Guys like Rafer “Love Tap” Alston or Courtney Lee can’t turn the proverbial switch on for Howard. I remember when Hakeem wanted the ball on the block, it was given to him. If they dropped it to him in the low post on a continual basis he could change the complexion of a game, regardless of the score. Patrick Chewing…er…Ewing is a better comparison to Howard in that I never considered him a game-changer in the light of an Olajuwon or Russell. Even Howard’s double-doubles often aren’t all that impressive.

Only after they announced he had 16 points and 22 rebounds in Game 1 did I realize how bare those numbers really were. Never at any point did me or my friends and I say, “Wow, he’s getting angry and taking over.” If I’m a Magic fan that would piss me off to no end. Paul Pierce may do some dumb things over the course of a game but has a keen sense of timing. He knows when his team needs his offensive willpower and production. I’m aware he plays small forward and creates his own offense as opposed to Howard, who needs a distributor. However, my point remains the same: the Celtics better hope Ron Jere…..I mean…Stan Van Gundy doesn’t wise up and force 20-25 shots from Howard.