No Joke: Dwight Howard's Plan is for Domination

Last Updated: November 05. 2009 1:00AM
Terry Foster: NBA insider
It's no joke: Dwight Howard's plan is for domination



Magic center Dwight Howard is a jokester.

Take his visit to The Palace on Tuesday.

Howard wadded up a piece of tape, tossed it at a reporter and looked the other way, acting the innocent bystander.

He smiled, then made a playful dash toward his victim.

All in fun.

But Howard, who always is smiling and joking, is all about business during games. Especially when it comes to an NBA title.

He got a sniff of the feeling last season, coming up short as the Lakers celebrated.

"We want to win a championship," he said. "We have never been looked at as a good team by anybody. ... It does not matter if they want Cleveland or Boston. If we win games, there is nothing they can do."

Orlando is a long shot to return to the Finals, mostly because Boston is healthy and Cleveland added Shaquille O'Neal to the LeBron James mix.

The Magic, despite a number of injuries and suspensions, remain one of the elite teams in the NBA. And they run off a basic philosophy -- fill the post to Howard and get open looks for a host of outside shooters.

The key is Howard.

Teams have tried to hack him, beat him up and send a host of big men at him.

"It's not so tough," he said. "I have to incorporate my game and try to dominate on both ends, especially the defensive end. I know what teams are trying to do ... frustrate me."