Through the first two games of the NBA playoffs, the Orlando Magic called on power forward Dwight Howard to be their superhero. Howard answered the call averaging 27 points and 21 rebounds per game as the Magic took a two-game lead in the series. In the first half of Game 3, things appeared to be the same as Howard once again channeled his inner Superman en route to scoring 13 of Orlando’s first 20 points.

After watching Howard score the majority of his points deep in the paint through dunks and putbacks, it became clear; if the Toronto Raptors were to have any success in the series they would have to either force Howard into jump shots, or make him earn his points from the free throw line. In the second half of that same Game 3, the Raptors did both and it allowed them to secure a much needed win while temporarily getting Orlando’s franchise player frustrated and outside of his comfort zone.

When looking at the boxscore from game three, the main stat that will stick out is Howard’s struggles from the free throw line where he went a putrid 3-8. While you can give the Raptors credit for forcing Howard to the line, something the coaching staff can’t take credit is for Howard’s low percentage once there. That is something you have to give the fans at the Air Canada Centre credit for. When Howard went to the charity stripe at the 7:57 mark of the first quarter, a “Superman Sucks” chant rained down on Howard who struggled to contain a smirk. Later in the game the fans once again attempted to distract Howard as they chanted “HOW-ard” during his first free throw attempt. When he missed his first free throw it provided the fans with enough ammunition to continue heckling him as loud as they could for his second attempt. When his second free throw drew iron and Moon grabbed the rebound it was arguably the loudest the arena got all night. By the end of the game Howard’s struggles at the charity stripe were no longer a laughing matter as it became clear the fans at the Air Canada Centre had managed to get inside his head.

Whether Howard was smirking at fans or walking to halfcourt to get comfortable at the free throw line, nothing seemed to work. For a player that lives in the paint like Howard does, an inability to hit free throws is damaging since opposing teams will then make him earn his points from the charity stripe instead of allowing him to dunk or score off putbacks. As talented as Howard is, he hasn’t show an ability to consistently score off anything besides dunks, putbacks and easy shots in the paint. As a result, teams that are able to force him into doing things outside of his comfort zone have a lot of success against Orlando. Until he shows he’s able to shoot better than 70% from the line, look for teams to start utilizing a Hack-A-Howard defense that worked wonders against a similar player in Shaquille O’Neal.

While the Raptors coaches and players can’t control whether Howard makes or misses his free throws, they can control what kind of looks he gets within Orlando’s offensive sets. Earlier in the season he devoured Toronto on a combination of dunks and easy putbacks, but in game three the Raptors switched things up by having Chris Bosh guard him while throwing a secondary player at him to cause some turmoil. The plan worked to perfection as the combination of guards trying to swipe the ball and forwards sticking another hand in his face when he’s shooting resulted in Howard only scoring six points in the second half.

“We want to trap him,” said Bosh following the game. “We don’t want to just watch him pound the ball because he’s a big, strong guy and he can get to where he wants to on the basketball court, but when we trap him and we’re aggressive with the trap that’s very frustrating. I’m speaking from experience. Anytime that happens you’re forced to turn your back and we take away different passes.”

Between an inability to hit free throws and not being able to get the looks he’s grown accustomed to, it was only a matter of time before Howard’s frustration spilled over onto the court. This happened in the third quarter when Howard picked up two costly fouls in less than two minutes, perhaps costing his team their chance at winning this game. After Orlando clawed back to within 13 points, things unraveled quickly as Howard was assessed an offensive foul for shoving Bosh while running up the court. Just minutes later he was hit with his third foul of the night while setting a pick.

After having nearly 48 hours to get rid of some built up frustration it will be interesting to see how Howard and Orlando’s coaching staff react to the strategy the Raptors used in Game 3. If Howard is able to shoot a better percentage from the free throw line or if Orlando’s perimeter shooters are able to draw Toronto defenders back out to the perimeter, it wouldn’t shock me to see Orlando regain control of this series and head back to Orlando up 3-1.

However, if Toronto is able to keep Howard out of the paint or if the fans continue to get into his head and he continues to miss free throws, it seems the Raptors will have magically found the kryptonite to the NBA’s version of Superman.

Photo Credit: ICON SMI

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