Dwight Howard’s first playoff games of the 2009 NBA postseason was filled with injury and insult. First he got hit in the eye by Samuel Dalembert of the Philadelphia 76ers, then he watched Andre Iguodala hit a game-winner that sent Howard and the Orlando Magic to a 100-98 loss.

Dwight Howard Scores of Samuel Dalembert (Image: Newscom)

Howard had to leave the game for a little while after getting his eye scratched. Although he said after the game that his eye was pulsating and that he wasn’t seeing clearly, Howard insisted that he won’t miss Game 2 in Orlando. Just to make sure Howard is healthy, he will meet with an eye doctor prior to Wednesday’s Game 2.

In Game 1, Howard finished the contest with 31 points, 16 rebounds, two blocks and two assists, while making 11 of his 13 field goal attempts and 9 of his 12 free-throw attempts. In the regular season, Howard averaged 20.6 points per game while leading the entire NBA in rebounds (13.8) and blocks (2.9).

Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic has a fracture in his sternum. It was suffered during the playoffs against the Detroit Pistons, however the injury was just made public recently. The injury typically requires six to eight weeks of recovery time. It has been about six weeks since the injury, so he should be ready to go soon.

Howard is coming off of yet another great season. He’s quickly becoming one of the best bigmen in the game of basketball. This summer, he will try to help lead the United States to a gold medal in the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Although the injury should be healed in time, Howard may be susceptible to re-injuring his sternum again this summer. Keep an eye on him to make sure he stays healthy heading into the 2008-09 fantasy season.

Here is a Dwight Howard video discussing his injury: