Sometimes Dwight Howard as Superman uses the rim as a launching pad!

Image details: Orlando Magic v Detroit Pistons, Game 1 served by picapp.com

Team USA is built for versatility and speed. It is not built for size. That is why so much will be riding on the health of Dwight Howard. He will be the lone really big guy.

Dwight Howard fractured his sternum in the playoffs against the Pistons. He thought it was a bruise.

The Olympic team added Tyson Chandler to the roster for some insurance.

Howard probably will be bringing along the Superman cape that he wore when he won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest earlier this year, cementing his role as the best, most popular big man in the league today.

As the only true center on the USA Basketball 12-man roster — and the one who missed the earlier minicamp recovering from a fractured sternum — Howard is going to need all the special powers he can muster.

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If Superman gets hurt, then hopefully he can still play through it, because there will not be a lot of size left on the team to put in the game.

Foul trouble or another injury for Howard could cause a real problem, leaving the USA vulnerable against the better, more physically imposing teams. Team USA lost to Greece during the 2006 World Championships because it couldn’t handle a more physical team.

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If Dwight Howard stays healthy and out of foul trouble, it will be an amazing Olympic team.

Today, he is expected to be the anchor, the foundation from which this team will revolve. Players such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade will provide the points and pizzazz. They will swirl around the perimeter like bees on defense. They will dazzle opponents with fast breaks so fast that heads will spin.

Yet if it all goes right, it will be Howard, mostly alone in the middle, who will make it all possible, enabling the USA to reclaim its rightful spot atop the basketball world. Howard still has the original USA Dream Team Wheaties box that his father gave him after the 1992 Olympics. Howard was 6 years old then.

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Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili celebrate with victory over New Orleans

Image details: San Antonio Spurs v New Orleans Hornets – Game Seven served by picapp.com

In the NBA, some of the natural order has been restored.

The game, like a lot of these games, came down to the final few shots. This in spite of the fact that the Spurs had a big third quarter lead.

Ginobili scored 26 points, hitting four free throws in the final minute, to send the Spurs to the Western Conference finals with a 91-82 victory Monday night.

Parker added 17 points, including a crucial jumper in the final minute, as the Spurs held off a late rally to become the first team in this series to win on the road.

“We really believed we had a chance to win on the road here,” said Spurs forward Tim Duncan, who had 16 points and 14 rebounds. “It’s just a lot of confidence. A lot of games under our belt.”
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The old guard will now face the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. Chris Paul will go home knowing the Hornets need maybe one or two more weapons. There is a certain path to the finals and the Hornets have started down that path.

With a nucleus of Chris Paul, David West and Tyson Chandler, the Hornets appear destined for greater things, but now is not their time.

“One thing I want them to remember when they start working out next season is how they feel right now,” said Hornets coach Byron Scott, adding he was proud that his team, which did not make the playoffs last season, pushed the Spurs as far as it did.

“You have to go through some things before you can really understand how good it’s going to feel when you get to that next level,” Scott continued. “You don’t go from not making the playoffs to winning a championship. It just doesn’t work that way. … We’re headed in the right direction.”

David West led the Hornets in scoring.

West led the Hornets with 20 points, while Paul and Jannero Pargo each added 18. Chandler had 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Hornets, who cut a deficit as large as 17 down to three inside the final two minutes.

In the end, it was the three pointers that cost the New Orleans Hornets the game.

While the Hornets managed to hold Duncan under 20 points by crowding the inside, his Spurs teammates combined for 12 3-pointers to keep alive their chance to win back-to-back titles for the first time.

“We knew the shots were going to be there. It happened today that we just made more,” said Ginobili, who made four 3-pointers. “We just let it fly.”

NBA Basketball Gregg Popovich factoid - Coach Pop has the highest playoff win percentage of .702.

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By Guest Blogger, Kori Ellis

With San Antonio, Dallas and Houston in the Southwest Division, everyone expected the division race would be a dogfight this season.

With the reigning champs and the Mavericks back with virtually the same rosters as last season, and Houston making some nice offseason additions in Luis Scola and Mike James, it’s hard to predict who will be on top at the end of the season.

But one other team has jumped into the fray in somewhat of a surprise. After being riddled with injuries last season, the New Orleans Hornets currently sit at 8-2, tied with San Antonio for the best record in the division and second best record in the league.

Who Have They Beat?

This season, the Hornets have defeated the Trail Blazers, Nuggets, Lakers, Nets, Grizzlies and Sixers twice by an average margin of more than 12 points.

Their two losses came at Portland, a 93-90 defeat on November 7th, and a 97-85 loss to the Spurs two nights later.

Who’s Hot?

David West and Chris Paul are leading the way for the Hornets. West is averaging over 20 points and nearly eight rebounds a game. Paul has been extremely impressive, tallying 19.5 points and 10.8 assists on nearly 51% shooting.

But it’s not a two-man show in New Orleans. Stojakovic is healthy and averaging over 13 points a night, despite struggling with his shot inside the arc. And Tyson Chandler is doing big things for the Hornets. The 25-year-old is averaging 11.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.5 shots a night.

As a team New Orleans is averaging nearly 100 points a game. If they can remain healthy and tighten up even more defensively, they could be right in the mix at season’s end.

Some Chris Paul love …

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