Dwight Howard had a monster game on his 24th birthday. Howard had 25 points, 11 rebounds, 7 blocks, 5 assists, 2 steals and only 2 personal fouls in 43 minutes of play. Two other Howard stats stand out too; 70% from the floor and 11 of 14 from the foul line, which is only 63%, but solid for Howard. I can’t repeat it enough, if Howard can play good defense, stay out foul trouble and hit free throws, the Magic are unstoppable. You saw it last night when the Clippers tried to double Howard in the paint and Rashard Lewis drained some pointers immediately. If they let Chris Kaman go one on one with Howard, then take a look at the below video to find out how that turned out.

The Kaman poster coming to stores soon. Dwight Howard said it best, “L.A. is a fun place to play, except when you play the Lakers”.

The Clippers had a run in the 3rd and tried to make a game of it, but it’s the Clippers and they faltered down the stretch. I still think the Clippers are a solid young team that is on the way up. Once Blake Griffin gets in the lineup, the Clippers will have a much different personality and these close games that are being lost will start going their way with the extra effort Griffin will give every game. Eric Gordon lead the Clippers with 21 points and I’ll say it again he’s one of the best young shooting guards in the NBA.

Team/Player Photos: Boston Celtics v Orlando Magic on May 16, 2010

Jason “White Chocolate” Williams was greeted with a smattering of boos in the beginning of the game. Turns out Clipper fan felt jaded that Williams signed a contract with the Clippers last season and then opted out and decided retiring was a better option. Oddly the boos subsided after the Magic were leading by double digits.

I think it was a good win for the Magic, because last season they may have come in a bit flat and lost against a team like the Clippers. The Magic started strong and finished out down the stretch. I’m looking forward to what they can do next against the  Utah Jazz.