Taming the Tameless

With all of the public beefing, needless calamity and all-out hullabaloo going on between these two teams in the media following Game 1 and then the tirelessly disputed three-pointer Chauncey Billups nailed at the end of the third quarter in Game 2, it’s hard to take a step back and look at the biggest concern the Detroit Pistons had heading into the series, but that’s exactly what we’re going to do.

Without a doubt - and this really isn’t advanced neuroscience by any means - the Orlando Magic will only go as far as Dwight Howard takes them. Luckily for them, he’s a big guy with lots of room on his shoulders.

Basketball is a team game they say. Not in this case. From where I’m standing it’s pretty hard to believe that Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis could possibly send the much older, deeper and extremely experienced Pistons packing with a fat serving of threes, instead they’re going to have to rely on Howard not just holding his own, but coming out on top in the battle of the paint at least four times out of the next five games.

We can all agree that Howard played significantly better in Game 2 than he did in Game 1, and the results of the game indicate that. Through foul trouble and, to some extent complacency, the big man brigade Flip Saunders sent out to match up with the ever-imposing Howard simply could not contend as well as they did in Game 1. Consequently, the Magic went from getting blown out to contending for the win until the final buzzer sounded.

Using the first two games of the series as benchmarks we can gauge what works against this Orlando team and what doesn’t. With single coverage for most of Game 1 and only the occasional guard sinking down to try and slap the ball free, Howard was limited in his dominance from the field. In Game 2, much was the same except for a glaring lack of toughness on the defensive glass, allowing Howard to make a living on offensive rebounds, pick up some second chance points and gain some confidence.

So far in this series Saunders has opted to throw a number of defenders at Howard — mainly Jason Maxiell, Rasheed Wallace, Theo Ratliff and Antonio McDyess — with varying degrees of success. To start the first game, Maxiell attempted to push, pull and pester Howard away from the basket to little avail and it quickly became clear that Howard’s advantage in the vertical world would trump Maxiell’s grit and determination.

Although Maxiell is a tough match up with a strong foundation, his lack of height means that Howard can virtually pick rebounds out of the air as if Maxiell weren’t even there in the first place. Towards the end of Game 2 when Wallace and McDyess were on the bench in foul trouble Howard dominated the glass finishing with eight offensive rebounds and 18 total. Don’t get me wrong; Maxiell has the advantage in hops and the muscle to make up for his lack of height against 99% of the NBA, just not Howard.

Luckily for Detroit, their always-reliable big man defender Rasheed Wallace was up to the task. At 6′11″, Wallace has the height to contend with Howard, and what he lacks in vertical leap he makes up for with quick hands. In his 13th season, Wallace has the size to keep Howard from running over him and the smarts to put all of his assets together. He’s not as tough as Maxiell, nor can he jump as high, but he’s thick enough and long enough to thwart Howard’s attempts to drop his shoulder and shoot from around the basket.

But as we saw in Game 2, sticking Wallace on Howard is not always the best option, as even Sheed will walk away in foul trouble more often than not. With Maxiell’s lack of size and the need for Wallace on the offensive end, the Pistons have turned to two more options; Ratliff and McDyess.

Although you would think Ratliff - the former defensive standout and shot blocker supreme - could give Howard a run for his money, when the two are matched up against each other, the results beg to differ. Ratliff is long enough to stop Howard both when he goes up straight or when he fades away, but Ratliff simply cannot contend with Howard whenever he opts to go through his defender, which is more often the case. When Howard catches the ball in the key he can take one quick, powerful dribble, drop his shoulder and knock Ratliff well under the basket, opening up just enough room for a powerful two-hander.

McDyess on the other hand, is in a similar situation as Ratliff, just without the shot blocking ability and perhaps a little bit more strength. But, despite being the closest to Howard in physical stature, McDyess lacks the edge to meet Howard hard in the middle of the paint, keeping him out of the danger zone around the basket, something that Wallace and Maxiell are capable of doing with less muscle.

If you’re keeping score, you know that after touching on the four main defenders, not one stands a chance of really locking down Dwight Howard in one-on-one situations, but there is hope. In the first quarter of Game 1, Howard had his way on the glass and came away with six early points. In Game 2, Howard followed suit, and Orlando enjoyed even more success. The key to shutting down this man is to keep him off of the offensive glass.

In Games 1 and 2, coach Saunders has opted to front Howard in an attempt to keep the ball out of his hands. The plan consists of keeping a defender between the ball and Howard, as opposed to between Howard and the basket. It limits Howard’s touches but runs the risk of him leaking towards the basket and catching a lob pass. This same possession-limiting philosophy simply has to come into play on the glass in Games 3 and 4, or face more close games like Game 2.

Though guys like Maxiell and McDyess may not be able to contend with Howard down low when he has the ball, they are more than capable of boxing the man out to keep him off the glass. If Howard finds himself any closer than five feet from the basket when the shot goes up, the rebound is his, guaranteed. The Pistons need to put a body on Howard to physically remove him from the area in order to keep him from bowling through McDyess and Ratliff, or plucking rebounds over Maxiell’s head.

At the end of the day, limiting Howard is an incredibly tough task, but it’s not impossible. With Wallace serving as the primary defender on Howard down the stretch, and Maxiell and Ratliff alternating throughout the game, the Pistons can, and often do, pester him to a point where he loses some of his effectiveness. From here it’s a matter of making sure the guy doesn’t get any freebies from offensive rebounds.

If the Pistons can play disciplined defense, at least limit Howard slightly in one-on-one situations, and put all their might into keeping him away from the basket when shots go up, they may just find themselves on top when it comes to the battle of the bigs.

If, and only if, this is the case, bring out your brooms because the Orlando Magic only go so far as Dwight Howard takes them.

Photo Credit: Icon Sports Media