Upon Further Review

Upon Further Review: April 14, 2010 - The NBA Playoffs Outlook

Herc and Midas — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 22:37:56 -0400

Though I’m a huge Orlando Magic fan– Charlotte reigns as one of my favorite cities. So it’s fitting that my favorite professional franchise, will begin its attempt at becoming NBA champions with the team from the Queen City.

I read Hadarii Jones article about how the Bobcats could pull the upset. He and I agree that Head Coach Larry Brown can– and most likely will make this series interesting. As Coach Brown would say, if the Bobcats “Play the right way…” they can win games.

Jackson, Wallace and Diaw Must Show Up

In terms of match-ups, the addition of Stephen Jackson coupled with the presence of Boris Diaw and Gerald Wallace gives the Bobcats some hope.

The key will be Jackson, Wallace and Diaw taking advantage of their inside game. Taking the game to Howard early, usually pays dividends for opposing teams. Two quick ‘cheap’ fouls, and the Bobcats will now have at least a quarter to play even basketball.

With Magic forward Matt Barnes most likely covering Jackson, Van Gundy will be forced to put Lewis on Wallace. That can help slow down ‘Sweet’s potential to put up quick points from 3pt range.

Both Jackson and Diaw can get hot from the arc. With good ball movement, the Magic have trouble closing out on second and third options on defense. A couple of outside shots could open up more opportunities on the inside.

Rebounds, Turnovers and Good Shots

By now we all know Orlando won the season series 3 – 1. In that loss the Bobcats out-rebounded the Magic by 12, shot 50% from 3pt range and shot more free throws than the Magic. Thirty-six percent of their 75 shots were taken in the paint. No coincidence Howard ended the game with 5 fouls.

So this makes sense, “Play the right way…”, rebound, limit turnovers and take good shots. Tyson Chandler doesn’t have to score huge points, but he’ll have to rebound to give the Bobcats a chance. Turnovers speak for themselves. Good shots could be three pointers, if someone gets hot.

Good shots work both ways. In the loss, the Magic attempted 32 three pointers. Get Howard in foul trouble, or pressure entry passes down low– and the Magic have a tendency to settle for long threes. Sometimes that works, other times it doesn’t.

Bench Play

The Magic legitimately go 11 players deep. JJ Redick’s game has improved. Jason Williams directs the second team well, and can create points with his passing. Now that Brandon Bass has hit the rotation, the Magic better match up with big lineups. Bass even brings the threat of a 12-foot jumper on good nights.

All this to say, I don’t know if the Bobcat bench can match the output night-in-and-night-out over a seven game series.

Defense

The Bobcats have quietly been one of the better defensive teams all season. Their key stats differ very little from those of the Magic. Defense always plays a big factor in the playoffs. Who plays better defense consistently has the advantage.

Dwight Howard sometimes struggles when challenged by physical players. Jermaine O’Neal fought Howard hard in the post, getting five blocks to boot. Howard only scored 10 points with 11 rebounds. Both numbers below his season averages.

For the Bobcats, Ratliff and Mohhmed shouldn’t be afraid to challenge Howard with a hard foul. They will have to frustrate him, to help slow him down.

The Final Prediction

Larry Brown is a good enough coach to make things happen in the playoffs. Charlotte has good talent. The East looks to be much more competitive next season, with the Bobcats being a player.

In spite of what many people think, the Bobcats could win this series. They have to win one of the first two to do it.

The Magic are 22 – 5 since the All-Star break, that’s the best in the NBA. They are on a roll, and will be tough to stop. They are my pick to win the Eastern Conference.

When it’s all said and done, Charlotte will get two hard wins to push the series to six games.

Magic win the series 4 – 2.

UFR Overtime: FSU Seminoles 2010 Spring Football Recap

Herc and Midas — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:41:18 -0400

Jimbo Fisher's first spring practice as Florida State's new head coach came to an end with Saturday's Garnet & Gold game. But what have we learned about Fisher's football team over the past four weeks?

If Christian Ponder, Rodney Hudson and Andrew Datko stay healthy FSU's offense will rank in the top 10 at the end of the season.There is just too much talent and experience, as well as excellent coaching, on this side of the ball for the Seminole offense not to flourish in 2010.

What we don't know is how good the defense will be except that it should be better than 2009 (but that's not saying much).

What stuck out the most was how much progress the defense made in a short time with a new defensive coordinator and a totally new staff other than Odell Haggins. They picked up Mark Stoops' zone system like they have been doing it for years. Based on what transpired the past four weeks, expect to see more sacks, more picks, more PBUs and fewer big plays by opposing offenses.

UFR Overtime: Florida Gators 2010 Spring Football Recap

Herc and Midas — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:48:22 -0400

Urban Meyer and the Gators Finding an Offensive Identity

The best thing about doing my weekly podcast, is the co-host Big Herc. As a Noles fan, it’s his duty to make sure I understand all the potential weaknesses of this year’s Gator football team. One of his perceived weaknesses, will be Meyer’s ability to adjust his offense to maximize his present talent.

I understand that Tim Tebow dominated any conversation about the Gators for the last four years. But Urban Meyer’s coaching career started long before Tebow. Some fans may have questions about the long-term, but Meyer will most likely do pretty well for a few more seasons without Tebow.

During the early weeks of spring practice, backup QB Jordan Reed had been taking reps at the TE position. Many believe true freshman Trey Burton may be part of a two quarterback system with Brantley. No one knew what the new Gator offense would look like– including Urban Meyer.Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel, quoted Meyer in his Swamp Things blog as saying,

“Who we are offensively? I don’t know,” said Meyer last Friday. “We don’t have an offense. I told you that five years ago. Are you guys going to change a lot? We have no idea right now. We’re going to do what we do well, if that’s I-formation, if that’s shotgun, if that’s Jordan reed at quarterback, if it’s throwing it all over the lot…”

We knew Brantley could throw. We wondered how much he could or would run. Trey Burton could run, so maybe the two-quarterback system would work. Meyer’s former backup QB Jordan Reed seemed destined to move to the TE position.

Then today in the Orange and Blue Debut spring football game, Jordan displayed the QB skills that earned him a scholarship at the position. Reed threw the 31 yard go-ahead touchdown to redshirt sophomore T.J. Lawrence. Reed showed the ability to run the option, as well as throw the ball, though not as gifted a passer as Brantley.

In the end we saw the I-formation, the Spread and the fullback actually factor into the offense.

Meyer learned a great deal from last season. One big thing he implemented even before 2009 ended, expose the QB less to big hits. Meyer also knows that Brantley doesn’t own the same physique as his predecessor. Meyer knows he can’t expect Brantley to play like Tebow– especially with a true freshman designated as the only backup for now.

That said, the Gators have moved forward. Meyer has the foundation in Brantley. Like teams in his past, he also has the ability to provide plenty of wrinkles to keep defenses off balance (they will need this against the Tide in Tuscaloosa). We’ll get to see more of the old creative Meyer, mixed with the Mid-Western Notre Dame trained fundamentalist that builds great teams.

The Gators will have to get better by August. Every team does. The defense still has to prove how good it will be. In terms of Meyers performance during spring practice– all seems to be going well. We don’t have the certainty coming in we’re used to.

But that’s part of the fun, if you trust Meyer as a coach. It’s not IF– but HOW he will get it done.

Upon Further Review: April 7, 2010 - Are 96 Teams Too Many for NCAA Tournament

Herc and Midas — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 19:05:39 -0400

by Wil Bradley
UFR Sports Talk

Last Thursday– April Fool’s day no less, the NCAA held a press conference to discuss the potential expansion of the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament to 96 teams. The idea of expanding the tournament has gone over about as well as the new NFL overtime rules.

Most opponents to expansion believe the 96 team tournament idea possesses two major weaknesses; the watering down of competition and it takes student-athletes away from the class room for too long. Yes, we know the additional revenue motivates the NCAA to make this move. This is America, and as a whole we believe in making money. Most of us would do the same, so we won’t fault them for that.

The second argument, while admirable in its principle, doesn’t carry much weight. Student-athletes quit being student-athletes a long time ago in the big two sports. If you believe otherwise, check the latest NCAA Graduation Rate Data. Plus, the NCAA only seems to subscribe to this theory when it comes to Div I football. All this to say, no one really buys this argument, so it holds little to no influence (Seems like a bad thing, and it is).

That leaves us to tackle the problem of diluted brackets. The NCAA in its wisdom, or need for more commas and zeros before the decimal point, may have gotten this one correct. They have seen something in the last few years in Mens’ college basketball– it’s called parity.

Every season, fans complain their team got shorted by the NCAA selection committee. This season, many thought that the Big East conference produced the best teams. Many argued that some smaller schools made the tournament, at the expense of better teams from the Big East. Once the tournament began to play out, we all realized the talent gap between the Big East and other conferences had shrunk while no one was watching.

The 96 team tournament alleviates that problem. In what appears to be the most probable format, the top 32 teams would be given a bye for the first round. The remaining 64 teams would essentially enter a play-in tournament for the final 32 slots in the bracket. Equating that to the tournament as it’s played now, that means the 8 through 16 seeds in every bracket would be tested. Bubble teams would in essence be given an opportunity to float their bubble into the tournament.

Smaller schools like the Butlers and St. Marys would be given the same opportunity as lower rated teams in bigger conferences. Like we’ve seen this season, the smaller teams can be competitive. Fans like the upsets, which makes for better TV ratings (this past weekend’s semifinal games garnered good ratings for CBS).

The system also rewards teams with more experienced players. Now smaller schools can compete with more developed players, over teams bringing in one-and-done freshmen. You have to think in the recesses of the NCAA power structure, some enjoy the fact that Calipari didn’t make it to the Final Four.

So before we cast away this new 96 team tournament as purely a money grab, give it a chance. Sure, we’ll see some ugly games in those potential first two rounds. In the end, we’ll get a few more upsets and a few more unknowns playing their way out of obscurity.

If for no other reason, fans should like the new format for one more very good reason. We get to listen to Gus Johnson call a few more tournament games!

Upon Further Review: March 31, 2010 - Urban Meyer and the Media

Herc and Midas — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:05:27 -0400

Did Urban Meyer Take it Too Far!

University of Florida’s head football coach Urban Meyer put Gainesville, FL back on the map Wednesday. This time it wasn’t about football, but about a quote from a player and the reporter who used it in a story.

I have been surfing the comment boards of Gator and football fans in general. The consensus seems to be that Meyer did the right thing, in protecting his players.

The reporter involved, Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel printed the following quote, as part of a story on Deonte Thompson.

“You never know with Tim,” Thompson said. “He can bolt. You’ll think he’s running, but then he’ll just come up and pass it to you. You just have to be ready at all times. With Brantley, everything’s with rhythm, time. Like, you know what I mean, a real quarterback.”

Here’s Thompon’s comments on video:

Considering that among the ranks of Gator fans Tebow possesses iconic, almost saint status, this quote turned heads among UF and all football fans alike. Welcome to the post Tim Tebow era Gators.

Was Meyer right in dressing down Fowler on the practice field? Was Fowler wrong for printing a quote?

I would answer yes to both.

When the story broke, every major newspaper in Florda, and every Gator fan site carried the news. Thompson stated Tebow wasn’t a real quarterback. Fans commented, a few Tebow holdouts criticized Thompson. Some fans criticized Meyer for the rant– but most felt the situation justified Meyer’s response.

Meyer forms strong bonds with players. Though, his relationship with Tebow became front page news, he cares deeply for all his players. He always spoke well, and defended Chris Leake, even when the throngs demanded Tebow lead the team. He defended Brandon Spikes last season when heat came about the alleged “Eye Goughing” incident during the Florida vs. Georgia game. Good coaches protect their players.

Jeremy Fowler provided his side of the story on his Swamp Thing Blog for the Orlando Sentinel. His defense– and many reporters around the country have said the same thing, was it was a quote. Fowler even says this to Meyer in the video.

Not so fast my friend. Yes, it was a quote, but not the whole quote. Fowler only quoted the part containing Tebow’s name. There was more said. Here it is the full quote from Palm Beach Post reporter Ben Volin:

Reporter: What’s the biggest difference between Brantley and Tebow?
Thompson: Brantley is a pure passer. He ain’t trying to run. He’s just going to straight pass.
Reporter: How is that better for receivers?
Thompson: ‘Cause Tebow, you never know. He’ll be running but then he’ll just come up and pass it to you, so you just gotta be ready at all times. But with Brantley, you know, everything with rhythm, time, like a real quarterback.

Big difference when seen in context.

Fowler in his response to the incident, never mentions the rest of the conversation. I question his motive in only printing the part of the conversation that he did. Fowler stated that the story blew up nationally. Yes Mr. Fowler it did, and I’m pretty sure you knew it would. Your editors knew this as well.

Reportedly Thompson became very distressed over the negative attention. Think about what he may be going through. My bet is that Thompson and probably his family have received many disparaging phone calls, text messages or what ever. The Gators Athletic Department wouldn’t tell you this, because it makes the fans and the program look bad.

So life without Tebow begins in Gainesville. When it comes to situations concerning the chosen one– Tebow, maybe players and reporters need to take advice from a young man at the NFL combine.

“Shut the F- Up!”

UFR Overtime: NCAA March Madness Final Four Preview

Herc and Midas — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:12:07 -0400

Few people thought Butler would go this far. And what About Cornell?

Now that Kansas and Kentucky have been eliminated, does that make Duke the favorite? We'll look at this past weekend's games, and take a look at the upcoming Final Four.

Hopefully The Professor can tell us who will be the Mens NCAA Champion!

Upon Further Review: March 24 2010 - Has MMA Surpassed Boxing?

Herc and Midas — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 22:23:45 -0400

UFR Overtime: Has MMA Surpassed Boxing?

Welcome to Upon Further Review Overtime. In overtime, either Wil or I will continue discussions from Wednesday’s show. This week I’ll be discussing my assertion that Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has surpassed boxing

There are several ways I could illustrate why boxing has been passed by MMA, but for the sake of this argument, I’ll just stick with the numbers and the eyeball test.

Household Names:

Currently, there aren’t 10 active boxers who are household names. When I say household names, I mean names of boxers who would be recognized by the casual sports fan. Not die hard boxing fans. Let’s see, you have Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, The Klitschko Brothers. I’ll even throw in Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr and Evander Holyfield even though they’re in their 40’s and aren’t contenders for any titles.

So what is that…. 9 boxers who are household names. 3 of them are over 40 and on the last legs of their careers. Of those 9 boxers, how many of them could sell out a major arena or do big numbers on Pay Per View (PPV)? Only 2: Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

Let’s look at MMA, more specifically the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and count their household names: Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, Brock Lesnar, BJ Penn, Diego Sanchez, Frank Mir, Rashad Evans, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Kimbo Slice, Cain Valesquez, Shane Carwin, Forrest Griffin, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Matt Hughes…..I’ll stop there. That’s 15 household names. Of those, I’d say about 9 or 10 could headline a card, sellout a major arena and do good numbers on PPV.

Speaking of PPV, before I forget, let’s look back at the biggest PPV numbers from 2009. UFC took 6 of the top 10 spots including the number 1 spot.

1. UFC 100: Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir, July 11, 1.6 million
2. Boxing: Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto, Nov. 14, 1.25 million
3. Boxing: Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, Sept. 19, 1.05 millon
4. UFC 94: Georges St. Pierre vs. B.J. Penn, Jan. 31, 920,000 buys
5. UFC 101: Penn vs. Kenny Florian/Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin, Aug. 8, 850,000
6. Boxing: Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton, May 2, 825,000
T7. UFC 107: Penn vs. Diego Sanchez, Dec. 12, 650,000
T7. UFC 97: Silva vs. Thales Leites/Chuck Liddell vs. Mauricio Rua, April 18, 650,000
9. UFC 98: Lyoto Machida vs. Rashad Evans/Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra, May 23, 635,000
10. Wrestling: WWE WrestleMania 25, April 5, 582,000 buys

Did you notice a pattern in boxing matches? All 3 matches in the top 10 featured either Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr. By contrast, The UFC matches had 7 different headliners or co-headliners in their 6 PPVs that made the top 10

Let’s look at it with the eyeball test.

Compare the number of MMA training facilities in your area to the number of boxing training facilities. What are there more of?

Clothing: How many TapOut and Affliction shirts do you see on an everyday basis? How about IBF, WBF, and WBO shirts?? Going back to Tapout for a second, they sold over 100 million dollars worth of merchandise in both 2008 and 2009.

Continuing with the eyeball test: How many of your local sports bars show PPV boxing matches? Now think about how many local sports bars show UFC PPV matches. There’s no comparison.

Let’s go in the ring and octagon for a minute. How many times recently have you watched an entire boxing PPV and left disappointed because there was little to no action and the main event failed to live up to the hype. For those of you who watched the Pacquiao / Clottey fight a couple of weeks ago; what was your opinion of the fight? Did you feel like you wasted 45 minutes of your life after watching it?

Boxing has gotten so bad that the announcers are having to resort to unnecessary yelling to try to hype the fights.

Sounds exciting doesn’t it. Sounds like they were going at it right?

During that entire clip, Pacquiao beat up on Clottey’s forearms, shoulders and elbows. Clottey stayed in a defensive position and only threw 2 punches in those 45 seconds.

Now think about MMA. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a PPV or a TV event. You’re almost guaranteed to see a knock down, drag out fight: a spectacular knock out, some serious ground a pound, and probably a nasty submission or someone getting choked out. Even if the main event fails to live up to the hype, you still leave satisfied because you’ve seen plenty of action from the other fights.

How about marketing and exposure?

This is where I think the UFC has cemented their place. They are based primarily on Spike TV and PPV. By turning down corporate money to appear on network TV they haven’t had to water down their product and they’ve been able to stay true to their core fans while bringing in new fans through the programming options they have on Spike TV. They have their reality show: The Ultimate Fighter. Unlike other reality shows that tease a fight in promos all week, only to have the actual fight be 5 seconds of edited material, The Ultimate Fighter has a fight every week.

They also have geared programming designed to keep the average sports fan interested: 100 best fights, Ultimate Knockouts and UFC Fight Night.

Outside of the PPV’s how much boxing do you see available on TV or Cable?

Upon Further Review: March 17, 2010 - Tiger Pleads for Readmittance

Herc and Midas — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:41:20 -0400

Tiger Pleads for Readmittance

After listening to Tiger’s apology speech this morning, I couldn’t get a Jackson 5 tune out of my head,

“Oh baby give me one more chance…”

In the run up to the speech, the media felt betrayed by Tiger, because he refused to answer questions. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, claimed via Twitter that, “He [Tiger Woods] wants to control the media.”

The general consensus post press conference seems to be the same. Many in the media have criticized the speech because he read it. Others questioned his sincerity. Ultimately all of this exposes the media vulture mentality, but that’s not the focus of this article.

I attempted to comprehend exactly why Tiger felt he needed to apologize to the media, his fellow PGA members and the public in general. He didn’t cheat on anybody but Elin. Unless your wife or girl friend works at the Waffle House, or in the Adult film industry, the issue really has nothing to do with you. In the end, I came to one conclusion, Tiger wants back “In”.

Not back in the PGA, but back into the fold of being the Black-White guy, the black guy white people accepted. Caucasian fans rooted for Tiger with all their heart. The loved him. They surmised that a guy this good at golf, must be white, right?

Tiger enjoyed this status as an honorary white guy. Few African-Americans attain this rare opportunity(one Mr. Orenthal J. Simpson comes to mind), accepted as one of their own. Getting in the club afforded him endless opportunity. He married the blond model trophy wife, got to do what ever he wanted, and was made to feel in his words, “that the rules didn’t apply to me.”

Then came that fateful car wreck. Suddenly a mini avalanche of women, who after long periods of silence, suddenly found a moral compass (or new source of income, but I can’t judge intentions). Finally came the admission that yes, he had cheated. Tiger lost his reputation, sponsors, almost his marriage and most important to him it appears— his membership in the honorary white guy club.

I say that because, if being considered an honorary white guy weren’t so important, why else would he explain anything, or apologize to anyone except his family? Are we to believe Tiger represents a very unusual case in today’s glitzy super-star athlete lifestyle? For that matter, Tiger’s story doesn’t even exceed the norms of many in everyday life. Infidelity happens every day.

Fact is, professional athletes in every sport cheat all the time. Fact is, most often it goes unreported or ignored. Fact is, Elin was blond haired and blue eyed. Fact is, that made all the difference.

Fact is, Tiger wants back in the club, at almost any cost.

Upon Further Review: March 10, 2010 - Allen Iverson, NBA Icon

Herc and Midas — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:35:13 -0400

My co-host said it best-- Allen Iverson is the biggest cultural icon in the NBA since Michael Jordan. Strong statement. Made stronger by the fact its true.

Before Iverson, how many players had tatoos? How many do you remember with corn rows? Most likely none.

Iverson existed in the NBA's initial super-star era. Those years post Jordan and pre Kobe. The league had lost its brightist star. A one man dynamo, who changed the game, american culture and the way we view sports. Not physically on big screen televisions-- but from a business perspective.

Not many in middle America would have spent more than $100 for a pair of shoes prior to Jordan. Jordan represented a gold mine. A gold mine the NBA sought to replicate in its up and coming super stars.

Enter Iverson-- brash young urban youth. He lived how he wanted, and did what HE felt it took to win. He even had a shot at a ring.

Then came missed practices, personal issues and injury. Now Iverson seems to be struggling to find his life after basketball. It doesn't appear to be going so well-- on both the business and personal front.

Here's hoping he finds his way.

Upon Further Review: Lakers v. Magic Post Game

Herc and Midas — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:20:56 -0400

Magic Look to Live Up to Expectations

Magic fans can feel it in the air– championship expectations. Those expectations will be validated or questioned Sunday afternoon at the Amway Arena.

You will have to forgive Magic fans for being a little leery. These same expectations existed in the past. With Shaq the expectations ended before they could really get started. Penny proved unable to carry a team alone. The Tracy McGrady era ended like it started, with McGrady never getting past the first round of the playoffs. Grant Hill as bearer of franchise expectations, failed due to injuries.

The Dwight Howard era took time to develop. He started as a gangly timid rookie, still finding his game. Magic fans watched, as he grew into the dominate player he would become. They all expect him to get better. They all hope he’s good enough now. The Lakers will help establish whether expectations for this Magic lead man are warranted.

True, one game does not make a season. But for Howard and the Magic, this game will help put theory into results. During last season’s playoffs, Howard pleaded for more touches on offense. With Howard getting a few more touches, and some hot three point shooting, they fought their way into the NBA finals. The Magic went cold from behind the arc, and couldn’t find offense for long periods in the finals. Howard lacked the post skills to pressure the Lakers on defense. He also lacked a supporting cast capable of finding tough shots.

Howard committed to improving his game during the off season. It would be his first off season without any commitment to the USA basketball team. Otis Smith, the Magic GM committed to making the Magic better. He brought in Vince Carter, Matt Barnes, Jason Williams and others. But it wasn’t until after the All-Star break that the Magic committed to the inside-out style of offense dictated by Howard’s strengths.

After the All-Star break, Howard stepped up his offensive game, averaging 28 ppg in the first five games back. He demanded the ball in the post, and dominated opponents. As always, he continued to dominate the defensive end of the floor. The new look Superman’s first real test came against the King and the Cavaliers. Orlando won a playoff-style grind out match, in which Howard scored 22 pts 16 reb and had 4 blocks. For now, Magic fans felt like winning the Eastern Conference this season was a reasonable expectation.

Now fans hope Howard can lay to rest another demon. The Lakers completely outmatched the Magic in last season’s NBA Finals series. The Magic retooled, bringing in new pieces to better compete in the post season. Even so, everyone knows that Howard will be the key to any Magic success.

Beating the Lakers means Howard most likely played like a superstar. It means he played like a superstar against Gasol and Bynum– not an aging Shaq or undersized 76ers front court. It means Howard dropped 28 points, dominated the boards, blocked five shots and had four assists. It means Howard can carry this team when it counts the most.

It means expectations will rise even more