On November 15, , in a home game against the Charlotte Bobcats , Howard scored 21 points and 20 rebounds, becoming the youngest player ever to score 20 or more points and gather 20 or more rebounds in the same game.
Howard took another step forward as the franchise player for Orlando in the —07 season , and for the third consecutive season he played in all 82 regular season games.
He was further recognized as one of the best players in the league when he was named to the All-NBA Third Team at the end of the —07 campaign. Howard and Jameer Nelson in Howard's strong and consistent play ensured that he was named as a starter for the Eastern Conference All-Star team, and by the time the mid-season break arrived, he was leading the league in double doubles he concluded the season with a league-high 69 and had recorded 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game on five occasions eight by the season's end.
The —09 campaign began well for Howard. Ten games into the season, the center was leading the league in blocks per game 4. He garnered a record 3. Howard had a playoffs career-high 40 points to go with his 14 rebounds in the deciding Game 6, leading Orlando to its first NBA Finals in 14 years.
In Game 4, despite Howard putting up 21 rebounds and a Finals-record of 9 blocks in a game, he missed two crucial free throws towards the end of the game that would've likely tied the series, and the Magic lost in overtime 99— As with the previous two seasons, the Magic got off to a strong start, winning 17 of their first 21 games, setting a franchise record in the process. He also picked up two Conference Player of the Week awards.
In reaching the Conference Finals again, the Magic faced the Boston Celtics —who had upset Cleveland in the Semifinals—Orlando lost the first three games, took the next two, but finally succumbed in Game 6. The Celtics would go on to lose to the Lakers in the Finals in seven games. In the —11 season , Howard posted career highs in points and field goal percentage.
He became the first player in league history to win Defensive Player of the Year honors for three consecutive seasons. Howard led the league in double-doubles and also averaged He led the Magic to 52 wins, as they finished as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. He had a playoff career-high 46 points and 19 rebounds in Orlando's —93 loss to Atlanta in Game 1. Howard led the NBA in technical fouls with 18 in the regular season, and received one-game suspensions after his 16th and 18th technicals.
Due to a lockout, the —12 regular season was shortened to 66 games. Not long after the lockout ended, Howard, who was eligible to become a free agent at the end of the season, demanded a trade to the New Jersey Nets , Los Angeles Lakers or Dallas Mavericks. Howard stated that although his preference was to remain in Orlando, he did not feel the Magic organization was doing enough to build a championship contender.
He would later meet with Magic officials and agree to back off his trade demands, but stated that he also felt the team needed to make changes to the roster if they wanted to contend for a championship. Howard entered the game making 42 percent of his free throws for the season and just below 60 percent for his career.
The Warriors hacked Howard intentionally throughout the game, and he broke Wilt Chamberlain 's regular-season record of 34 set in Howard made 21 of the 39 attempts, finishing with 45 points and 23 rebounds in the Magic's — victory. On January 24, , Howard became the Magic's all-time scoring leader.
On March 15, , on the day of the trading deadline for the —12 season, Howard waived his right to opt out of his contract at the end of the season and committed to stay with the Magic through the —13 season. He had previously asked to be traded to the New Jersey Nets.
Had he not signed the amendment, the Magic were prepared to trade him to avoid losing him as a free agent. On April 5, Van Gundy said that he had been informed by management that Howard wanted him fired. During the interview, the center walked up and hugged his coach, unaware that Van Gundy had confirmed a report that Howard denied. Van Gundy was let go after the season. On April 19, , Howard's agent said that Howard would undergo surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back and would miss the rest of the —12 season, as well as the Summer Olympics in London.
During the offseason, Howard again requested a trade to the Nets, who had relocated to Brooklyn. He intended to become a free agent at the end of the —13 season if he was not traded to Brooklyn. Howard took six months off from basketball after his April back surgery, and only had the combined four weeks of training camp and preseason to prepare for the season.
Still working himself into shape, Howard paced himself throughout the season on both offense and defense. On January 4, , Howard injured his right shoulder in the second half of the Lakers' — loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. At the midpoint of the season, the Lakers were a disappointing 17— Howard was averaging Howard was upset that he was not getting the ball enough, and he felt that Kobe Bryant was shooting too much. Moving forward, Howard said he needed to "bring it" and dominate in more ways than just scoring.
Howard missed games due to his recurring shoulder injury in January and February. In February, Bryant said that Howard "worries too much" and "doesn't want to let anyone down", urging him to play through the pain when Pau Gasol was sidelined with a torn plantar fascia. Howard returned the next game after commenting that Bryant was " not a doctor, I'm not a doctor.
That's his opinion. During the All-Star break, Howard adopted a healthier diet to get into better shape to anchor the Lakers' defense and run head coach Mike D'Antoni's preferred pick and rolls. Still, on February 23, Howard said he was "not even close" to physically being where he wanted to be. Coach Mike D'Antoni attributed Howard's difficulty running the pick-and-roll—a play the coach had expected would be a staple for the team—with Steve Nash to Howard's lack of conditioning.
The Lakers were 8—2 after the All-Star break, passing the Utah Jazz for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and Howard averaged Booed throughout the game, he made of free throws, setting franchise records for free throws made and attempted while tying his own NBA record for attempts. Howard made of free throws when he was fouled intentionally by the Magic. With Howard anchoring the Lakers defense and his improved overall play, the Lakers made the playoffs, but were swept in the opening round by the eventual Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs.
Last night, fans got the golden opportunity to watch Howard take on Okafor and the Charlotte Bobcats in an intense battle that ended in an overtime duel. Howard ended the game with a career-high 45 points, 19 rebounds, and eight blocks, while Okafor posted less points 14 and had just one more rebound than Howard had blocks nine total rebounds. At the end of the day, despite Jameer Nelson's sudden injury ending his season, the entire Magic organization should give themselves a Superman pat on the back for such a magnificent draft pick in the NBA Draft.
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