ESPN Insider: Howard has been especially efficient during the playoffs

Six years have passed since Dwight Howard has played in the NBA Finals. Since he led the Orlando Magic to the 2009 Eastern Conference title, he's moved on to two different teams and suffered through numerous injuries that have in part sapped his otherworldly athleticism.

Nevertheless, the Howard we saw in the Houston Rockets' five-game win over the Dallas Mavericks still is an awfully special player. His game is leaner than ever and not only is he a great fit for what the Rockets do on both ends of the floor, Howard has found himself well positioned for that long-awaited second trip to the Finals.

It won't be easy, of course. Getting out of the first round was a great feat for the Rockets, but whether it's against the San Antonio Spurs or the Los Angeles Clippers, the next round will be that much more of a challenge. And if you survive that, congratulations, here come the 67-win Golden State Warriors. That's life in the West.

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While the Warriors represent in many ways the prototype of the 21st century NBA, the Rockets are kind of a hybrid of the old school and the new school. With its use of analytics for both on-court strategy and personnel evaluation, Houston is cutting-edge. But in Howard, the Rockets have what no other remaining team can boast: A bona fide, low-post, two-way center who wouldn't look out of place on the San Diego Rockets of 40-odd years ago.

Yet, though Howard is a throwback, he fits in perfectly with the philosophies of the new-age Rockets. The Rockets' offensive philosophy is well known. They play fast first -- their ideal possession involves pushing the ball down the floor for a layup or a wide-open look for a transition 3. In the half court, they run very few set plays. James Harden gets his fair share of isolations, but in general the Rockets play to what the defense gives them. And if that means getting the ball down low to Howard on the block, that's what happens. However the play unfolds, the guiding principle remains the same: Shoot 3s, or shoot at the rim. No team settles for fewer looks in between and Howard has been the direct beneficiary of that philosophy.

Shot selection: Staying around the rim


Dwight Howard hasn't strayed far from the basket in these playoffs, and hasn't needed to. AP Photo/David J. Phillip
The most obvious thing about Howard's fit on the Rockets is where he gets his shots from. Mainly, around the rim. His shot chart from Monday's series clincher was typical. Howard went 7-for-14 from the floor, with all of his attempts coming within five feet of the rim. And he remains a great finisher there, shooting 59 percent on 2s this season, a rate very near to his levels as an MVP candidate with the Magic a half-decade ago.

Believe it or not, Howard used to stray a little farther from the basket from time to time. According to Basketball-Reference.com, 5.8 percent of his career shots have come from beyond 10 feet. During his best season, 9.6 percent of his shots came from the 10-to-16-foot zone. This season with the Rockets, that figure was 0.2 percent. That's a good thing, because his accuracy from three to 10 feet this season was a career-low 37.7 percent. He shot 62.4 percent at the rim, right near his career high. The Rockets' philosophy keeps Howard focused on what he does best.

Touches and play types: Boards and post-ups


The Rockets have an edge on most opponents when Howard posts up. Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports
While Harden understandably handles the ball more than anyone else on the Rockets, Howard stays involved. Per tracking data from NBA.com/stats, Howard's frontcourt touches per game (28.2) rank just sixth on the team, though his overall touches (58.6) rank second because of his work off the defensive glass. More importantly, Howard's 8.8 close touches per game not only leads the team by far, it's also the highest total in the league. That number went up to 10.2 during the Dallas series. The Rockets do a great job of consistently getting the ball to Howard in a position where he can do some damage.

As for play types, Howard isn't used that much differently than he was back in his heyday with Orlando. About half his plays are straight post-ups, whereas that figure was up around 58 percent the season the Magic went to the Finals. The difference is that Howard is asked to play the pick-and-roll a little more often than he was in Orlando -- on about 10 percent of his plays, Howard finished as the roll man on a pick-and-roll. It's not a huge number. Just one contrast among his brethren at center: about 24 percent of Brook Lopez's plays were in that category.

Play fast


Howard's defense has led to a major share of the Rockets' offense. AP Photo/David J. Phillip
The first option on the Rockets is to get the ball down the floor and avoid half-court sets altogether. According to Synergy Sports Technologies, more than 18 percent of Houston's plays came out of transition, the highest total in the league. Howard not only doesn't get in the way of that, he augments it. With Howard on the floor to protect the rim, the Rockets extend their defense to force turnovers 3 percent more often and have a defensive rebound rate that is also about 3 percent higher. In other words, that means more chances to run because his teammates can leave him behind to protect the rim. The Rockets' pace during the season was only one possession per 48 minutes slower with Howard on the court.

Defense, and availability


Though the record might not reflect it, the Rockets have been much better when Howard suits up. Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Howard's rim protection during the regular season wasn't what it has been in the past. His 1.6 blocks per 36 minutes was his lowest in nine years, and opponents shot about 48 percent against him when he was protecting the rim. However, the Howard we saw against Dallas was at another level. The Mavericks shot just 39 percent when Howard was protecting the rim, and he blocked 3.3 shots per 36 minutes. Sure, it's just five games, and the Mavericks aren't a great at-the-rim team, but these are still optimistic signs for the Rockets.

Howard played in just half the Rockets' games this season, continuing a recent trend of unavailability. During the first six seasons of his career, Howard missed three games. In the five seasons since, he's missed 74. Houston was 29-12 with him this season, and 27-14 without him. But those facts say more about the great work Harden and his teammates did this season than they do about Howard. The Rockets were 7.0 points per 100 possessions better with Howard on the court, per Basketball-Reference.com. With him, they go from a solid playoff team to a title contender. This sleek, 21st century engine keeps humming -- with the endangered species of a low-post center right in the middle of it.

 

Howard so good, I are cried!

 

Good read. Thanks

 

Did the Grizzlies forfeit? Am I missing something?

 

Its the Warriors and someone btwn the Clippers and the Spurs for the West finals...That has always been BSPN's view.

 

Very understated diss to the Grizzlies - I noticed that as well.

 

wow complete disrespect from ESPN, boy just for that I hope the grizzlies win and beat the stupid beloved warriors. ESPN was hailing NBA champions even last year when they got Iggy.

 

They got him the same summer we got Dwight

 

I don't think it's an unreasonable take by ESPN. The Grizzlies will probably lose in 5. They're at 1:1 to win the championship.

 

If the WCF somehow becomes Grizzlies/Rockets, I think ESPN will crumble in despair, since they are showing the WCF games.

 

Can you imagine the wailing and gnashing of teeth if the finals was Rockets-Wizards. :grin:

 

Pro-Tip: Replace .go.com with .co.uk on all the ESPN insider URLs and you can read them without subscription.

http://www.espn.co.uk/basketball/in...ight-howard-especially-efficient-playoffs-nba

 

insert drexler pic... " Ya think"

 

This game deserves 8 OTs!