Dwight Howard Uses LeBron James’ Heartbreak to Fuel Paolo Banchero & Magic’s Game 7 Quest vs Cavs

The Orlando Magic will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the only game 7 thriller so far in the playoffs. Both teams have been neck-and-neck up to this point, however, The Cavs have a slight advantage because of game 7 being in their home stadium. While Cleveland has a legacy of infamous Game 7s, the Magic have a history of their own.

Dwight Howard took to Instagram to remind Paolo Banchero and Co. of their legacy against the Cavs to instill confidence in the team. In his story, he posted a throwback when Howard led the Magic to win over LeBron James Cavs, upsetting them to reach the NBA finals. “We Been Here Before!” wrote the Former DPOY in the caption.

Reminding the young team that he once upset the favorites with a monster 40-point performance to leap through to the Finals. In this series, both Banchero and Donanvan Mitchell have been performing well. While Mitchell leads with 24 points for the series, the 21-year-old follows closely behind with 23 points for the series. However, even if the Magic manage to take game 7, it’s an upward battle from there.

They will face title favorites, the Boston Celtics, who easily plowed through the Miami Heat in round one, allowing them to win only 1 game. The year Dwight Howard made it to the finals, the Magic was the third seed. They went through the postseason easily except for the 7-game series with the Boston Celtics who to last game. There is potential that history will repeat itself this year if Banchero and his team are victorious tonight at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. And he could use some inspiration from the Superman!

How good was Dwight Howard when the Magic made it to the Finals?

In addition to averaging 14.2 rebounds a game, Howard led the league in blocks with 2.1 and also averaged 20 points in the 2008-09 season. He also became the youngest Defensive Player of the Year and won that award two more times consecutively. The 8-time All-Star was the only one for the franchise long after Shaquille O’Neal had led a young squad to the finals.

Unfortunately, the Magic suffered the same fate as they faced Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, and the Los Angeles Lakers swept them. The series went 4-1, and despite the former DOPY having great numbers, it wasn’t enough to stop a prime Mamba from getting his fourth NBA championship. The irony here is years down the line, Howard would win his only championship with the Lakers in 2020.