Peak Alonzo Mourning or Peak Dwight Howard

[ShaqAttack3234]

He has an offensive game for the regular season and for "relatively" easy playoffs series. But when it comes the big stage, like in NBA 2009 Finals, his style of game and lack of post moves basicly makes him predictable to guard for a Center, easier and predictable. Just play him a good team defense, make him not get the deep position, force him to throw long hook shots, jump shots...etc etc and you are basicly going to somehow downlow his offensive game.

Eh, I wouldn't call the 2009 ECF relatively easy. Cleveland was an elite defensive team, they were favored and of course, it's the conference finals.

I saw some positive things as the 2010 ECF vs Boston went on as well. He averaged 22 ppg and he did have a couple of off games, but delivered in the last 3 and he had two 30 point games.

[EarlTheGoat]

Eh, I wouldn't call the 2009 ECF relatively easy. Cleveland was an elite defensive team, they were favored and of course, it's the conference finals.

I saw some positive things as the 2010 ECF vs Boston went on as well. He averaged 22 ppg and he did have a couple of off games, but delivered in the last 3 and he had two 30 point games.

To be honest, Cleveland didnt play an impressive defense in the 2009 ECF. Mike Brown is severely underrated as a defensive master coach, he didnt really structured an effective defense against Dwight. No team defense at all, they were basicly letting him reach the low-post at will, and once you let Howard get the deep position you`re done. They tried throwing him Ilgauskas or Wallace and basicly double-team him when neccesary, thats a very elementally defense, specially against players like Howard. A lot of people tend to think that a simple double-team can stop an all-star center, when its basicly not true.

As far as 2010 ECF, I watched almost all the games (except one, im not remembering which) and he struggled at many stretches of the game to get his offensive game. He didnt dominate the Celtics, didnt really came close. Boston Celtics played him a superb defense and I remember Howard taking a lot of forced impossible shots (for his range and quality) and bricking them all, and fouling him when he got the deep position, and since he is a poor FT shooter it worked. Of course, im not talking about letting him under 15 points in every single game, but I think its clear they managed to reduce his impact.

[G-train]

well considering there arent any intimidating shotblockers in the league anymore that isnt saying a great deal, zo's dpoy's were actually earned, zo was far more intimidating and just a better shot blocker than dwight, far tougher, that goes without saying, dwight is just a clown and doesnt have any of zo's ferocity. plus, maybe they were close in ppg but zo had a jump shot, and a consistent one at that, ill take him at both ends.

good post, repped

[DuMa]

Zo easily. its a good comparison as well. both are really about 6'9", 6'10"/6'10" in shoes. Both are very defensive minded. but Zo was just a better player overall.

and a side note: almost every elite center in the 90s are better than any centers today. its a really sad. Shaq is probably the last really great center we'll see for a long time. Dwight is good in his own league, time and peers. But he cannot really compare to the elite centers of the past. Yao could be great but he can really only play limited minutes because of his injury factor.

But the zo/dwight comparison can also not work because of the new rule changes. Big men today are simply not as good as the ones in the 90s or earlier were because of the rule changes. More wing players are penetrating the paint more (because of no handchecking rules) and with the inability to camp out in the lane with a 3 second rule, centers have to be pretty quick to contend the shot and defend the basket. And even if they're late by a nanosecond, its a foul and before you know it they're in foul trouble and it screws up the rest of their game. If you looked carefully in the past, the new rule changes completely changed Shaq's effectiveness sometimes around 2005-2006. Shaq might have also gotten old around then but he had too large of a dropoff to point to just old age only. It was then that I knew that the center position would no longer be the same again.

[Big#50]

good post, repped

Dwight is only 24. He has two to three years before he hits his prime. He's only going to get stronger. By the end of Dwights career he will be better than Zo.

[EarlTheGoat]

Dwight is only 24. He has two to three years before he hits his prime. He's only going to get stronger. By the end of Dwights career he will be better than Zo.

Why are you so sure about that? Who tells you he will improve his game or win rings?

[yeaaaman]

to people saying dwight hasnt peaked yet, how exactly do you come to this conclusion, his game has not improved in three years, nothing has changed nothing has improved, he is what he is.

Well he definetly improved his footwork as well as his passing out of the post if you watched you should agree. On top of that, why wouldn't you give a 24 year old player who came out of highschool the benefit of the doubt when every other thread about other young players routinely states "they haven't hit their peak yet". I don't know what makes Dwight different.

[j3lademaster]

Zo's number 1 seed Heat lost to the 8th seed Knicks and a 36 year old Ewing on one leg outplayed him in the deciding 5th game in Miami and Zo managed just 8 rpg for the series while a hobbled, old Ewing thoroughly outplayed him.

See how easy that is? Lets not act like Zo was just rolling through the playoffs and didn't have his disappointing games and series.

And then Zo comes back in 06 after the implementation of the defensive 3 seconds rule, at 35 years old after kidney altercation, to average 2.7 bpg at a limited 20 mpg. I'm not saying a prime Zo with 40 mpg would get 5.4 blocks, I know it doesn't work that way (and most of his blocks did come from worse teams), but it's definitely something to look at when comparing the interior play of Zo's prime to today's. I'd take Zo, better low post scorer, better man to man defender and equal help defender.

[knightfall88]

lol the half season Bynum played before the Gasol trade was even better than Dwight.

Dwight is pretty shit.