All year long, the NBA season was deemed a seven-month primer for an inevitable finals matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Both teams not only boast the two best regular-season records in the league, but also have basketball’s most transcendent players to lead them: LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Together, the two have captivated the nation in a way professional basketball hasn’t seen since a man named Michael Jordan graced the court over a decade ago.
Everyone from Nike to Vitamin Water pits the Lakers and Cavaliers against each other ‘mdash; and with the finals rapidly approaching, the rivalry will soon reach its boiling point. But a funny thing has happened over the course of the playoffs: Two less-heralded stars embraced the moment. Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony rose to playoff superstardom, emerging as legitimate foils to the previously unparalleled greatness of James and Bryant, the league’s last two Most Valuable Players. In the process, each has created plenty of drama as the Orlando Magic and Denver Nuggets tirelessly try to break up commissioner David Stern’s dream matchup.
Howard ‘mdash; a 6-foot-11-inch center with a 40-inch vertical leap ‘mdash; has been Orlando’s savior in the same way King James has been Cleveland’s. Fresh out of high school, Howard was picked first overall in the 2004 NBA draft ‘mdash; one year after LeBron was drafted by the Cavs ‘mdash; and handed a limping organization looking for a spark after a 21-61 season. In the last five years, Howard’s burgeoning career has been defined by steady improvement and rim-rattling dunks.
Along the way, he won a gold medal for his country at the Athens Olympics and became the tallest player to win the dunk contest. This year alone, Howard led the league in blocks and rebounds, becoming the first person to earn three million All-Star votes; he was named Defensive Player of the Year.
But the real evidence has come in the playoffs, where legacies are made. Already, the Magic has eliminated the defending world champions the Boston Celtics, with Howard anchoring his team’s come-from-behind victory by dominating the inside. Now, in the Eastern Conference Finals against Cleveland, Howard is back. He averages 21 points and 13 rebounds as Orlando stands just two games away from a conference title.
Carmelo Anthony’s NBA journey hasn’t been as smooth as Howard’s ‘mdash; which makes his long-awaited success in the postseason all the more satisfying for Nuggets fans. Anthony burst onto the scene right after he won a national championship as a freshman at Syracuse University, and was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2003 Final Four. Immediately, unreal expectations were put on Anthony’s back when the Denver Nuggets drafted him in the same class as James and Dwayne Wade. Anthony struggled to live up to the hype, often playing selfishly and immaturely. Even worse was Denver’s inability to see any success in the playoffs under Anthony’s leadership, losing in the first round for five consecutive years.
At the tender age of 24, Anthony’s career looked to be flat-lining. But this season, a shrewd trade by Denver paired Anthony with an efficient distributor in Chauncey Billups ‘mdash; and it’s done wonders for his career. Despite averaging smaller numbers in the regular season than he put up in the last three years, Anthony became a better player, focusing on defense and leadership to help his team win.
That newfound mentality has helped Denver to its best season since 1984. Anthony has used the playoffs to prove he can still score as well as anyone, posting over 30 points in seven straight playoff games as the Nuggets try to unseat the heavily favored Lakers and reach the finals for the first time.
Thanks to Howard and Anthony, there’s still a chance that, come June 4, the Cavaliers and Lakers won’t be taking the floor for the first game of the NBA Finals. Each has used the 2
009 postseason spotlight to cement his status as one of the two brightest rising stars the league has to offer.