It’s definitely not the way he imagined it, but Dwight Howard is starting for the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals and he’s doing so in the city he represented 11 years ago as a member of the Orlando Magic. According to the box score, Dwight Howard is officially listed as the starter at center, as he was in the last few games of the Western Conference Finals. Frank Vogel declined to reveal his starting lineup during his media availability 90 minutes before the game.
Howard was crucial in helping the Lakers earn three of their four victories in the Western Conference Finals, being physical with Denver’s Nikola Jokic. He will have to do more of the same, while staying focused, against Miami’s All-Star center Bam Adebayo.
Lakers starters: LeBron, KCP, Green, Davis and Howard.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 1, 2020
LeBron James and the Lakers have talked about their belief in Dwight Howard all season. He has rarely started during his second stint with the Lakers, but it’s a stint he said he wanted to give his everything to. That effort has now landed him in the starting lineup of the NBA Finals 11 years since his last Finals start.
