Defending Dwight

The Lakers made no secret of their success against Orlando’s Dwight Howard, who had 12 points on 1-for-6 shooting and grabbed 15 rebounds in Game 1. They played him straight-up for the most part, with occasional help from their guards. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, the Lakers’ 7-footers, used their quickness to keep Howard off balance. Bynum and Gasol each said the key was to prevent Howard from getting comfortable on the low block.