Boston's poor showing, however, was aided and abetted by big-time performances from several of the home team's players.

Dwight Howard certainly stepped up with 22 rebounds, 23 points, two assists and three blocks. Thirteen of his points came as a result of his muscular offensive rebounding. Six points eventuated from alert assist passes from his teammates. His own pivot moves resulted in a dunk, a sensational lefty flip, and three missed right handed jump-hooks. It should also be noted that eight of his defensive rebounds were totally unopposed.

Howard also made several sensational plays on defense, particularly when operating against Glen Davis. But Kendrick Perkins just about played Howard on even terms.

So what about Howard's complaint that he didn't get enough touches in Game 5?

It depends on what he meant by "touches." If he meant entry passes into him in the low-post which would enable him to generate his own shots — he was dead wrong. His with-the-ball offense is still very crude. He has difficulty picking the ball up and making accurate passes whenever he's doubled on the move. And he's unreliable at the stripe.

But if he meant that his teammates should look for him when he sprints to the front of the rim in early offense, or set up lob passes if he's fronted, or try to find him in screen/roll sequences — then he was right on.