Lebron James, Dwight Howard | featured news

You don’t have to warn Mike Brown about expectations next season with the Lakers. This is, after all, the guy who lived with the would-be championship burden of LeBron James sitting on his back in Cleveland. Sure, the Lakers have added Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, among others, to their roster this summer. Sure, he can feel those 16 previous championships staring down from the rafters and the record books.

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder top the Western Conference, while Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and LeBron James of the Miami Heat lead the Eastern Conference after the first returns of 2011 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by T-Mobile. Bryant, The Finals MVP last season, is the overall leader with 722,682 votes.

LeBron James scored 36 points, Shaquille O'Neal provided an inside presence and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Orlando Magic 102-93 on Wednesday night in a rematch of the Eastern Conference finals....

As LeBron James pulled up for the final shot, Orlando's crowd gasped, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy gulped and time stood still. Spinning through the air, James' 3-pointer looked good. Not this time, MVP. This was a Magic night. Dwight Howard scored 10 points in overtime and Orlando, raining down 3-pointers like a Florida thunderstorm, withstood 44 points and the last-second fling by James for a 116-114...

From an unforgettable shot to a cheap one. Three games in, the Eastern Conference finals have grown a little nasty. Dwight Howard scored 24 points -- 14 on free throws -- and Rafer Alston added 18 as the Orlando Magic, sick of seeing replays of LeBron James' dramatic buzzer-beater to win Game 2, downed the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-89 on Sunday night to take a 2-1 lead in the series.