Superheroes in shorts.
One is Superman, a powerful, 6-11 shot-blocking machine who went so far as to reject his coach during the postseason.
The other’s a King, and based on recent royal command performances, his reign might be just beginning.
Dwight Howard and LeBron James have known each other for years. Casual friends, former No. 1 overall draft picks as teenagers and U.S. Olympic teammates who won gold medals together last summer, they have been undeniable forces on the court this season.
And they are about to collide.
After sitting around for the second time in these NBA playoffs, James and the series-sweeping Cleveland Cavaliers, who broomed Detroit and Atlanta into early summer vacations, are expecting a much stiffer challenge from the Howard-led Orlando Magic when the Eastern Conference finals begin tonight.
All eyes will be on Howard and James, the getting-better-by-the-day superstars who have each elevated their games and carried their teams to new heights.
“We both work hard in the offseason, and we’re both happy we’re in this situation right now,” James said.
Orlando won both matchups at home against Cleveland during the regular season, including a 116-87 thrashing on April 3 - the Cavaliers’ worst loss in 90 games.
Cleveland has lost once since that mauling by the Magic, and that setback came in overtime in the April 15 season finale against Philadelphia, a game James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mo Williams sat out to get extra rest for the playoffs.
Coming off a second-round upset of the defending champion Boston Celtics, the Magic, which won Game 7 on Boston’s parquet floor, is confident heading into Game 1.
“We’re not satisfied,” Howard said. “Yeah, we are happy we got past the second round. But we’re not satisfied. We don’t want to just be happy and hand them the series. We have enough talent to win a championship, and we don’t want to let an opportunity slip by.”
Same goes for the Cavs, who don’t seem too concerned about the Magic despite last month’s lopsided road loss.
“Hopefully they’re comfortable and feeling themselves right now,” Williams said. “We’re a different team - trust me. We’re motivated to play. We’re focused.”
Cleveland was the NBA’s top defensive unit during the regular season and is limiting opponents to 40 percent shooting and just 78.1 points in the playoffs. The Magic, averaging 96.1 points in the postseason, shot 54 percent in the April 3 win over Cleveland, making 13 of 27 3-pointers.
And while the Cavaliers are balanced, they have something the Magic can’t match: James.
The league MVP has taken his game to an even higher level in the playoffs. He’s averaging 32.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and seems more determined than ever to deliver a title to a city that hasn’t celebrated a championship since the Browns won it all in 1964.
In three games against Orlando, James averaged 30.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists. On March 17, he had 43 points in a 97-93 win.
Howard feels there’s only one approach to take in guarding James.
“You can’t be afraid,” the NBA Defensive Player of the Year said. “When he comes down the lane, you have to stand in the lane. You have sacrifice your body for the betterment of the team.”
James, 24, was flattered to hear Hall of Famer Jerry West say James has surpassed the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant as the league’s best player.
“That’s great,” James said. “That’s the man who is the logo of the NBA. You can’t play basketball without seeing Jerry West every single day. For him to say something like that is humbling."
