Dwight Howard

The exciting game between Orlando Magic and Miami Heat was the scenery for two emotional historic record sets for both teams. The first, which caught the attention of both the public and players of the two teams, was the ceremonial act in which Alonzo Mourning was retired definitely from his professional basketball career and his jersey with number 33 was placed at the top of the American Airlines Arena, becoming the first player number retired by the franchise. However, even though this was supposed to be a night for Miami, Dwight Howard got a record for the Magic, and was named the youngest player in the history of the NBA to reach the enormous figure of 5000 rebounds, with which Howard was able to surpass the record imposed by Wilt Chamberlain.

Both situations filled the fans with emotion. For his part Mourning could not help the tears to fall during his honorific event as he remembered his great moments on the field and his strong fight against a serious kidney disease, which was the reason why he previously had to withdraw in 2003 and then returned to the court in 2006 after recovering from his condition. That same year he led the Miami Heat to obtain the championship trophy of the NBA. The ceremony for Mourning was extended for 43 minutes at half time, with the participation of renowned figures such as former team coach Pat Riley, the governor of Florida and former superstar and teammate of Alonzo, Patrick Ewing.

However, just as there was such great enthusiasm over the halftime by the retirement of Mourning, during the game time the excitement came from Dwight Howard, who at his 23 years-old and with impressive talent, reached the record of 5,000 rebounds, surpassing Chamberlain, who achieved it when he was 25. Howard's record was combined with a final score of 95-101, which became the sixth consecutive win for the Magic with Howard as key player. This result puts the team of Orlando back in the second place of the Eastern Conference, surpassing the Boston Celtics.

Dwight Howardâ€™s contribution from for the Magicâ€™s victory was of 22 points and 18 rebounds, reaching a total of 5007 rebounds so far. At the end of the game, Howard expressed his joy for the triumph of his team and for the new achievement in his career, something that makes him stand out and places him among the best in the NBA. Howard also made it very clearly that his intention was not to overshadow the celebration of Alonzo Mourning, for whom he has great admiration and considers him a great athlete and a source of inspiration, not only for him but also for many other players.

Above everything, and without the intention of underestimated the celebration of Mourning, getting the victory was the main objective of the Orlando Magic, since this victory gives them the opportunity to move forward and fight to imposed the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and also gives them the possibility to enter the contest to fight for the division title and a spot in the NBA finals, which are around the corner already.

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