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Dwight Howard - Source: Reuters -
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Dwight Howard is known to Orlando Magic fans as "Superman", but on Friday the All-Star centre was undone by his own personal kryptonite - free throws.
Howard had 16 points, grabbed 21 rebounds and had nine blocks in Game Four of the NBA finals but it is two blown free throws with just 11.1 seconds left that he will be remembered for.
With the Magic holding an 87-84 lead, making even one of the throws would probably have been enough to seal the win and give the hosts a fighting chance in the best-of-seven series.
Instead, fans of title-starved Orlando could only watch in disbelief as Howard went from superhero to zero.
"I just missed them," said the muscular, 6-foor-11 centre.
"I've been working on my free throws. They just weren't falling tonight. There's no need to get down on myself.
"I did a lot of good things, just free throws weren't there. Not just for me but for everybody. We missed a lot of key free throws."
Orlando made only 22 of 37 free throws but that stat would have meant nothing had Howard made either of the shots.
Lakers thrive
By contrast, the Lakers' 34-year-old guard Derek Fisher thrived under the pressure, drilling a three-pointer with less than five seconds left to send the game into overtime.
The Lakers, who went on to secure a 99-91 victory , now hold a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and can seal their first title since 2002 with a win in Orlando on Sunday.
"We can't hang our heads," said Howard. "We still believe. There's no reason to have any doubts right now. We know the position that we're in, but we're not going to stop fighting."
While Howard has improved from the foul line, hitting nearly 62% in the series, he clearly still has work to do.
Even Hedo Turkoglu, an 80% free-throw shooter this season, missed four in the final quarter, including three in the final five minutes.
The Magic are now trying to become the first team to win a championship after losing three of the first four games.
"Coach (Stan Van Gundy) is a little angry tonight about the outcome of the game, just like we all are," Howard said. "But when we get up tomorrow, the sun is going to come out.
"And we'll get ready for Game Five."
