To win a championship in the NBA, it takes a ton of hard work. There is a reason why not every great player wins a championship in this league. A lot of things have to break just right during the playoff run to get it done and hoist that trophy.
New Philadelphia 76ers center Dwight Howard is coming off a title run with the Los Angeles Lakers that was one of the hardest to win in the history of the game. They had to win a title through a pandemic, a massive Civil Rights movement, and they had to be in a bubble away from family and friends in order to stay safe.
To win a championship under these conditions meant that was time to come together and work toward one common goal.
“I think the biggest thing is unity and focus,” Howard explained. “We were on the same page every day no matter what it was and that’s where it starts. It starts with unity. It starts with everybody being committed to one common goal and I feel like me and Danny (Green) witnessed that. We saw how being on the same page, how powerful that is on the court and off the court.”
Howard then went into how important it was for the team to just focus on that goal and how he thinks this Sixers team can do it this season.
“Focus, it’s easy to lose focus in an NBA season,” Howard added. “With the traveling to your family and friends and different situations. Focus all year throughout the pandemic, both the pandemics, focus. We had to keep our eyes on the prize. I think that if we do that this year, I don’t see nobody stopping us or beating us in a 7-game series. We have the talent, we have the great coaching staff, we have the will, I think we have the championship pedigree to at least get us over the hump in the East, but also win us a championship.”
For the Sixers to truly get it done, they will need their two stars, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, to step up and lead the charge. After coming up short in the past, Howard believes that now is the time for them due to the fact that he has been in that situation before during his early days with the Orlando Magic.
“You have two great young stars in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid,” said the veteran center. “I watched when Joel lost and how bad it hurt, he just cried. I know what that feels like. I’ve been in that moment before where it’s like ‘I gave everything I had. I put it all on the line and I come up short’, it doesn’t sit well with you. It stays with you for a very long time. With him, I know he has the fire inside of him. We have all seen glimpses of it all year. I think this is the year where it’s about being focused. I see focus in him. I see focus in Ben and that’s where it starts, with our two best players.”
The rest of the roster is also filled with talented players who have not won yet in this league and that is what is on Howard’s mind and why he chose Philadelphia.
“You look at the rest of the team, they’ve all been hungry,” he finished with. “They just never knew how to win and I think by adding a guy like Danny Green and myself, we’re fresh off winning a championship and it’s like we all know what it takes to really get to the next level. I think it’s a really great opportunity. You got a coach who’s always talking about how important is to win and you got some players who just won. I think this year, with the focus that this team will have and the drive that we have to be successful, it will be our year.” [lawrence-related id=39496,39493,39490]