LOS ANGELES — Bob Heather has more Superman stuff than Superman.
At his home in Westminster, the 38-year-old has “thousands” of Superman comics, a Superman leather jacket, a Superman silk robe, Superman posters, Superman statues and 20 to 30 Superman shirts, many of which he never wears, because “sometimes I buy stuff just to have it.”
Heather, who works at Mile High Comics, loves his hoops, too. (He adores the Nuggets, abhors the Lakers.) So imagine his reaction during the 2008 slam dunk contest, when Orlando’s Dwight Howard ripped off his jersey, revealing an “S” on his chest.
“I was jumping up and down,” Heather said. “I was looking for somebody to high-five, but I was by myself.”
That night, Howard put on a red cape, soaring toward the rim and into our lives. After his dunk, even the casual fan knew of the NBA’s “Superman.” At Heather’s work, where there’s constant trash-talk between fans of Superman and Batman, Heather posted a photo of Howard with the words: “Batman can’t dunk.”
And tonight, in the NBA Finals, Howard will be the focal point of the Lakers. For Orlando to have shot in these Finals, Howard will likely need to be Superman.
“We’re going to try to put some kryptonite down along the lane,” said Lakers assistant coach Jim Cleamons, a Phil Jackson confidant, first in Chicago and now in Los Angeles.
Howard is so filled out, it looks like he could pop. The 6-foot-11, chiseled center makes California’s governor look like Colorado’s. During the regular season, in which Howard won the defensive player of the year award, he led the NBA in rebounds (13.8), blocks (2.9) and dunks (202), while averaging 20.2 points per game.
“He’s a physical freak,” Heather said. “He and Superman both can do things that no one else can do.”
OK — the dude’s pretty good. So how will the Lakers somehow slow him down?
“I don’t think there are any real tricks,” said Cleamons, who said that Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and even seldom-used D.J. Mbenga will spend time on Howard.
“You just try to make him work for what he gets. And if you do that, you have to accept that. We’re not a team noted for hard fouls, but we’re going to try to defend him physically. We’re going to try to keep the ball out of his hands as much as we can. Make him catch the ball up high in the lane or off the lane. And we’re going to come at him — we’re going to try to make him put the ball on the floor.
“And we’re well-versed in who his teacher is.”
Howard’s mentor is Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing, the legendary Knicks center. When Cleamons scouts Orlando film, it sometimes reminds him of viewing New York film in his Bulls days.
On Wednesday, Howard shared Ewing’s advice: “Have fun — and take advantage of the moment.”
Really, it has been the way Howard has approached this postseason.
The Magic, many thought, were a year away from serious title contention. But they knocked off a beleaguered Boston team in a dramatic seven-game semifinal. After Orlando’s Game 5 loss, the normally light-hearted Howard went public about wanting the ball more, and in Game 6, he scored 23 points with 22 rebounds. (“I guess Dwight Howard was right,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.) Then, in the decisive Game 7 — at Boston — the Magic won by 19.
In the conference finals, the Magic was supposed to be five fall guys to LeBron James and Cleveland. But if James didn’t hit the most-dramatic shot of the season in Game 2, the Magic would have been up 2-0 heading back to Orlando. Instead, it was just a temporary setback, and the Magic won the series in six, with Howard putting up 40 and 14 in the clincher.
“After that game, I was very emotional,” Howard said, “because everything I worked for — in the gym, weight room, track — was starting to pay off. But when I woke up the next morning, I really had forgotten about the conference finals. My focus is on the NBA Finals, and what I need to do as the captain and leader of my team to get everybody ready for what’s ahead.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
