<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Dwight Howard prepared for Wednesday's marquee matchup against Houston's Yao Ming by getting in a post-practice weight-lifting session that featured six sets of 310-pound bench presses. Meanwhile, Yao worked on his conditioning, running extra sprints because he knew he would have a night of chasing the gazelle-like Howard up and down the floor. At 7-foot-6, Yao is a giant among giants even in the NBA. But he said it's Howard, whose rare combination of power, speed and off-the-charts athleticism is one of the most unique and complete centers is the NBA. "Even though we're both natural big men, we play different," Yao said. "I play a little like (Cleveland's Zydrunas) Ilgauskas. Dwight Howard plays more like a Shaq, very down in the paint, trying to finish with a dunk every time. "Just think, how many players are like Dwight Howard, his body, his age and his success level. You can't count on us having a Dwight Howard come out every year. It's like why is Shaq Shaq?" Both Yao and Howard said they fear matchups between dominant low-post players will someday become a thing of the past. "I feel like we're dinosaurs, almost done," Yao said. Howard said he can't get over just how incredibly large Yao is, from his tree-trunk-like legs to his lengthy reach. "I was wondering, 'Why are his legs so big?' Then, I went to China and I realized he must have ridden a bike his whole life," Howard said. "I always wonder, what if I was 7-6 and still doing the same stuff I do now? That would be like having a cheat code on a video game."</div> Courtesy Florida Today
cheat code, haha. That's awesome. I would love to be friends with Dwight Howard, seriously. Have you ever seen him joking around on TV? He's just like me and my friends, and we have a running joke about cheat codes. That said, I'm thankful a big like Dwight has come into the league. We need more players with power down low, who are more willing to go close to the basket to get a shot down than to shoot it from 15 feet away. You're a big, you should be down low.
