ORLANDO — Despite averaging 15.4 points, 15.2 rebounds and 4.0 blocked shots in the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard heard criticism.

Develop more post moves. Be more patient. Improve his free throw shooting.
Howard missed two free throws in Game 4 when one would probably have given the Magic a win. The Lakers went on to win the NBA title in five games.
Howard made 35 of 58 (60.3 percent) free throws overall in the Finals. That makes him no different - and even more accurate - than some of the game’s greatest big men. Wilt Chamberlain was a 51.1 percent career free throw shooter; Bill Russell 56.1 percent.
Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal is shooting 52.8 percent from the line for his career.
Then again, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shot 72.1 percent from the line.
Because so much is expected of him, “I’m going to get criticized no matter what I do in life,” Howard says.
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy is sick of hearing what his All-NBA center can’t do. Before the Lakers’ 99-86 Game 5 win, Van Gundy ran into a TV commentator - he wouldn’t say who except that it wasn’t his brother, ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy.
”He started jumping on Dwight’s offensive game, and it just (hacked) me off,” Van Gundy says. “Does (Howard) have things he needs to work on? Yeah, he does. He’s 23 years old, for God’s sakes. Can we ever talk about his positives?
”People don’t go out and get 21 rebounds and nine blocks in NBA Finals games. Can we give this guy some respect ... instead of nit-picking every little thing he can’t do?”
Van Gundy thinks some players get a pass when they make mistakes.
“To me, (NBA MVP) LeBron James loses against us, OK? And he didn’t play a very good Game 6,” Van Gundy says. ”Now he’s a great player. But nobody wrote that he didn’t play a good Game 6. The only story afterward was, “He needs more help.’
”Dwight misses two free throws, and his offense isn’t good enough. ... When Dwight misses free throws, the first question I got was, “Does it have to do with Finals experience?’ When Kobe (Bryant) missed five free throws in Game 3, he was ’tired.’ ”
There is no question, however, that Howard must improve his post moves this summer, something he has vowed to do.
”It’s just as simple as backing a guy in and using a jump hook. The key is repetition,” ABC analyst Mark Jackson says. “He’s already had tremendous success. The next step is being hungry enough to say, ”I can get better and I will get better.’ The good news is, he’s done that so far.”
Howard knows he must also continue to grow emotionally.
“A lot of things didn’t go my way and I got a little frustrated, and I think that’s one of the biggest areas that I can improve on,” he says. ”I know my game will continue to get better because I’m an extremely hard worker. I work on my game every day. So I’m not worried about that part.
“I have a lot of confidence. I’m 23. God willing, I will have a long career without any major injuries. You know, I’ve got a great feeling that we’ll have a chance to be back. There’s no doubt in my mind about that.”