Dwight Howard is averaging 21.7 points and 14.6 rebounds a game, so when he goes out and scores just eight points with eight boards, you'd think that Stan Van Gundy would be a little upset, right? Actually, it was the exact opposite.

"I know I look at the game a lot differently than a lot of people, but Dwight had eight points and eight rebounds tonight and I thought it was one of his best games of the year," said Van Gundy. "I thought in the third quarter his defensive performance was incredible. I thought for 12 minutes it was virtually impossible for them to get anything around the basket. He was changing shots. And I think what it did, too, was our other guys picked up their defensive intensity  because they could get out and guard people knowing that if they got beat he was back there, either erasing or changing everything. So, eight points and eight rebounds for a guy who's had several 20-20 games and I think it's one of his best games of the year. I thought it was outstanding."

Howard, who shot just 2-9 from the field, was credited with four blocks, but that only begins to explain the defensive presence he was during the middle two quarters. Detroit shot 35% from the field in the second and just 14.3% in the third. He talked about his defense after the game. 

"Well, you know, on the offensive side I really couldn't get nothing going," he said. "I just tried to pick it up on the defensive end, making sure every time someone came into the lane I was contesting trying to block. I guess it worked."

Orlando came into the game having lost 10 of their last 11 against the Pistons, but with the win they split the season series 2-2. "It just feels good to beat these guys. They're an excellent team and they're a team we look up to. So to beat them at their home is very tough," said Howard. "We feel very proud of ourselves, but we're not satisfied with our win tonight. We still got a long way to go. We know that we're going to have to see those guys again, so we really got to be focused in the next games we have until we play those guys again."

Eventually the topic of conversation shifted to the All-Star weekend and his performance in the Slam Dunk contest. He described practicing his dunks in front of his teammates and going with the ones that his teammate's liked best. But I couldn't let the opportunity pass without bringing up a topic a lot of fans have talked about ...

Me: "I've got to ask, you didn't actually touch the rim on that dunk. Did you think you would have to do it again?"

Dwight: "See, the thing is, for people who never dunked before, you don't have to touch the rim to dunk the ball. People were saying that it wasn't a dunk because I didn't touch the rim – you know, a lot of dunks I do during the season I don't ever touch the rim, it's just the fact that I put it in. And I wanted it to have the effect that it's impossible what I did, so that's why I threw it in like that."

Me: "You probably would've broken your hand if you touched the rim considering how hard you threw it ..."

Dwight: "Yeah, but you see, the thing was, I wanted to throw it in. That way it would have looked a lot more cooler, and people would have been like, there's no way that somebody could possibly do that but Superman."

Both teams played well in the first half – Orlando is shooting an even 50% from the field, while the Pistons are at 47.6%. So how did the Magic enter the break with a seven-point (52-45) lead? Two reasons: 1) they've hit their long shots – they're 4-5 from beyond the arc, while the Pistons are just 0-6. 2) they played with the most effort in the second, winning the quarter 32-20. The Magic also seem to be getting the benefit of some close calls, but the Pistons can't be too upset considering Orlando only has two more free throws at the break.

It looks like Jason Maxiell used the All-Star break wisely, resting up for the stretch run. He's been all over the place, finishing the half with five points, six boards and a block in just six and a half minutes. He looked a little worn down at times over the last month, so the Pistons will be in for a nice bonus if he's rejuvenated for the rest of the way.

That's all for now – check back after the game for the rest of my thoughts.

Listening to Flip Saunders and Stan Van Gundy before the game, it's obvious that they have very different ideas about where their teams are. Saunders talked about how his team needs to maintain their intensity even when they get so far ahead of the pack; Van Gundy, meanwhile, admitted that his team flat-out needs to get better.

Here's what Saunders had to say: "I think the second half is going to be like we did the first half. We're going to take each game one game at a time and try to play each game like a playoff game. I think it's a proven fact, when you look at a lot of sports, teams that try to coast into the playoffs have a tendency at some point to run into a bump and not play very well. I think it's better to continue to to play at that high level. And you can do that when you have depth. I think from our standpoint, the way our second unit has played, they'll be able to keep that intensity level up for hopefully every night that we play."

And here's a decidedly less optimistic Van Gundy talking about : "I think we have to be very focused on the process. First of all, we're quite a bit behind Boston and Detroit. We don't even have a playoff bid locked up at this point. So we have to be focused there. And  we've got to get a lot better to be able to compete at a playoff level. Our game has to improve at both ends of the floor, significantly. And so that gives enough I think motivation to try to play better and get better every single night."

Van Gundy also spoke at length about what Dwight Howard needs to do in order to take the Magic to that next level, as well as his point guard rotation. Look for more on those topics in the next couple of days. That's all for now – check back at halftime for my thoughts from courtside.

I'll be at the Palace tonight as the Pistons host the Magic in a matchup of division leaders. The Pistons have won 10 of their past 11 against Orlando, but don't be surprised if Dwight Howard rides the momentum of his impressive All-Star weekend with some excellent play the rest of the way. Check back later today as I file pre-game, halftime and post-game reports, and if you have any questions, leave them in them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them.