New Beast of the East

The Orlando Magic defeated the New Orleans Hornets 95-88 on Monday night, pushing their record to an impressive 10-2. The Magic would seem to be amongst the upper eschelon in the East now, as the Bulls have fallen off the map. And there also seems to be a passing of the torch. Recent reports and analysts have discussed how Shaq is beaten up and just not the same as before. Shaquille, the former Magic star, now gives way to a new star in Orlando, the East, and the NBA, the youngster named Dwight Howard.

The Orlando Magic were slightly criticized when they passed over a guy like Emeka Okafor in the draft a few years ago. After all, Okafor had stayed in college, while Howard had just attended his high school prom. Okafor had the solid skills and made the grade, but the Orlando head office saw D-Howard's potential. And that potential is starting to pay major dividends. The Magic are on pace to probably be contending with Boston and Detroit for the Eastern Conference title. Dwight Howard gives them a reason to believe they can easily take it, as he dominates down low.

To prove the point, the Magic were the first team to dethrone the undefeated Celtics. Howard was of course was instrumental in the win, although many contend KG was not playing at his best and may have had the flu. Howard was named Eastern Conference player of the past week, as he averages 23.3 points and 13.3 rebounds. He lead his team to a 4-0 record in games last week. Howard just may be the new Shaq of the East, a dominant force who will be winning several rings.