WATCH: Mavs Flat-Footed Boban Blocks Dwight Howard
Toss LeBron James and Luka Doncic into a gym together and naturally all eyeballs will point themselves in their direction.
But Dwight Howard vs. Boban Marjanovic?
That's worth a glance or two as well, as established in Thursday's NBA Bubble scrimmage in Orlando pitting the Dallas Mavericks against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Howard - physically-imposing himself - twice tried to go up and over the 7-4, 290-pound Marjanovic during Thursday’s exhibition between the Lakers and the Mavs. But Boban swatted away his attempt with ease.
Twice.
Without leaving his feet.
It was all part of a 108-104 Dallas win in which Boban played a key role. He entered the NBA re-boot averaging just over nine minutes per game on the season, But he's also coming off that final night before the COVID-19 hiatus, a win over Denver in which he contributed gigantic numbers.
“With Dwight (Powell) being out and Willie Cauley-Stein not being here, (Marjanovic is) very much in the mix,” coach Rick Carlisle said of his third-string center after Boban's 17-point, 13-rebound effort here. “Coming off what he did in the Denver game (on Mar. 11) in the last game of the hiatus when he had 31 and 17, he’s showing what he can do.''
Maybe the best part of the sequence showcases one of the best part of Boban's sunny presence. The chemistry of the Mavs is one of the reasons they'll enter the re-boot at 40-27, in seventh in the West, with a real chance to elevate in the standings ...
Even as Boban can block shots without actually elevating at all.
