BABY SHAQ?

Orlando center Dwight Howard knocked down the 24-second shot clock above the basket with a ferocious dunk the first time he touched the ball in last night's Eastern Conference final against the Cleveland Cavaliers. After grabbing a rebound, Howard went up underneath and slammed the ball through with both hands and pulled on the rim for Orlando's first basket. The 24-second stanchion, a 5-foot-tall appendage that has cameras mounted to its top, then fell slowly backward. A maintenance crew came out with ladders but couldn't fix the clock. The shot clock at the opposite end was turned off and two portable units were placed on both baselines. A tape measure was then brought out to check if Howard had pulled the rim lower than its required 10 feet. Play was stopped for eight minutes.