Matt Hayes

A moment of silence, please, for Andrew Bynum.

Someone has to guard Dwight Howard, and next in line is Bynum. For the love of God, let’s hope he has more luck than everyone else.

Howard’s meteoric rise in the NBA playoffs hit another improbable high Saturday night in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. A league that has gone away from dominant big men this decade now finds itself smack in the middle of old school.

It’s Dwight Howard’s league, everyone. No matter what Nike says.

“If (Howard) continues to shoot the ball the way he has in the playoffs,” said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, “it’s going to be a long next decade for all of us.”

And a long NBA Finals for the Lakers.

June was supposed to bring us Kobe vs. LeBron, settling the best-in-the-world argument on the floor and giving Nike its marketing lovefest. Now after Orlando’s 103-90 victory over top-seeded Cleveland, we suddenly have Kobe vs. Big D. Or whatever you want to call it.

After watching Howard score 40 points in the biggest game of his young career, he doesn’t need some cheesy marketing campaign. He needs four more wins.

“I’m happy we won, but it’s over with, it’s done,” Howard said. “We have to move on.”

Here is where we return to Mr. Bynum, who despite what you’ve seen and heard and know about Kobe Bryant, is the key to the series for the Lakers. Ask Cleveland, which had the NBA’s best record and best defense, if having a superstar supersedes everything.

We can’t ask LeBron James, because after Howard and the Magic played nearly flawlessly and led the entire game, James jumped on the team bus without saying a word. He should’ve given some advice to Kobe: better find someone who can defend Howard.

The Sixers tried Samuel Dalembert in the first round. To this I say, who is Samuel Dalembert?

The Celtics tried Kendrick Perkins, who as young centers go, will be one of the league’s best in a few years. But not now — and certainly not against the punishing tidal wave that has become Howard’s postseason.

The Cavs, meanwhile, tried a combination of three players who didn’t have a prayer. And now we have Bynum. Or Pau Gasol. Or Lamar Odom.

Guess what? Those guys will be resigned to the same Hack-a-Howard defense implemented by Anderson Varejao. You’ve got a better chance saying Zydrunas Ilgauskas three times fast than anyone in the league has of guarding Howard.

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“He pretty much carried us on his back,” said Magic forward Rashard Lewis.

Think about this for a moment: James had one of the best runs in playoff history in this series, and it could've been over in four games. What will Bryant have to do to keep the Lakers — who lost both games to the Magic in the regular season — from succumbing to the game’s most dominant player?

There’s a reason Lakers coach Phil Jackson said earlier this season that he’d take Howard if he were starting a team today. Game 6 — and really, the entire series — was a microcosm of what league teams face for the foreseeable future.

Defend Howard one-on-one, and he scores or gets fouled. Or both. Collapse the defense in the paint, and he finds someone on the perimeter — his passing has grown by leaps this season — who will knock down a 3-pointer. And right now, everyone on the Magic other than Howard and backup center Marcin Gortat will hurt you beyond the arc.

The Cavs began the game with the idea of extending on the perimeter and forcing Howard to make shots (and free throws) for Orlando to advance to their first Finals since 1995. Howard hit 8-of-12 field goals and had 21 points in the half.

In the second half, the Cavs collapsed on Howard, and the Magic hit five 3s (12 in the game), and Howard had 19 points and four assists.

“We were put in a situation,” said Cavs guard Mo Williams, “where we were hoping they missed shots.”

Howard woke the day before Game 6 and texted every one of his teammates, saying it was time to dominate. The reality is, he has been doing it all along in these playoffs.

“If we run, defend and rebound, we can beat anyone,” Howard said. “At the end of the Finals, we should have a ring. We should have a trophy.”

The only thing standing in the way is Andrew Bynum.

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