In Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday, the Rockets' center took a modest, knee-braced step toward shedding that rap.A game-time decision due to a sprained left knee, Howard responded with 19 points and 17 rebounds in a 99-98 loss to Golden State."I just tried to play as hard as I could tonight," said Howard, who was limited to 26 minutes in Game 1 after a first-quarter collision with teammate Josh Smith.Howard didn't appear to be moving well early, as Warriors center Andrew Bogut got off to a fast start with two dunks and a block in the opening minutes.Howard, who missed two months of the regular season with a right knee injury, played 40 minutes against the Warriors on Thursday and appeared to get stronger as the game went on."What can you say? I mean, the guy played fantastic," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said.McHale added that Howard got caught a few times drifting too far toward the ball while guarding Bogut in the post, and Howard zeroed in on two improvements for the Rockets as they head back to Houston down 2-0 in the series: guarding inbounds plays and forcing Warriors guard Stephen Curry to drive to the basket rather than ignite Golden State's long-range...