Today is the day, my wonderful American friends. I’m sure it’s being shoved down your throat everywhere you turn, but it needs to be said again, make sure you go out and get your vote on!
Today is also one day removed from Allen Iverson’s first game with the Pistons. Maybe he won’t dress, maybe he will, but if all goes as planned Allen Iverson will be here tomorrow, in Toronto. My goodness, I feel like the heavens are opening and angels are singing a special song just for me. I was thinking last week there was no way to top the season opener at the ACC, well, thanks for reminding me that I don’t know what I’m talking about.
Ivy as a bad boy. I love this. I’m not loving the reaction from the Pistons players, so lets hope they are just a bit rattled and will welcome Allen with open arms. I know Stucks should give up that number three jeresy, but wouldn’t it be nice to see Ivy make a switch and maybe wear number 1 or something else that is new to signify a new 
start/direction?
Dwight Howard. Is killing me with his free throws. Man alive, this boy needs to spend some time sorting them out. U-G-L-Y. Keep swatting those shots, though, thanks.
Marc Gasol made my decision to pick him up in the second to last round of my fantasy draft look wise last night. Let’s do this again, MG.
What is going on in Dallas? It’s so odd to think of only two years ago and then to look at them now. Last night was a disaster if I’ve ever seen one and I still can’t figure out how it was a two-point game when I flipped over in the third and then suddenly a twenty-point game near the end of the fourth.
The Warriors fourth quarter of basketball last night was the most painful thing I have seen in a long time. Tired legs + long jumpers = my groaning at the tv, time after time after time.
That being said, Andris Biedrins is one of the most underrated players out there. At least in my opinion. He’s that guy that when you look down at a boxscore, you notice hes got 20-20, or at least 20-15 and you wonder how and when he made that happen. I’m a big fan of Andris.
Go check out my SwaggerJack column at HP for a piece of Rod Benson’s poetry. Yes, yes I do adore that guy, his status updates and of course his writing. Also, hop over to Ball Don’t Lie, and watch the video of his teammates debating who is better, Kobe or Jordan. Seems right up the alley of everyone who would ever read this Post Up. I enjoyed it.
I’m sure Marcel will have this covered, but I am pretty excited for the Houston/Boston game tonight.
Okay, let’s get to the game action.
Orlando 96 Chicago 93
Another game, another dominant performance from Dwight Howard. Good thing, because the Magic needed all 22 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocked shots from their superstar to stave off a late run from the Chicago Bulls and hang on to defeat them, 96-93 last night. While the Bulls led by as many as nine points early on in the contest, Orlando quickly took control and went up by ten, 31-21 at the end of the first quarter. They continued to build their lead and were up by as many as 19 points in the game, before the Bulls began their charge in the fourth. Scraping and hustling, Chicago forced the Magic into turnovers and then put Howard on the line where he struggled mightily, shooting only 4-11 for the night. When Ben Gordon missed a shot that would have tied the game with 15 seconds remaining, the Magic got lucky as Rashard Lewis knocked down half of his free throws to help his team escape with the W. Besides Howard’s big night, Lewis had 21 points and 11 boards, while Jameer Nelson and Keith Bogans each scored 13. Drew Gooden had 21 points to lead the Bulls while Andres Nocioni scored 20 and Ben Gordon added 17. Rookie Derrick Rose had 14 in the loss.
Cleveland 100 Dallas 81
While the boxscore shows a dominating night for the Cavs, this was a win they had to work for after allowing a 16-point first half lead turn into a tie-game midway through the third quarter against the Dallas Mavericks last night. When things got tough, Cleveland turned to LeBron James and also got a surprise burst from Mo Williams in the fourth quarter as the two combined to bust the game open and lead the Cavaliers to a blow out 100-81 victory over the Mavs. After breaking the tie to go into the fourth up six, the Cavs held Dallas to only 15 points in the final period while scoring 28 of their own, going up by as many as 25 before it was over. James finished with 29 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 17 points and 11 rebounds and both Mo Williams and Delonte West each added 14 points. Josh Howard led the Mavs offensively with 18 points while Antoine Wright added 10 as Dirk Nowitzki was held to only 8 points on 3-11 shooting.
Detroit 101 Charlotte 83
On the eve of the trade that will bring Allen Iverson to the Pistons, Detroit was able to defeat the Bobcats easily, despite being without Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess, both on their way to Denver. While Detroit was a bit shaken up at the news of the trade, they found a way to easily forget any distraction when the game began and they led throughout the first half, holding onto a 12-point advantage at the half. The Bobcats would cut into the lead, but not for long as the Pistons put in a 31-point third quarter while holding Charlotte to only 40 points over the entire second half. Rip Hamilton led the way with 19 points for the Pistons as Rasheed Wallace scored 15 and Amir Johnson scored 12 points as did Will Bynum off of the bench. Shannon Brown had 16 points to lead the Bobcats as Gerald Wallace scored 15 and grabbed 12 boards and Emeka Okafor added 11 in the loss.
Memphis 90 Golden State 79
While Andris Biedrins put together another strong performance on the boards and offensive end, the Warriors as a whole dropped the ball when they forgot to figure out a way to stop Grizzlies rookie Marc Gasol last night. After the Grizzlies came out strong and went up 29-24 at the end of one, they were able to maintain their lead at the half and slowly pull away in the third thanks to a 13-2 run to take a 73-67 advantage into the final quarter. The fourth was ugly for both teams, with the Grizzlies winning the quarter, despite scoring only 17 points. Golden State went cold, frigid from the floor, scoring only 12 points in the quarter and settling for jumpers rather than being patient and going inside, allowing the Grizzlies to maintain a double-digit lead throughout the majority of the fourth quarter. Gasol had 27 points and 16 rebounds while shooting 9-11 from the field. Rudy Gay had 14 points and OJ Mayo added 13. Andris Biedrins was big for Golden State, scoring 16 points to go along with 22 rebounds, Stephen Jackson had 17 points and Corey Maggette added 13 in the loss that dropped the Warriors to 1-3 on the season.
