Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 9:00 am  |  59 responses

Post Up: Lakers Outlast OKC

Dirk did Dallas proud.

by Holly MacKenzie/@stackmack

Wow. Nice set of games last night, hey? We’ve been spoiled in this opening week.

I’ve got to start out by saying this is going to be a short post today. It’s just the way it has to be. I’ve got the Pistons in town tomorrow and my wrists are absolutely burning right now. It’s Tuesday night as I write this and Atlanta is up by four with just under a minute and a half to go in this Atlanta/Portland game. After an ugly first half, the Blazers made it interesting in the second.

Game of the night had to be Lakers/Thunder, right? I didn’t even see most of this as I was liveblogging the Suns/Heat over at The Score, but damn, what I did see was wild.

Kevin Durant so morphed into rookie Kobe Byrant in Utah with the airballs in crunch time last night. Minus the playoffs and all of that, of course. It just showed KD35 will be great in time, just like Kobe. Also, Lamar Odom airballing that free throw? What was up with that? I just can’t believe that the Thunder not only hung in there with the Lakers, but took them to overtime and barely allowed them to escape with a victory despite the nightmare airballs in the end.

Kobe played with flu-like symptoms but hit the final basket for the Lakers in overtime, despite turning the ball over seven times. He finished with 31 points as Andrew Bynum had 22 points and 10 boards and Ron Artest scored 20. Durant led the Thunder with 28 as Jeff Green added 18.

There was a crazy game in Chicago that ended with Derrick Rose blocking a shot by Brandon Jennings, Ersan Ilyasova taking an awful three and the Bulls escaping with a victory after coming back from 18 down in the third quarter. I only got to catch the fourth quarter of this one, but really, can anyone deny me the right to say that Brandon Jennings is going to be oh so great and sooner than people thought, too?

Didn’t think so.

Jennings finished with 25 points as Andrew Bogut scored 16 points to go with 13 rebounds. For the Bulls Luol Deng was a monster, scoring 24 points to go with 20 rebounds and Rose finished with 16 points and five assists, but also five turnovers.

The Heat and Suns were in a close game down the stretch before the Heat fell apart in the fourth quarter, getting outscored 29-15 as Steve Nash fuelled the Suns to their fourth victory to start the season. Nash finished with 30 points, 25 of them in the second half as the Suns simply proved too potent in the fourth for the Heat to try and contain. Dwyane Wade had 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Heat who dropped their first of the season.

Carmelo finally had a rough shooting night from the floor, finishing just 6-of-17 in Indy, but he still racked up 23 points on the night as the Nuggets easily dealt the Pacers another loss.

I heard Gil was looking good in the first half of the Cleveland/Washington game, but again, I didn’t get to see it. Unfortunately for the Wizards, LeBron and the Cavs don’t fade easily and Cleveland put in a strong second half to get the 102-90 victory, Bron leading the way with 27/8/6/3 as Shaquille O’Neal added 21. Arenas and Caron Butler scored 22 points apiece for the Wiz.

On Twitter, Jared Dudley named his teammate and captain, Steve Nash as the “best white boy in the NBA.” Dirk Nowitzki begs to differ, scoring a Dallas franchise record 29 points in the fourth quarter of the Mavs game against Utah to get his team the victory while finishing with a ridiculously efficient 40 points on 11-of-22 field goals to go with 11 rebounds. The Mavs outscored the Jazz 44-18 in the final period as they shocked Utah.

To put that into perspective: Dallas scored 52 points through three quarters and then Dirk scores 29 in the fourth and the team goes off for 44. Crazy.

The Hawks held on to take down the Blazers, 97-91 in this game that I was watching when I started this. Jamal Crawford led the way with 27 points and seven assists. Wanna know why this happened? Because I just let him go in my fantasy league, naturally.

Okay, I’ve got to get some sleep. Shootaround in the am, work meeting in the afternoon and then it’s game time for me. No Tayshaun and probably no Rip. Somehow I feel like Will Bynum is going to have himself a game tomorrow evening. That being said, it would be really nice if the Raps could pull off the W, especially since the team is honouring both Charles Oakley and Alvin Williams.

And with that I’ll leave you with this, courtesy of my man Doug Smith’s Raptors Blog: “Pimpin’ ain’t easy, pimpin’ ain’t dead; the ho’s are just scared.” – Charles Oakley

I love this game. Yes, yes, I do.


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  • riggs Posted: Nov.4 at 10:15 am
    kevin durants last minute play was probably the dumbest ive seen in a while. oklahoma actually had two chances to win it.

  • ab_40 Posted: Nov.4 at 10:16 am
    the quote is priceless . no word of orlande getting owned by detroit while detroit has no frontline whatsoever. they just got killed by detroits guard play. Dwight had 6 fouls in 16 minutes that’s not mvp worthy to me

  • Eboy Posted: Nov.4 at 10:16 am
    Steve Nash played like Steve Nash in the second half of last nights game. Unfortunatley, Dwyane didn’t play like D-Wade. Nice game between two teams with completely different styles.

  • CSP8 Posted: Nov.4 at 10:19 am
    You forgot to add the part about Deshawn Stevenson’s awesome game.

  • Eboy Posted: Nov.4 at 10:21 am
    I liked watching Brandon’s highlights against the Bulls…..dude isn’t scared of the moment, that’s for sure.

  • Mo Charlo Posted: Nov.4 at 10:22 am
    Can we say that Brandon’s year abroad contributed to his early success? He’s obviously got the physical tools, but his instincts and vision are off the charts for a rookie pg.

  • Eboy Posted: Nov.4 at 10:22 am
    Jared Dudley named his teammate and captain, Steve Nash as the “best white boy in the NBA.” And what would Nash say about Jared? Someone should slap that ignorant bi*ch.

  • Bryan Posted: Nov.4 at 10:23 am
    Nash seems to really be turning back the clock. On the one hand the suns look pretty good, but checking the box scores show how incredibly thin they are, they need some bench help and fast. Its awesome how the thunder ,while maybe not playoff caliber have definitley moved up a few rungs on the nba ladder. They keep up with or beat real nba teams and dismantle teams like sacremento, they’re in the middle tier now. I also can’t believe ben wallace is starting averaging 10 boards a game.

  • Veskit Posted: Nov.4 at 10:24 am
    dirk was unbelieveable! this was a low scoring game, dominated by the defenses (dirk had 5BLK and 2STL btw) and then comes the Ueber Man to take over. and the most impressive stat: 0 TO.

  • jumpman3224 Posted: Nov.4 at 10:24 am
    Jennings for ROY!

  • Brad Long Posted: Nov.4 at 10:25 am
    Young Buck is off to a nice lead in the ROY race, making all the GM’s that passed on him grind their teeth in the process. And for those of you who think Dwight Howard sucked last night, he injured his shoulder early in the first half, otherwise that game would’ve been way different. Congrats to Detroit for the W, though.

  • Z Posted: Nov.4 at 10:26 am
    I didn’t know Will Bynum could handle the rock like THAT! He had Jameer on skates for the whole crunch time. Actually, he kinda exposed him as a 1vs1 defender. Derrty.

  • jumpman3224 Posted: Nov.4 at 10:26 am
    I remember all that debate following the draft about Jennings. A lot of love and plenty of hate. So far he is leading his team in points, dimes, steals and 3percentage. He already looks like their best player and undisputed leader. Remind me why the Knicks didnt take him.

  • Z Posted: Nov.4 at 10:28 am
    Shaq did exactly what the Cavs brought him to do yesterday. Cavs were down by 20 in Q2, they pounded it down low and he had Haywood and McGee both strapped with 4 fouls. Cavs are figuring out and Mike Brown is shortening the rotation, they really played 8 guys yesterday. Jamario, JJ: welcome to the dog house.

  • Bryan Posted: Nov.4 at 10:30 am
    Well at least it can’t be considered a one horse race for r.o.y. anymore. Although all the other rookies are MIA.

  • Bryan Posted: Nov.4 at 10:31 am
    Luke ridnour is pissed, check his resume.

  • Brad Long Posted: Nov.4 at 10:31 am
    Dirk looked like that dude last night. 29 in the fourth is incredible. Is it possible that this far into his career he is FINALLY getting what it takes to be a leader and go to guy in the clutch? Or is this just a tease for Mavs fans?

  • Bryan Posted: Nov.4 at 10:37 am
    People will disagree but I think its the jason kidd effect brad. Just like vince in jersey could focus on his strengths because in reality it was kidd’s team no matter what the stats said. In dallas dirk is the guy but I think its kidd behind the scenes pushing his buttons and the buttons of the team.

  • German Reignman Posted: Nov.4 at 10:45 am
    Funny dudes … when Dallas fails, its all about Dirk … when Dirk delivers 29 FOURTH QUARTER POINTS, its J-Kidd whos responsible for it ….

  • Holly MacKenzie Posted: Nov.4 at 10:46 am
    B. Long, I didn’t see the Orlando game. I wonder if it was the same shoulder he injured here in Toronto? Yikes, here’s to hoping Dwight’s good.

  • Bob Jonson Posted: Nov.4 at 10:49 am
    Bryan, I think that it was more the Jazz effect last night. They like to gain their inspiration from the teams who play against the Globe Trotters. Play hard enough to give some drama, then let the other team take a big sh*t on you in the 4th.

  • Brad Long Posted: Nov.4 at 10:51 am
    I was switching back and forth between that and the Denver game, Holly. I’m pretty sure though that they said it was the same shoulder. Dwight tried to tough it out but you could tell it was really slowing him down.

  • Pve84 Posted: Nov.4 at 10:54 am
    Yes, it’s just great to see Jennings doing well while Jordan Hill collects DNPs–the Knicks should not have passed on Jennings. Durant’s shot selection at the end of the 4th quarter was extremely questionable. Westbrook’s prayer at the end of OT was similarly puzzling, but I’m glad to see that OKC was able to seriously compete with the Lakers.

  • Brad Long Posted: Nov.4 at 10:58 am
    I said this the other day and I’ll say it again, Jordan Hill is Donnie Walsh’s Renardo Balkman.

  • Boing Dynasty Posted: Nov.4 at 11:30 am
    40 on 11 FG’s. Damn. Can someone tell the Heat they look extra corny in there matching white kicks. Excpet for Q cause you cant hate on white/red 12′s. Also some one needs to put Danny Granger on suicide watch, dude was looking straight depressed on the bench yesterday. Its gonna be along year. When the Indiana Pacers broadcaster refer to JR Smith as being Dahntay Jones’s backup there not wrong per say, nobody on the planet beleives they picked up the better player.

  • Brad Long Posted: Nov.4 at 11:41 am
    Thank God Ron Artest finally found his groove last night. We need him to play like that more consistently, especially if Pau is going to be out a significant amount of time.

  • Jukai Posted: Nov.4 at 11:41 am
    Maybe, just maybe, nothing about Dirk has changed and you bozos just like underrating him constantly.

  • Jukai Posted: Nov.4 at 11:42 am
    Also, Steve Nash is STILL a beast.

  • Jacqueline Mitchell Posted: Nov.4 at 11:59 am
    I watched most of the Cleveland/Washington game, and the Cleveland announcers rode DeShawn Stevenson’s ass all night.

  • Brad Long Posted: Nov.4 at 12:06 pm
    Yes Jukai, he is. Him, Melo, and Bynum are carrying my Fantasy team right now. Rudy Gay is not panning out how I had hoped though. :(

  • Bryan Posted: Nov.4 at 12:13 pm
    Ron artest said he weighs 268 on his twitter… he needs to shed some of that.

  • Brad Long Posted: Nov.4 at 12:13 pm
    One more thing, I know this is an NBA thread, but props to Div. II Le Moyne for pulling the upset on the Cuse last night. Looks like its gonna be a long year for Orange fans.

  • 360vue Posted: Nov.4 at 11:19 am
    @ Jukai, true words about Dirk! Holly, no mention of sixers getting destroyed by the Cs? Probably good move, don’t want everyone to know how sucky our D is. Jennings defo going to make uber strong case for ROY, poor Blake and the Clips curse!

  • Kris Posted: Nov.4 at 11:25 am
    Celtics 5-0, Sheed was stroking it from the 3 point 6-8 ending with 20 pts. C’s look unstoppable right now.

  • Da Hood Posted: Nov.4 at 11:30 am
    The Lakers separated da men from the boyz!

  • a_whiteman Posted: Nov.4 at 11:35 am
    Co-sign jukai on dirk this man is probably one of, if not the most under appreciated player of this decade. Every year he comes and does dirt, in the playoffs all his stats go up (minus vs g state), and his team has has 9 straight 50+ win seasons.

  • Wayno Posted: Nov.4 at 11:39 am
    On a side note, the ghost of Ben Wallace has been doing pretty decent through the first few games of the season…looks like he shoulda just stayed in Detroit the whole time.

  • Th3_R3al_Chris Posted: Nov.4 at 11:53 am
    I wonder what Holly Mackenzie looks like.

  • Th3_R3al_Chris Posted: Nov.4 at 11:55 am
    Nevermind. She’s cute.

  • Th3_R3al_Chris Posted: Nov.4 at 11:56 am
    On a basketball related note: Celtics are shutting teams DOWN this year.

  • Anton Posted: Nov.4 at 12:15 pm
    @ Z: Feeding Shaq was the simplest and smartest thing they’ve done all season.
    Also, shoot it, Boobie! Shoot it!(only when you’re streaking though)

  • Darksaber Posted: Nov.4 at 12:35 pm
    *ahem… Cough…cough* Dirk mofo Nowitzki!! Eat your hearts out, Slamonline Dirkbashers Inc. 40/11/5/5/2 (pts/rebs/as/BLOCKS/stls) with no turnovers. 7-8 & 14-14 in the fourth, all achieved due to drives & his usual array of jumpers and against Andrei/Milsap/Mehmet…. Yeah, Dirk’s so soft. Trade him
    already! He sucks. He’s no leader nor is he clutch…. (hey Holly, you used my Twitterreply to your dudley RT in today’s PU. Nice, me like)

  • Russ Bengtson Posted: Nov.4 at 1:13 pm
    Scott Skiles knows where the Ersan Ilyasova is buried. Because he put him there.

  • Z Posted: Nov.4 at 1:30 pm
    why was he even on the floor? and most of all, why did jennigns thought it would be a good idea for him to touch the ball? i saw him play in may for barça and he was meh. never thought in a million years that the bucks would bring him back.

  • Michael NZ Posted: Nov.4 at 2:52 pm
    Injured shoulder or not, Howard fouled out in 17 mins. Probably didn’t help Orlandos cause. Gotta love guys like Nash, Hill, Ben Wallace etc playing the way the are… albeit 4 or 5 games in, but still. The Suns’ playoff chances hinge on whether the vets can maintain over 82+. In a related note, yeah that 4th quarter crumble by the Heat was tough to watch – 29-15. Ugh.

  • TADOne Posted: Nov.4 at 3:05 pm
    Will “The Thrill” Bynum.

  • TADOne Posted: Nov.4 at 3:10 pm
    The Pistons get no love in the Post Up? That’s ok, that is what i’m around for. To correct B. Long, Dwight actually hurt his shoulder in the 3rd quarter and was actually struggling way before the injury happened. Stuckey, Bynum, and Gordon were taking it to the rim all night long and got Dwight in early foul trouble and frustrated Jameer Nelson into probably the worst game i’ve ever seen him play. I know Orlando is a 3-point shooting team, but the 35 they shot last night was a ridiculous amount, considering they only made 10. I’m not sure who this Ryan Anderson character is on Orlando but everytime I looked up he was missing another 3. Stan Van Gundy has some weird rotations.

  • TADOne Posted: Nov.4 at 3:12 pm
    Also, Ben Wallace has seemed to find the locker that was housing his game that he left behind in Detroit over 3 years ago.

  • TADOne Posted: Nov.4 at 3:14 pm
    As for Durant, the young’n needs to get a way better look at a shot at the end of regulation. His lack of experience certainly showed in that moment.

  • Joey E. Posted: Nov.4 at 3:34 pm
    Artest shut down Durant in the 2nd half and OT.

  • breeze Posted: Nov.4 at 3:39 pm
    Wallace shouldn’t have left Detroit in the first place, maybe they’d have another 1 or 2 rings. And his career wouldn’t be so around-the-toilet-bowl status.

  • TADOne Posted: Nov.4 at 3:41 pm
    I’m not sure that Artest shut down Durant. I think it was more of Durant just showing his youth and short-arming shots in clutch time. KD was lighting it up in the first 2 1/2 quarters. I also have noticed that KD is looking more to set his teammates up.

  • Eboy Posted: Nov.4 at 4:18 pm
    Odd that the early talk is Ron Ron is shutting down the big scorers for the opposing teams of the Lakers. Where’s All-World Bean as he gets lit up night after night by opposing two’s? Hard to tell.

  • BIRDMAN JR Posted: Nov.4 at 4:52 pm
    EBoy is right, kobe consistently gets light up by 2 guards but time after time again his fanatics still claim his the best perimeter defender in the L. How can somebody who got devoured for 60pts by Arenas and Joe Johnson was on his way before artest rescued kobe be first-team all-defender especially over wade last year. Another perception of kobe that’s not reality.

  • Brad Long Posted: Nov.4 at 5:03 pm
    Everytime you read one of Eboy’s comments about Kobe, it should be followed by “B!tch Pleeeaaassse!” like the blogger girl from SNL.

  • Lee Posted: Nov.4 at 5:34 pm
    The Bucks have been irrelevant for so long that the cameramen don’t even know how to shoot the game anymore. It’s right in the middle of this play and the announcer says “Redd” and BAM… they go to a shot of Redd sitting on the bench for like 30 seconds, as if there wasn’t something as trivial as a basketball game going on or anything.

  • Z Posted: Nov.4 at 6:51 pm
    Ron Ron had nothing to do with the two airballs. The looks were clean. / I saw Joe Johnson rape Kobe in the a– the other day, like 6 or 7 baskets straight. I’m just saying. I don’t think there’s one superstar that’s actually a lockdown defender… but they will all make the All-Defensive teams.

  • Hursty Posted: Nov.4 at 8:46 pm
    The Bucks/Bulls yesterday was probably the worst NBA game I’ve ever watched. It was that bad in the first half, I turned it off.
    Charlie Bell was/is still awful, and Ilysova airballed the game winner by at least 2 feet.
    Luc Mbah a Moute is a good player though, hitting nice short jumpers and hustling like crazy. Jennings was great, but his decision making wasn’t too crash hot at times. He’s got a massive heart, but sometimes didn’t make the extra pass, or drove it straight into Noah/Deng and got blocked instead of kicking it out to open shooters on the wing.
    Skiles really seems to like him though.
    Rose’s block on him at the end of the game came after Jennings stripped him at the other end. Some payback there.

  • Th3_R3al_Chris Posted: Nov.6 at 12:05 pm
    Regardless of Eboy’s bias, while Kobe’s defensive ability is often unquestionable, he is hardly ever shows the defensive prowess he’s so often given credit for. He offered a glimpse of that in the World Championships and sometimes in the Olympics, but he’s hardly displayed that in his NBA career EVER.

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