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Old 06-28-2008, 11:28 PM   #87
Izulde
Head Coach
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
It's on to the first month of the season, because I'm so pumped to be back in the NBA I can't wait.

Opening game is Halloween night on the road against the banged-up Lakers and Chauncey Billups and Ben Gordon serve immediate notice that they're going to lead the team this year. Billups scores 37 points, dishes out 10 assists, grabs 7 boards and notches 3 steals, while Gordon scores 36 in the 108-96 win. There honestly wasn't much for anyone else to do.

Anyone can beat a team as battered as the Lakers, so we get a real test against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2, where we lose a heartbreaker 114-113. Chauncey Billups again led the team, with 29 points and 11 assists on the double-double and Leroy Wright had 14 points off the bench. Kenyon Martin has been terrible to start the year, so we could see Wright in the starting lineup before too long.

Things look a lot better after we destroy the Jazz 121-94 in our next game. 6 players in double-digit figures, including Leroy Wright with 12 from the bench. The hero of the game was Ben Gordon, however, with a dazzling 41 points. I'm starting to feel really good about going and getting my boys in that Carmelo trade.

Next up is a doubleheader, the first one against the Jazz on the road, the Supersonics at home the next night. We keep our winning streak alive, topping Utah 107-92 behind 32 points from Ben Gordon and two double-doubles: Chauncey Billups with 15 points and 11 assists and a surprising Shaquille O'Neal with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Told you Shaq still had game. Seattle was another victory, 109-80 as Ben Gordon and Chauncey Billups lead the team with 28 and 23 points respectively and Shaquille O'Neal just misses a double-double with 18 points and 9 rebounds.

What's even more amazing is that Shaq pulled that feat off despite breaking his elbow. He'll be out roughly two months and we'll have to ride the rookie Leroy Wright as the starting C until then, although Joakim Noah is better suited at 6'11 than Wright's 6'9 to play the five.

I'm a little nervous how we'll be without Shaq but we stomp Detroit 91-65 with fantastic team defense and 30 points from Ben Gordon, so maybe we'll be all right after all. Then again, the Pistons are 1-4, so it's not like we beat an amazing squad.

Still, we continue to play incredible defense and win again, downing Sacramento 96-73, Chauncey Billups player of the game with 19 points and 8 assists, Ben Gordon scoring 19 as well, Leroy Wright contributing 16 points as he proving a surprisingly efficient replacement for Shaq.

I'm not expecting to win the next game and we don't, as the mighty Raptors decimate us 110-95, despite 34 points and 8 assists from Chauncey Billups. That frontcourt is just too damned good against our weakness inside with Shaq's injury.

We surprise the Bulls 107-97 to get back on the winning track, though, Ben Gordon dropping 28 points on his old team, Chauncey Billups his second with 20 points. Eddy Curry's lost his starting spot to David Lee again and he's really unhappy about it, demanding to be traded. Can't say that I blame him.

Tough, closs loss against the Mavericks follows, despite double-doubles from Joakim Noah (14 points, 14 rebounds) and Chauncey Billups (20 points, 13 assists. Paulinho Buboltz had his first ever double-digit game as a pro with 12 points and Leroy Wright finally replaces Kenyon Martin at starting SF, meaning Peter John Ramos is our starting C. Yeah, it's ugly in there.

I'm thinking a losing streak is going to hit, but we drop the Nets 99-78 as Ben Gordon continues to show why I traded for him, scoring 31 points and snagging 8 boards, while Chauncey Billups double-doubles with 24 points and 15 assists. Kenyon Martin is fighting to get his starting job back with a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds from the bench.

Another doubleheader and it's a nasty one, against the Spurs and the Rockets. We lose both games by considerable margins, though Ben Gordon and Chauncey Billups both score 27 against San Antonio, Billups doubling with 10 assists and Kenyon Martin, back in the starting lineup, gets 14 points and 10 boards against the Rockets.

Two more games left in November and we win the first one 107-88 over the Hornets as Chauncey Billups scores 33 points and dishes 12 assists while stealing 4 balls, Ben Gordon a great second with 26 points and 7 rebounds. Peter John Ramos scores a watery 10 off the bench.

Much to my surprise, we beat the Cavs easily in the last game of the season as Ben Gordon scores 33 and takes in 8 boards, while Chauncey Billups has his umpteenth double-double with 26 points and 10 assists.

So despite being Shaq-less, we're 10-5 at the start of November, leading the Northwest by half a game over the 9-5 Timberwolves and Trailblazers. My guess is we'll end up 3rd in the division by the end of the season and take one of the lower playoff seeds, but the way we're playing now, we might actually end up division champs.

31 more days till we get Shaq back, 123 until AI returns. In the meantime, Ben Gordon is 5th in scoring with a 26.9 points per game average and Chauncey Billups is 11th at 24.1 and 4th in assists at 9.5.

Our rebounding is terrible as you might expect and none of our rookies are lighting things up. Then again, Leroy Wright isn't really ready to be a starting NBA player and Paulinho Buboltz is still just 18.

They'll be fine and we'll be fine, especially if we can get through this second month without Shaq in respectable shape. It's a lot better start than I expected, to be honest.
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