There are a few very interesting topics brought up (including JR Smith’s affinity for Everybody Loves Raymond), and Shoals at one point uses the worst sandwich metaphor I’ve heard in weeks. All in all, good times.

Here’s the first part. Head over to FreeDarko to watch the rest.

The top one is Dwight and indeed macrophenomenal. The bottom one is Derrick Rose and merely dope. (via FreeDarko)

The Both Teams Played Hard book review is still forthcoming, but in the meantime, the FreeDarkoers can rest assured that, at the very least, they will be receiving some extra credit purely due to the fact that I have now typed the name of their book so many times that, after decades of pure guesswork, I can finally type the word “phenomenal” without a squiggly red line appearing beneath it at least two out of every three times I attempt to write it.

Not perfect, but Meatloaf assures me it’s not bad.

(video via, conveniently enough, FreeDarko)

1.

A very special message from CB4 (via Fanhouse)

2.

I wonder who Steve Francis voted for? KG and TMac too? (via Ball Don’t Lie)

3.

What did Obama do yesterday before becoming President? He played ball at Attack Athletics, MJ’s stomping grounds.

Hoops heads see “Attack Athletics” and one name jumps to mind: Michael Jordan. Attack is Tim Grover’s famous gym, where MJ went from phenom to Greatest of All Time. Grover was MJ’s personal trainer for years; these days, Grover’s summer clients include Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, O.J. Mayo … pretty much the brightest guards in the world. Attack might be the most cited dateline in the run-up to the June draft — besides IMG in Florida and Joe Abunassar’s joint in Las Vegas, Grover trains the cream of every draft class.

Was Attack just the most convenient gym to play at this morning? Maybe. I prefer to think of the decision as a magnificent display of swag. At the very least, it’s good vibes.

4.

Two great t-shirts from Undrcrwn. You can buy them at their website: www.undrcrwn.com. (via Slam and Slam again)

5.

Last night, KG and the rest of the Celtics were amped more by Obama’s win than their own. (via TrueHoop)

HOUSTON – Doc Rivers kept his focus on game preparations before the Celtics’ 103-99 win over Houston last night. But afterward he turned his attention to the presidential election.

“The guys are celebrating in there,” Rivers said of his players’ reaction to Barack Obama’s victory. “I told them this isn’t a black-and-white thing, don’t look at it that way. It’s good for America. I don’t care who you voted for, America got involved.”

Before the game, Rivers had observed, “This is the first time I can remember in sports so many guys being so interested in the results. I’ve never seen anything like this, ever.

UPDATE: Wrote Rondo on his blog:

OBAMA IS THE PRESIDENT! I can’t even explain how I feel right now. All I have to say is that we have to repeat, because we have to go back to the White House to meet Obama.

6.

Mark Cuban is proud to be an American and, as happens on occasion, he wrote something I agree with wholeheartedly.

On the economic side, other than being ok with him raising my effective tax rate to 40pct, there isn’t a lot of his economic policy that I do agree with him on. So why did I vote for him ?

Its simple. Having an elected black President will do more to energize this country than any economic or social policy ever could. In a single day of voting, our amazing country once again reinvigorated the dream that any child in this country, no matter what circumstances they are born into, can grow up to be anything they want, including President of the United States.

That dream, staying viable, being reinvigorated, will do more for this country than any economic policy or any legislation that could ever be passed.

7.

Brown Recluse, Esq.’s reaction last night at 10:17 pm on freedarko.

It’s Over

8.

Not Obama-related but still political…On the strength of the Both Teams bump, the new mayor of Sacramento is Kevin Johnson. The Sacramento Bee (a newspaper, not a spelling contest) showed it’s canny penchant for cleverness and originality with an opening line that, shockingly, used two basketball/athletics cliches.

The opening tipoff of the Kevin Johnson era is barely in the books, but the mayor-elect is off and running today, making the rounds of media events, waving to morning commuters on J Street, and promising to stop the financial bleeding at City Hall.

KJ’s main focus seems to be the city budget, but he had a nice quote about him being an unlikely person to become Sacto’s mayor.

“A little knucklehead kid, a poor kid from Oak Park going away and coming back and being the mayor of the city he grew up in — that’s the American dream,” he said. “I hope it’s a great example for every young person in our community that if you work hard, you get a great education and have good character, anything is possible.”

9.

Greg Oden’s call to Barack the Vote (from Monday). He sounds very scripted and, surprisingly, somewhat homosexual.

10.

Another message and video, this one of Hawks reserve PG Acie Law voting yesterday. Thanks to “scout,” without whom none of this riveting footage would have been possible. Someone call the Academy.

Man i voted for the 1st time today and to show u how serious i was about it I had my boi (scout) sneak a video camera in so we could get some footage for you all. Im excited about this whole change movement I really believe its goin to happen. I know its early but if the numbers are any indication Sen. Barack Obama is goin to be our guy for the next four years. I dont really have alot to say about my 1st experience, it went smooth i was worried tht i mite be late for practice but i was only there for about half an hour. I was expecting to be there much longer thinking tht the crowd would be huge but it wasnt bad at all. This is something ill be able to tell my children about tht i was apart of history, i was apart of gettin Sen. Obama in office THE FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT!!!

UPDATE:

11.

I just found this so we’re doing eleven. And I really wish I would have voted for Nick Young. He sounds intelligent. (via Bullets Forever)

UPDATE:

12.

Why not? Despite the fact that Obama isn’t a kid dying in a hospital with cancer or anything, Melo is playing for our new President tonight. (via Slam)

At the Nuggets’ shootaround, there was a post-election buzz. Carmelo Anthony smiled and said, “I’m going to try to score 44 tonight,” in honor of president-elect Barack Obama, who was elected Tuesday as America’s 44th president.

Since they are playing GState and he no longer has to let Ivy take 18 shots per night, his biggest problem will probably be keeping it that low.

And how bout we just say, let me know if I missed any other good ones in the comments.

It’s difficult to say which is more significant.

After last year’s stunning Every Player Preview, the Free Darkoers this year have bestowed upon us their brilliant Every Game Preview, which essentially makes the upcoming season moot as we now know exactly what will happen in every single NBA contest this year. Such as:

Oct 29 Miami @ New York. Woody Allen and Spike Lee dress up as Mario and Luigi to celebrate halloween. Mike D’Antoni is offended.

Nov 02 Milwaukee @ New York. Stephon Marbury lectures Chris Duhon about the end of days.

Nov 05 Chicago @ Cleveland. Larry Hughes gets his sweet revenge by scoring 13 points on 20 shots, with 4 steals, 4 turnovers and an ankle sprain.

Nov 11 Denver @ Charlotte. Fight breaks out after Raymond Felton refers to Nene as “Maybyner.”

Nov 12 San Antonio @ Milwaukee. Tony Parker shakes Bud Selig’s hand, thinking that he is Bill Gates.

Nov 12 L.A. Lakers @ New Orleans. Kobe says something offputting to a reporter about the city’s beignets, covers it up with assholish smile.

Nov 15 Oklahoma City @ Philadelphia. During a timeout, Saer Sene finally recognizes Coach Carlesimo as “that guy who got choked” who he read about in Sports Illustrated for Kids.

Nov 19 Sacramento @ New Orleans. Peja reveals to team before game that he never learned to read.

Nov 25 Golden State @ Washington. Etan Thomas pumps up crowd with a slam poem about gentrification.

Nov 26 New York @ Detroit. Mike D’Antoni kind of can’t believe that Q-Rich is still doing the knock-on-his-head thing after a made three-pointer.

Okay, I really didn’t even want to post that many but it’s hard not to get carried away. Head over there for scores more, including, of course, more MJ gambling hilarity. And this list so far only takes us through November; they are supposed to post the rest of the season over the next few days. Bethlehem also brought his Quotemonger back last week over at Slam Online.

* Props also to Recluse, Dr. Lawyer IndianChief and the others who all combine to put these things together. No disrespect…Your names just didn’t work as well for an intro, which is sorta hard to believe considering Dr. Lawyer IndianChief is the best name I’ve ever heard. And since I’m fellating them with verbiage anyway, go pre-order their book.

Buddy Christ thoroughly enjoyed the Every Game Preview