Each weekday morning, Ball Don't Lie serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your fish and chips.

Tania Ganguli, Orlando Sentinel: "Stephanie Fisher and her son Lawrence Shaw sat in their lower-level seats about an hour after Wednesday night's game ended, waiting for Dwight Howard(notes) to come greet them. As part of a contest, Howard flew the two of them out from California for the Magic's season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers. Fisher won by being the one millionth person to follow Howard on Twitter. The arena was mostly empty when Howard strolled up the steps to their seats. He thanked Fisher for being his millionth follower and asked if she'd return for more games. 'We won,' Howard said. 'Y'all might be our good luck charm.' Then he asked if they wanted a picture or to have anything signed and Fisher pulled out a copy of the ESPN Magazine body issue with Howard on the cover. Fisher wasn't an avid Howard follower before the won the contest. She barely knew what Twitter was. But her husband was constantly talking about the things Howard ate — which he learned via Howard's Twitter. So one day Fisher decided to open an account and check it out, and Howard was one of the first people she followed."

Dave Feschuk, Toronto Star: "It's one game. Jose Calderon(notes), the Raptors point guard, said it again and again and again Wednesday night. 'It's one game.' And it was. But the Raptors' resounding season-opening win over LeBron James(notes) and the Cleveland Cavaliers, a 101-91 roller-coaster in front of a raucous sellout crowd, was an awful lot of fun to watch. And it probably said a lot about what you can expect from the local hoopsters this season. You can expect a team that's going to thrill and disappoint in quarter-game intervals, a squad that, as the Raptors did Wednesday, squanders a 21-point lead to deflate the building, only to pump the place back up with an impressive game-sealing rally. You can expect a team that's going to get a tireless effort from its contract-year cornerstone, Chris Bosh(notes), who had 21 points and 16 rebounds. And you can expect a team that's going to be tricky to beat on evenings when Andrea Bargnani(notes), the mercurial Italian 7-footer, provides the kind of inside-outside presence he displayed on Wednesday, when he racked up 28 points and five rebounds, scoring on the drive and on the jumper, and making a 37-year-old behemoth named Shaquille O'Neal(notes) look like a past-due slowpoke. 'Shaq couldn't guard him. He was everywhere,' said Calderon of Bargnani. 'There's not too many guys, seven feet, who can do what he does. If he plays like that he's going to be one of the best at his position. It's going to make things easier for us.'

Dave Krieger, Denver Post: "Here's a quiz only longtime Nuggets fans are qualified to answer: Quick, who's the fastest guard in franchise history? Michael Adams? Robert Pack? Earl Boykins(notes)? Allen Iverson(notes)? How about Fast Eddie Hughes or little Kenny Higgs or even, taking a trip in the wayback machine to the days of the Denver Rockets, the venerable Larry Brown? Judging by the team's opener Wednesday night, the answer is none of the above. In his first pro game, rookie point guard Ty Lawson(notes) was a blue-and-white streak. Lawson did what former Nuggets coach Doug Moe always wanted a jet to do: He changed the nature of the game when he checked in for the first time with 1:12 left in the first quarter. [...] Although Nuggets coach George Karl started Anthony Carter(notes) beside Chauncey Billups(notes) in place of suspended J.R. Smith(notes), it was the combination of Lawson and Billups that was the Nuggets' most effective backcourt. 'As a rookie point guard, it's a lot of things that you have to learn,' Billups said. 'But he has something that you really can't coach, and that's speed.'"

Steve Buckley, Boston Herald: "Coming off the bench with 4:06 remaining in the first quarter of the Celtics' too-easy, 92-59 victory against the Charlotte Bobcats in last night's Garden opener, Wallace got the place rocking just 40 seconds later when he pumped in a 3-pointer from 25 feet out. Ninety seconds later, he did it again. And the place rocked again. He had three treys and nine points in all. Could the new guy feel the love? 'I didn't feel it, I heard it,' he said as he buttoned up his stylish black-and-white Philadelphia Phillies warmup jacket, all while glancing at the flat screen to check out his hometown nine's Game 1 victory in the World Series. [...] 'Guys were talking about it on the plane (ride home from Cleveland). They said, ‘The fans here ... they're going to be crazy.' And you felt that as soon as they said, ‘And now, your starting lineup for your Boston Celtics.' Wallace then did a cool imitation of a roaring crowd. It's simple as this: He fits in. He has played just two games with the Celtics, one at home, yet somehow it seems as if he's been around for a long time, an old soldier of the parquet."

RealGM: "The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard Thabo Sefolosha(notes) to a multi-year contract extension, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. Per team policy, the terms of the deal were not disclosed. 'We are excited that we were able to reach an agreement that will keep Thabo a part of our core group moving forward,' said Presti. 'Thabo represents many of the qualities that we look for in our players, great competitiveness, a team first mentality, and a strong work ethic. We believe Thabo's best basketball is ahead of him, and his desire to remain a part of the Thunder family allowed for us to make this happen.'"

Paul Coro, Arizona Republic: "[The Suns] led the final 5.5 seconds because Steve Nash(notes) took Baron Davis(notes) off the dribble with his left hand, which has turned into his strong hand for drives over the latter part of his career. Al Thornton(notes) even came over to help and Nash just flicked up above the square on the backboard soft enough to drop in. 'It was just a big win for our confidence to win a tough game that wasn't necessarily to our flavor,' said Nash, who finished with 24 points and eight assists after a fourth quarter in which he didn't miss from the field (5 for 5) or free throw line (4 for 4). Nash just went 'competitive' on the Clippers down the stretch, scoring 13 of the Suns' final 18 points. Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said Nash 'was slicing and dicing us.' When it came to the last shot, Nash was looking to take it all the way. 'Baron was just playing me so tight,' Nash said. 'I wanted to take the last shot but he was playing me too tight. Once I got a step on him, I had to take it. I don't play much basketball in the summer so the left has been a little dormant. Luckily, it woke up for me.'"

Tim Kawakami, Mercury News: "Don Nelson obviously wasn't pleased Anthony Morrow(notes) only got 7 shots in 22 minutes. I think some of this is Morrow's responsibility, but Nelson seems convinced Morrow was open and just wasn't getting the ball. [...] Nelson made a passionate defense of letting Corey Be Corey-if Maggette's going to take those long jumpshots that drive Warriors fans crazy, well ... Nelson says he won't do anything about it. Tonight: 3 for 14, only 4 free throws. 'We have to adjust around him,' Nelson said of Maggette. [...] Nelson is going to let Stephen Curry(notes) play it out, which I can't argue with. He's not a good pairing with Monta Ellis(notes), but that's who the Warriors have and that's who they're going to play."

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe: "With the Celtics taking the court last night in front of the hometown crowd for the first time this season, president Danny Ainge made it a point to show that even though Glen Davis(notes) was absent, he is still part of the team. Ainge told the operations crew to include Davis in the pregame introductions. Davis, who will miss eight weeks after fracturing his right thumb in an early-morning fight with a former high school teammate Monday, wasn't at TD Garden. He had surgery Tuesday, the same day he issued a statement apologizing to his fans, teammates, and coaches. Coach Doc Rivers said Davis has yet to address the team. 'He's got plenty of time,' Rivers said."

Greg Cote, Miami Herald: "You hardly would call this a season of great expectations for the Heat. More like a season of suspended expectations — as if this entire NBA schedule for Miami is little more than a bridge to next year, a necessary delay being merely abided. Anticipation? Most of that centers on next summer, when all the big stuff happens, and next season, when the franchise is supposed to suddenly be a national player back to championship-challenging again. We must wait until then for Dwyane Wade's(notes) monumental decision whether to stay or go. And for the spending spree on a bumper crop of free agents. But if Wednesday night's season opener taught us anything, it was to remind that we're still allowed to have a little bit of fun in the meantime."

Ailene Voisin, Sac Bee: "Two points scored in transition? The Kings simply don't have the individual talent to rely on halfcourt execution against the league's better defenses. They have to play faster, create transition opportunities off steals and rebounds, and utilize their youth and athleticism. This was Tyreke Evans'(notes) debut, but he can't take seven or eight seconds — and I clocked it — to advance the ball on most possessions. He has to pick up the pace. More ball movement and less one-on-one would also be helpful. It would enhance the spacing and create openings for Evans to attack the basket - which he does well, even though he didn't finish against the Thunder. Teams have scouted the rookie. They know he's headed to the rim, and are there waiting for him, at times with multiple defenders. When he plays faster, gives up the ball, moves and gets it back. he will be much more effective."

Jody Genessy, Deseret News: "The injury scare for the team plagued by ailments and illnesses last season came frighteningly early this year. Only 24 seconds into the Utah Jazz's 2009-10 regular season, center Mehmet Okur(notes) tried to take a charge Wednesday night. Instead, he took a painful fall to the floor and a trip to the trainer's room after getting his left foot stepped on by the Denver Nuggets' hard-driving, 250-pound Nene. Ouch. Make that a double ouch — one for Okur and another for a Jazz squad that had to be thinking, 'Here we go again,' after already being hammered hard by injuries in the preseason. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said the team couldn't feel sorry for itself. And it didn't need to for too long anyway. Okur limped 30 feet to the bench and stayed there for only a moment, shortly thereafter hobbling off the court and into the team's locker room with trainer Gary Briggs. Though diagnosed with a mild sprained left knee and ankle, the center didn't spend too much time away from the action. Okur got his ankle retaped, put a sleeve on his knee, iced the injured parts for a minute and then made his way back into the arena."

Buck Harvey, S.A. Express-News: "The Spurs' first unit might not be the best in the division. The Spurs' second unit might be. 'It's a legitimate argument,' said Roger Mason(notes) Jr. It's a legitimate advantage, too, and one this franchise has never had to this extent. Besides the obvious benefit — such as saving wear and tear on Tim Duncan's(notes) new knee brace — there's something else going on. No one is sure, right now, who should be on the first team. Opening night can be deceiving, but last season's wasn't. Then, the Spurs lost their first opener in the Duncan era, in a tight game to Phoenix, and they continued to play tight games. Considering the injuries, as well as limited personnel, some Spurs coaches were amazed they won the division. But all of it was a grind. In the Spurs' best years, their point differential was close to 10, and last year's was 3.8. That's a small margin for a team that won 54 games. So Wednesday night showed the change, and Gregg Popovich emerged from the locker room and quickly noted that. 'We didn't have to play our main guys 35 or 40 minutes,' he said."

USA Today: "The doubleheader featuring title contenders Boston, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers produced Turner's most-watched opening night in its 26 years of airing the NBA. TNT drew nearly 3.7 million viewers Tuesday for the Celtics' 95-89 victory over the Cavaliers, followed by the Lakers' 99-92 win over the Clippers. That was a 43 percent increase over the 2.6 million that watched last year's opening-night doubleheader. Overall, it was TNT's most-watched doubleheader since Feb. 2, 1996, a night that was anchored by a Bulls-Lakers showdown."

Related: , Shaquille O'Neal, Ty Lawson, Stephen Curry, Steve Nash, Glen Davis, Anthony Morrow, Tyreke Evans, Al Thornton, Thabo Sefolosha, Andrea Bargnani, Monta Ellis, Jose Calderon, J.R. Smith, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Roger Mason, Mehmet Okur, Anthony Carter, Baron Davis, Earl Boykins, Allen Iverson, Chauncey Billups, Tim Duncan, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, Suicide lines