Greg Monroe might be my favorite player in all of sports. His steady demeanor makes him a role model. Every interview he has the same calm, deep voice, answering all sorts of awkward questions with ease and grace. He has been through five coaches in as many seasons without causing one distraction. Instead, he’s been a big brother to the rest of the clubhouse. When Monroe is unsure of something, he isn’t afraid to state he doesn’t know. I love how he’ll do his nod, figuring it out as he’s going along like a true zen master.

We love you, Moose. Yesterday, Monroe lost his grandmother. He poured his heart into his performance, scoring 21 points and snagging 21 boards with three assists, two steals, and two blocks.

Monroe scored our first six points out of the gate. He also grabbed six rebounds in the first six minutes, helping us take a 28-21 lead after one quarter. We led 36-32 when he re-entered the second quarter and instantly putback a miss. By halftime, we were up 56-42, a 20-10 run with Moose.

Greg stayed energized to begin the second half. He grabbed five boards in the first five minutes, helping stave off an early Nuggets surge. The threes weren’t clicking, but the post was. We kept it rolling to lead by 18 going into the fourth.

The refs started to let them play, and the physical fouling was the only thing preventing the Moose from finishing Denver off. When the lead was cut to ten halfway through the quarter, he swatted Ty Lawson. Despite missing those calls down low, Monroe found other ways to win, passing twice to his teammates for clutch buckets and continuing to secure the glass.

Once again, when the lead was down to six, Monroe stepped up to the free throw line and knocked them both down. Detroit would go on to win 98-88 in the Palace. We lost the first game of the season to these snarfs, so it’s nice to see how far we’ve progressed.

Andre Drummond added 13 & 13, Jodie Meeks added 18 off the bench, plus D.J. Augustin scored 22 and dished out 13 – but as Drum said, it was Monroe’s night. We send our condolences to his family, and pray that his grandmother rest in peace.