Would LeBron Really Cheat On Ohio With New York?

So yea, I was making fun of LeBron's penchant for the New York Yankees in a previous post, "LeBron James Lobbies to Get New York Yankees Logo Added to the Quicken Loans Arena Court."

But would LBJ really bolt to the Big Apple?

Well, my boy AJ and I had a little gmail exchange about it....like to hear it go:

AJ:

At this point I think he is only doing all that NYY crap just to drum up some media coverage in the Big Apple.

You think the guy would ever jump ship for the Knicks?

Me:
The Nets are about to trade Kidd to gain cap room....they should move Carter too...before '10. You don't think that LBJ would go to Brooklyn to play for his boy Jigga?

Coincidence that the Nets just pushed their move to Crooklyn back to after the 09-10 season?

AJ:

If he moves to Brooklyn he'll command so much cheese that the Nets might not have the $ to put any pieces around him.

I do know that LBJ loves Jay like a son does a father, so I wouldn't put it past him to bolt from Cleveland and head to Biggie's old stomping grounds.

Me:
LeBron is smart though.....he would not have to worry about team salary as much because of all the money he would gain endorsement wise in the Big Apple. Trust me, he's the type of guy who'd rather have pieces around him to win.

AJ:

Agreed. By the time his second contact comes around he will already have made over $100mm from basketball alone.

With money like that flying around the NBA, it is a wonder how some cats like Joe Forte can blow a chance at the league.

Me: I just hope that Jay-Z (aka Big Homie) and LeBron's relationship is not like Lil' Wayne's relationship with his daddy, Baby the Birdman.

UPDATE: Someone has created an entire website dedicated to recruiting LeBron James to New York City. Check it out here: www.nycforlebron.com

Live Game 44 Blog: Washington Wizards @ Toronto Raptors

If you missed it.....I had a mini-game preview for tonight's game. Mostly, it's about recent comments by another blogger in regard to my Washington Wizards.

Let's start the show.

1st Quarter

10:30 - The Raptors hit their first three shots to go up 6-0 before Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier can finish their 'Keys to the Game' for both teams.

10:05 - Check that, 4-4....timeout Eddie Jordan, 8-0 Raptors. The Wiz have attempted to go inside to Haywood a couple times, but the Raptors have come out aggressive on D, collapsing on the post.

9:37 - 10-0, after the timeout, a Jamison TO and a Moon putback off a Blatche block on Parker. The Wizards needed to come out swinging....they needed to punch the Raptors in the mouth first. They didn't. So far, the Wiz have committed 2 turnovers.

8:40 - Stevenson finally breaks the ice with a triple. He's been streaky lately, I hope he picks his spots tonight. 12-3 Toronto.

6:56 - Lucky Lock Smith - he tried to drive through traffic, lost the ball...but somehow got it back for the layup. 14-7 Raps.

6:16 - Calderon ends a 9-2 Wizard run with a 3. Antonio Daniels, afraid of a drive I suppose...simply left too much room between him and Jose.

5:49 - The Wiz start to apply some back court pressure....but Toronto easily distributes the ball up the court, finding Parker for a three in the corner. 20-11 Toronto.

The Wiz really need to pound it, pound it, pound it inside against this team..

4:48 - Offensive foul on Haywood. Horrible call. I wonder what Dinosty thinks of this: first, Bosh flopped and tried to get a call before Haywood even got the ball. And then, once BTH got the feed (while Bosh was flopping on the floor), he had no room to turn around before Jamario Moon was flopping right under him. This time, the ref blew the whistle.....guess he'd rather not be booed by the Canadians instead of making the correct call, or no-call. That's BTH's 2nd and he must sit.

D-Mac gets some more run tonight because he EARNED it. Take notice.

4:13 - Well...DeShawn is not settling for outside shots. Earlier, he set up Blatche for a nice fast-break dunk. And just now, he drove the lane and drew foul #2 on Chris Bosh. Makes 1, 20-14 Toronto.

3:36 - AD screwed up. Somehow, Delfino got switched off on Andray Blatche diving down the lane. AD had the ball up top with 10 seconds left on the shot-clock, enough time. He should have swung the ball to Mason on the left, who had the angle to get the ball to AB. Instead, Antonio tried to break his man off the dribble and ended up missing a jumper.
0:52 - Ha Ha! Jamison got Moon with the swift slip...you know, the one where he shoots somewhat of an underhanded scoop under the defender's arm and draws a foul...not appreciated by Sam Mitchell. AJ makes both FTs. 26-21 Raptors.

0:14 - Another AJ bucket, after an 0-4 start, he's scored 7 straight points for Washington.

Well, after a slow, DJ Screwed 1st quarter for the Wiz where they were down 12-zip, Washington were able to pick it up and outscored Toronto 23-16 the rest of the way. 28-23 Toronto.
2nd Quarter

10:48 - Stella Got Her Three Back - Roger Mason with a triple. 30-26 Toronto.

I must admit, this quote from Dinosty was kinda funny: "Roger Mason* WILL look like an rejected extra from “How Stella Got Her Groove Back”. Every. Single. Night."

This reminds me of last night when every time I typed the score, it was followed by 'Toronto' or 'Raptors'

10:00 - A second ago, AJ turned the ball over when he got doubled, and then AD just tried to pass to a cutting white guy, I think Oleksiy...but the pass was behind him. Another TO. 4 in the game so far for the Wiz....only 1 for Toronto.

9:49 - Stella Part Deux - Roger Mason with another trey.

8:44 - Next up for D-Mac...confidence in his shot. I don't care if he air-balls it like he just did....he needs to at least look like he knows what he's doing when he pops. That shot, and a jumper that he took and missed last night both seemed like he thought about them, instead of letting it come natural.

7:56 - Roger Mason Junior again....the fact that our bench is stepping up really makes this team potentially scary.

...that is until a Mason turnover and some missed shots extend the once 3 point Raptor lead to 10, 42-32 Toronto.....with both Haywood and Bosh on the bench with 2 fouls each ....the Wizards defense is hapless, their offense is non-existent and the Raptors are just plain on fire. They've made 8 out of their last 9 FGs.

3:43 - Finally, after a 21-5 Toronto run, Eddie Jordan calls a timeout. 53-34 Toronto.

3:26 - And Roger Mason has 4 three pointers in the 2nd.

2:53 - Haywood comes in and immediately picks up his 3rd foul. Nothing is working for Washington. Eddie might as well leave him in.

The Raptors have 24 points off the bench. Roger Mason has the Wizards' bench covered at 12 with his 4 3s.

Bargnani is a spazz.

That's what I get.....dammit! RAAA-SHOW Nest-era-vich just got a dunk. And the quarter just ends. Toronto is up 20 at the half. 61-41.

Ok then....

1. 8 Wizard turnovers - CHECK
2. 37.8% from the field - CHECK
3. Raptors shooting 53.3% - CHECK
4. Wiz with 8 assists and 1 steal - HUH?
5. Raptors with 14 assists and 4 steals - OH YEA, RIGHT. CHECK.

I'm about to watch some Mississippi State Bulldogs and Arkansas Razorbacks on ESPN360 --- which looks straight nice on the Mac.

Not a good start for the Bulldogs. They simply waste too many offensive possessions when "superstars" Jamont Gordon and Charles Rhodes try to force 1-on-1 moves.

I read an article the other day where Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury basically gave Jamont Gordon a pass to do what he wants on offense as long as he plays defense. Rewarding a kid to do something he's supposed to be doing already? Great.

Gordon is such a great athlete. Many are calling him the best player in the SEC. It's just a shame that he seems to be out of control or casual at too many intervals in the game.

And Charles Rhodes...he shows a very smooth offensive game. I really like his range, but I don't think there's been a worse Mississippi State rebounding big man since Robert Jackson...and he was a "halfway" decent rebounder.

3rd Quarter

Wonder what Eddie went with for the half time speech? The "Let's go out there and show some effort" one or the "This is the NBA smart, play smart and the game will take care of itself" one? Maybe both.

The 3rd finally starts with Haywood on the inside....unfortunately, I think Toronto is going to go with a steady diet of Chris Bosh. Yea, he's good.

Jamont Gordon is starting to take over though - 3, dunk, 3....damn, is this going to turn into a Miss. State-Arkansas game blog? Well, Toronto is still up 20, 67-47.

8:40 - Check, make it 22 with a bucket from the Italian Spazz.

I've lost a lot of interest in this Wizards game. Toronto had been shooting the ball very, very well for stretch prior to last night's game (the best 3 point shooting team in the NBA)...there's no reason why that would not continue eventually. And eventually was tonight.

3:47 - Anthony Parker just hit two consecutive 3s, putting the Raptors up 83-55.

3:23 - And an Italian Spazz three. 86-57. When it rains, it pours buckets on wet nets.

This other game isn't going to well either. Miss. State has 11 turnovers in 14 minutes while Arkansas has taken a 29-16 lead.

This Wizards game can't end soon enough. They're just letting the Raptors have open shots. Committing turnovers. Tipping rebounds away from each other.

Steve Buck starts off saying that this game reminds him of the Cleveland game.

0:29 - In between sentences, Jamario Moon gets an easy dunk.

Then, Buck finishes with basically saying that it's time for the Wizards to cut their losses and wash themselves of this game.

Oh, did I mention that it's still the 3rd quarter? Fitting that it ends with the ball in Nick Young's hands. The unaware rookie doesn't check the clock and the horn sounds while he is just dribbling the ball around the court.

I know they are spent. I know Caron is out. I know Gilbert is out. I know those last two games took a lot out of them. But I'd think that the Raptors would be tired too, right?

But is any of that an excuse to not care? To play lazy? To not think?

I would say no, and this is why I am rather irked. 29 point game, 93-64 Toronto.

4th Quarter

Ha....funny Steve Buck. He's actually wondering if the Wizards can stimulate anything with a lineup of Pecherov, Songaila, Young, Mason and McGuire.

But really, with all the injuries, past and present...it definitely doesn't make sense to play AD, AJ or BTH anymore.

D-Mac still wants to play.

10:27 - He gets a steal...pushes the rock and drops it to Nick Young who is running with him.

Aaaaaand not too much after that glimpse.

106-73 with 6:49 left.

Just some young Wizards. Out there. Learning. I can't be embarrassed....and I guess I've gotten over being mad, already. Hey, I'll take the valuable game experience for the kids.

1:03 left....it's bear bones for Steve Buck as he speaks of the Oleksiy Pecherov-Stewie from Family Guy comparisons. Funny that he doesn't mention much about their similar domes, but rather compares Stewie's sense of humor and sarcasm to Pech's. Yea, exactly. When I think of Stewie...it's naturally that a 7 foot Ukrainian would be come to mind. Riiiiiight.

It's a 122-83 game by the way.

And that is that. Don't even want to talk about it. Box Score.

PREVIEW: Washington Wizards @ Toronto Raptors - Part Deux

Well, back to the grind.

I tell you what, the Toronto Raptors almost ripped my heart out last night. I just don't know if I could have taken an OT loss after Milwaukee and especially after last year's Ruffin Ball Toss Gaffe, which has been revisited on pretty much every show that covers sports. What's that you say? You want to re-live Steve Buckhantz's call from that game last year over and over and over again? Well, just click on the link to the odd site found via Bullets Forever.

Anyway....this game is big....hell, they're all big....yada, yada, yada.

Simply put, I don't want to see any complacency with last night's win. If the Wiz lose tonight, they lose....but don't go down without a fight fellas!

We've all heard of so-called "Bulletin Board" material. I suppose that it transfers to the blogger world as well. Our humble Canadian friends at Dinosty had some choice things to say about the Wizards in a post about last night's game.

"Let’s be honest, Andre Blatche won’t look like KG every night, DeShawn Stevenson won’t earn his ludicrous salary every night, but Roger Mason* WILL look like an rejected extra from “How Stella Got Her Groove Back”. Every. Single. Night."

All, perhaps, true. In addition, Chris Bosh's hair looks like a cactus ate a dead kitten full of stale hot dogs and then threw up. Andrea Bargnani's first name is, well, Andrea....which makes him a potential character on a famous Italian television show, "Per Prendere Un Predatore." And finally, RASHO NES-TER-O-VIC (think Stephen A. Smith's annoying voice) is on the Raptors.....and has actually started several games THIS season.

"I think Washington leads the NBA in the all-important “Fans With Bluetooth Headsets” category. They should be very proud."

No argument here. I HATE cell-phone headsets. And yes, DC has too many d-bags sporting them.

"I was tremendously happy when Bosh whacked Andre Blatche in the nuts, marking the first and only time I will ever cheer for a man’s joint to get rattled."

Now that's just wrong. No one should enjoy seeing a guy get hurt, especially in the prostitute seeking peanuts...unless that guy plays for Duke, Notre Dame, the Cowboys, the Knicks, the Lakers, Ole Miss, the Yankees, the Red Sox, or......I know I'm missing a team or two or three. I certainly hope that nothing happens to any of the Raptors tonight, seriously.

"Antawn Jamison is a fantastic basketball player, even if he is a sissy little flopper."

Ok, I got a HUGE problem with this one. This is like the pot calling the kettle black, or better yet, the Canadian calling the Douche-Bag a Hoser. Can the fan of a team full of sissy, soccer-loving Euros really call someone else a flopper? Not to mention that the term "flopper" usually refers to someone on defense. And I cannot recall Antawn Jamison ever flopping European Vacation Style on D. Yea, he has a crafty offensive game which could be misinterpreted as flopping...but AJ an actual flopper? I think not.

Yep, Canadians sure are humble.

See ya at game time.....

Live Game 43 Blog: Washington Wizards vs. Toronto Raptors

The breaking news is that Caron Butler is out tonight with a hip, and perhaps tomorrow night as well.

No one cares and neither should you.

Wizards fans did not care the last time Washington played Toronto in the 17th game of the season, when Chris Bosh was out with a groin.

And I did not give a damn that Michael Redd was out on Sunday.

But how to feel if you're a Wizards fan? If myths such as the "Curse O' Les Boulez" are not said out loud or typed on message boards, then they are most likely thought.

But it is an easy out to get all fatalistic up in this piece. Some on Bullets Forever, myself included, were unsure about this game even before the news about Tuff Juice dropped.

But always wanting to be that guy who focuses on the positives, here is what we should look for in this game:

1. Andray Blatche is getting the starting nod - a chance for this cat to get on his grown-man B.I., but I image that Haywood is going to match up against Chris Bosh. After that, I'd almost put Blatche on Jamario Moon since he's not a shooter. Put AJ on Bargnani....I don't want the Italian drawing either of our big shot-blockers out on the perimeter. DeShawn....check the hell out of Anthony Parker -- NO 3s! Antonio, good luck with Calderon.

2. But it's domino effect from there.....others (notice the plural) will certain have to step up as well. We pretty much know we're going to get the full effort from Jamison. In particular, I'm looking for DeShawn Stevenson and Nick Young to drop 20 each, and for Antonio Daniels to get 10+ assists and commit less than 3 turnovers (he's had 9 of those in the past two games).

Oh yea...gotta clear something else up. In a previous post, I declared that Chris Bosh should not be an All-Star. Now, I am admitting that was a ridiculous mistake. The post was more to tout the all-star merits of both Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, and perhaps just a bit reactionary to Bosh's silly little video, which by the way, I thought was clever. I actually did not mind him marketing himself, especially with a bit of comedy. So, I'm sorry....ok? Now maybe the Wizards will win now that I've reconciled.

It's another one of those, "no one outside this locker room thinks we can win tonight" games -- except it's a home contest for the Wiz.

Well, nothing we can do but......start the show.

1st Quarter

That's right....I remember the Michael Ruffin Gaffe game last year, but I forgot that it was against the Raptors. Phil & Steve call it the Mo' Pete Game....also forgot he was the guy who hit the crazy 3 as time expired to tie the game after Ruffin's premature ball toss.

Blatche comes out aggressive against Bargnani, but not too aggressive....he gets an offensive board, penetrates the lane and dishes...and that eventually leads to a Stevenson 3.

9:05 - Chris Bosh gets a long pass from Calderon off a Wiz turnover and an easy dunk. It's simply inexcusable to lose track of that guy by letting him leak behind the defense. 5-5 game.

Blatche ends up on Bargnani to start, guess he's got too much length for AJ...maybe Andray's arms can bother his shot.

5:52 - Anthony Parker knocks down an easy deuce from the corner, not much of a contest from Lock Smith. 12-7 Raptors.

So far, the Wizards do not look crisp on offense, especially AJ who is 1-5. Stevenson has hit two 3 pointers though, so at the first timeout, it's 12-10 Toronto.

4:28 - Andray with a nice turnaround baseline hook over Bargnani. 14-12 Raps.

3:55 - Calderon just emits confidence. He pounds the ball with purpose. His passes are sharp. He just hit a jumper, 4 points and 3 assists for him.

3:03 - DeShawn with 3 number three, almost halfway to that 20. 16-15 Raptors.

2:04 - Blatche with a little stare down on Bosh and nails an outside jumper in his face (previously, Bosh got AB with a killer pump fake, but could not convert). 17-16 Wiz.

1:28 - AB back on his BI - a twisting up and under gives him 6 points. 19-16 Wiz.

0:37.4 - Yup....you know Bosh is an All-Star, he's getting absolutely ridiculous calls from the ref. AB was on him, he did a good job of holding his ground on Bosh's pump fake. Andray held his arms out and Bosh threw his shooting motion went right into them..whistle blown. The replay shows that even though his arms was out there, AB clearly got all ball.

0:16 - Nick Young hits a nice J before the quarter ends and the Wizards are up 23-20 after 1.

2nd Quarter

Well, that was quick. Wiz are still up 26-24, but Eddie Jordan did not like how that 4 points by Toronto was scored. He calls a timeout a minute into the 2nd.

8:50 - Great D by Nick Young....he anticipated and poked away a floating Calderon pass for a Wiz steal, but AJ gets a charge call on the other end. The game is tied at 28.

Phil Chenier points out that Washington has not shot a FT, and the Raptors have shot 10, only making 6.

8:19 - You know, sometimes I DON'T want to see Nick Young fade away on his jumper.

7:32 - Songaila turns the ball over on a bad drive attempt. I don't want to see that guy trying to put the ball on the floor either.

....And then see D-Song get completely unaware on D, not picking up Humphries on the roll. Open dunk. 34-30 Raptors.

6:17 - Then again, D-Song jumpers are nice.....but at this point, he's giving up more that he gives. 34-32 Raps.

5:18 - Oh no...really? Darius Songaila on Bosh? Why of course D-Song fouled him on the drive....and of course they gave Bosh the 2+ step continuation. 39-34 Toronto.

4:32 - AJ with a floor dive....didn't get a ball, but I respect the hustle.

4:01 - The sight of Antonio Daniels shooting a 3 off the dribble looks like it hurts him and me. Brick.

3:50 - Haywood lost track of Bosh in transition again.....it's getting bad. 10 point Raptor lead, 44-34.

3:10 - Bosh outside jumper....21 points from him. Does that guy have a nickname yet? (and no, CB4 is not a nickname)

2:41 - Andray Blatche continues with his activity....a hustle offensive rebound after a bunch of BTH bumbling. AB sinks the put-back and gets fouled. The 3 point play makes it 46-39 Toronto.

1:10 - Wiz scrap around, get lucky, and go on a 7-0 run. 46-43 Toronto.

Coming out of their own timeout, Raps go on their own 4-0 run before the Lock Smith answers with his 4th three.

50-46 Toronto @ halftime.

Key Stats:

• In addition to those 21 points, Chris Bosh has 8 rebounds, 3 offensive
• Songaila with the worst +/- at -9
• Stevenson with his four 3s is the obvious leader with +5
• Wizards are only 3-5 from the FT line
• Thankfully, Toronto has missed a couple FTs, they're 8-13
• Wiz held the Raps to 2-9 from deep

3rd Quarter

11:38 - Lane penetration by Blatche from up top sets up Haywood for the basket And1. Wiz down 1.

11:21 - Bargnani picks up his 4th personal foul. Straight Euro trash.

10:41 - Bargnani turnover leads to sweet Wiz points in the form of a DeShawn dish to AB. 51-50 DC. That puts 3 Wiz...AJ, AB & Lock Smith...in double-figure scoring. The Raps are still depending on the Chris Bosh show. After his 21, Calderon has 9, then no one else on Toronto has more than 4 points.

9:09 - Three pointer for Andray! #2 on the season. 14 points for AB.

8:34 - Blatche gives an insignificant pump fake, but then takes Bosh right to the hoop with some long strides and a running scoop. 58-50 Wiz.

Offense is only half the story. The Raptors have not scored in 4 minutes.

7:53 - ANOTHER Blatche jumper! Off the dribble after a cross-over on Kris Humphries. 10 point lead.

7:17 - Parker finally breaks the ice with a 3. 60-53 Washington.

The Wiz have made things hard on Bosh thus far in the 3rd.

What is that I hear? The Verizon Center is actually alive and breathing?

6:10 - Blatche has to sit with 4 fouls. 18 points. He missed the last jumper he took, after which Eddie Jordan was yelling, "Don't settle!" Still, I can hear the fantasy league 'add player' buttons clicking now.

Got a text from my friend Adam saying that this is how good teams start a quarter. With a 16-5 run, I just might agree.

4:54 - BTH shows some spark with a jump hook over Bosh. He seems to have faded in and out in this game....but I'll take his 7 points and 7 rebounds, and the 3rd block of the game he just got.

3:30 - Haywood is throwing his body around, gets fouled on an offensive board and he Hopla's both FTs. 66-58 Wizards.

2:32 - Catch and shoot 3. AJ was just waiting for the rock and no one on the Raptors noticed. He's got 14 and 10. 69-58 Wiz.

Calderon is a finger licker. I still don't get cats who feel the need to put their fingers in their mouth during the course of a basketball game. Is that really helping him? Or just a nervous habit?

Uh oh, D- Song just checked in. 27 ticks left in the 3rd.

The 3rd quarter ends and the Wiz hang tight, outscoring Toronto by 10 in the period. 71-65 Wizards.

4th Quarter

3rd quarter report from Steve and Phil: 4 points from Bosh, 22% shooting for the Raptors.

Delfino is on AJ and the Raps are throwing the double at him. The first time, AJ turns the ball over. The 2nd time, he kicks it out, re-posts, then scores And1. 74-65 Wiz.

10:33 - D-Mac O-Board. 5 rebounds for him in about 10 minutes of play.

Songaila, Jamison and McGuire are the Wiz big men....and that's why Kris Humphries is able to score 2 straight baskets to make it 78-70. Mason comes down and hits a 3, but Humphries comes right back and dunks it on the Wizards. 81-72 Washington.

With 8 minutes left in the game, Songaila should have been back on the bench a long time ago. It takes a missed dunk from Dongaila to get Blatche back on the court.

6:08 - Dominic McGuire gets two offensive rebounds and one shot attempt after a Roger Mason miss. He's balling pretty hard. 86-75. Timeout.

5:26 - Jamison is the oldest dude on the court and he is out-hustling every kid out there.

Oh yea, D-Mac just got his 8th rebound of the game, 4th offensive.

4:08 - Roger Mason runner puts it at 88-77 Wizards. And I just realized...absolutely everyone from the Wizards came to play tonight. Young and Pech just have over 10 minutes combined as Eddie has found a lineup that works, in which they are not included....but they each still have a bucket.

A Humphries layup (10 points in the 4th) , a Bosh And1 and 1 Calderon FT quickly cuts the Wiz lead to 5 at 88-83 with 2:15 left.

2:01 - A Stevenson 3 miss. A foul on Calderon because AD is not quick and 2 FTs make it a 3 point game. 8-0 Raptor run.

1:40 - A Jamison 3 miss. Why on earth are they shooting all these long jumpers?

1:17 - Thank you AD. After a stop, he drives and uses his strength on Calderon to get right to the rim. 90-85.

1:10 - Another bad call in favor of Bosh as he led with his forearm. 2 FTs. 90-87 Wiz.

Jamison slips...he got off balance trying to do a little too much, turnover. Humphries is wide open at the other end for a dunk. 90-89 Wiz.

0:33.6 - Gamer shot by AD after the hesitation dribble got Calderon on his heels. 92-89.

Great D by the Wizards. AB really help his ground on Bosh, not going for any fakes. He tries to pass the ball away, gets deflected by Mason, loose ball...Raptors get it, but they are in panic mode and lose the ball to Washington.

With 37, 14, and 5...Bosh has displayed an all-star effort tonight, except on that last play.

Unfortunately, after a timeout and a side out, the ball is inbounded to Blatche for 2 FTs. I got faith in ya kid, just not 100% confidence. He makes the 1st, misses the 2nd. 4 point game.

And what do you know, Jamario Moon, 14-53 from deep on the year, with a +/- of -18 tonight, hits a 3 with 2 seconds left on the clock.

AD is fouled, makes both and the Raps have the ball, side out with 1.2 seconds left. 95-92 Wizards.

And Caron Butler heads to the locker room before the Raps take the ball out. Ok? Not sure if that's a good thing, or not.

OH. MY. GOD.

To quote Steve Buckhantz: "Noooo!!!! It's not possible!!!!!"

Anthony F-ing 2-14 Parker hit a 3, at the buzzer, with 6 Wizard hands and arms in his face. How does a team play after that? Game tied at 95.

Time. Over.

Ok, Caron is back on the bench.

DeShawn started off, what, 4-5 on threes? He's missed all five taken since then. Phil kept talking at the beginning of the game that DeShawn is just continuing his hot shooting from the end of the Milwaukee game, after he started that game 1-9. All I could think was that I hope he didn't have a 2nd half tonight like that Milwaukee first half.

Only 5 points are scored by both teams in the first 3.5 of OT. It's become a pretty physical game. 98-97 Wizards.

1:15 - And Roger Mason's 3, which bounced off the front of the iron, to the high part of the backboard, and then through the net...finally knocked the lid off the rim. 101-97 Wiz.

0:46.9 - Hello? I heard you guys were having trouble with your locks. Let me fix that with a.....DeShawn Stevenson Triple and a Steve Buckhantz DAGGAR!! 104-98.

Are you kidding? Chris Bosh 3 makes it 104-101. BIG possession for the Wiz.

Roger Mason miss.....Jamison TIP! 106-101.

Kapono Triple from the corner.....this is crazy. 106-104. AD makes both FTs and the Wiz are up 4 with 4.9 seconds left.

Don't go anywhere Caron!!!!

And I finally can exhale after Calderon misses a 3. 108-104 Wizards. What a game.

I could cite so many, but all I need is one stat:

Jamison 20 Rebounds

nba.com box score in case you need more

Wired on The Wire: Season 5, Episode 3 - "Not For Attribution"

I definitely meant to get the episode 3 write-up out before episode 4 came on, but time is a muther. Episode 4 was great though, you can really see everything coming together. My goal is to get some thoughts on it posted by Monday night.

[the wire: season 5, episode 1 write-up - "more with less"]
[the wire: season 5, episode 2 write-up - "unconfirmed reports"]

In talking about The Wire with my friend Chris in a DC coffee-shop, specifically episode 2 of this season, we both came to the conclusion that this McNulty crime-scene tampering scheme left a bit of a bad taste in our mouths. Is this plausible? It just seems too risky, too half-baked...or with McNulty, half-Jamesoned. By all means, I have faith in the writing. This captivating series has got me enthralled to this point, so a little faith on my part is justified. But it seems like they're setting the bar a little high for themselves. However, in the end, Simon is giving us what we want.

The Wire needs to go out with a bang, leaving us satisfied. Personally, I have no problem with how the Sopranos ended. But with The Wire, David Simon wants to build a consensus. He doesn't want his audience to focus on how the series ends, rather the topic of his work: the education system, police & crime, political structure, and the media's connection to it all. The media, being the general publics connection to government services; it's obvious that it would be the focus of the fifth and final season. At face value, season 2 at the docks doesn't seem to fit into the equation. But if you don't think the origin of the drug trade, labor union involvement, mob influence, and a statement on the nation's trade are key factors in this epic, then I'm not sure why you are watching in the first place.

This girl asked me on Sunday, "The Wire? What's that about." My knee-jerk reaction was to say it was a cop show that takes place in Baltimore. Guess like Lupe Fiasco, I had to dumb it down. Next time I'll say, as David Simon has put it, "It's a show about an American city."

On to episode three....

Yea, people are wired differently. Jimmy McNulty is powered by the slow consumption of booze. I would just get tired.

Self preservation. Jimmy has no use for this. To Bunk, it still makes sense. Can you blame him? We live in a world of individual self preservation. And when risk in the form of Jimmy is involved, Moreland's conditioned reaction is obviously to go on the defensive. Bunk's threats of ratting him out, which Jimmy knows that he won't follow through with, are nothing. Nice Bunk, you locked yourself in the box...or your "office"....with Jimmy. Moreland is locked into this scheme with McNulty and he knows it.

Jimmy just doesn't care, or does he? Is his motivation truly virtuous? I don't get the feeling that he's doing all of this for him. Rather, he's doing it to stick it to all the a-holes who have crossed him in the past.....from Marlo to those within the Baltimore PD.

A lot of progression is made in episode 3 and the writers made a pretty large stride in convincing me of the feasibility of Jimmy McNulty's plan.......and it's a sign of good work when you don't see it coming. I suppose if Jimmy is going to fix current crime scenes, then "adjusting" past unsolveds, especially unsolved cases of the deceased Ray Cole, would be a great way to make a connection as opposed to contriving the whole thing from scratch.

"Brother Ray, God rest he." -Jimmy McNulty

By the way, the ineptly portrayed Ray Cole was played by former Wire executive producer, Robert Colesberry, who himself passed away as a result of complications from heart surgery.

"Three people murdered in a house and it gets 12 inches below the fold. Explain that to me." -Alma Gutierrez

Hey, as the song in the opening credits puts it, you gotta keep the devil way down in the hole. At least that's what executive editor James Whiting wants to do. Unfortunately, that's the media not doing their job of delving into the circumstances behind the stories rather than the surface. Did they have to make him the biggest suspender-wearing twit in the world? Now that's what I call entrenched character building.

Tumescent. New word to my vocab. Yea, you didn't know it either. For example: Bill Belichick is coyish with the media, but we all know that he's a tumescent son of a bitch.

The one thing I understand is the closure of foreign bureaus. In this flat world, does it make sense to keep a beat on the world when it's obvious that the focus needs to be local? Outsourcing.

Yes, it's cheaper to keep the inexperienced youth at face value, but how much is the Baltimore Sun losing in the intangibles of the veterans? The experience of police reporter Roger Twig, who knows more that the documented history, is immeasurable outside of the bottom line.

Another by the way....guess who Alma, played by Michelle Paress, is married to in real life. None other than Larry Gilliard. You know him as D'Angelo Barksdale.

"It ain't easy civilizing this muther fucker."
-Prop Joe

Marlo is using Prop Joe to his advantage. For one, he is learning from him in seeking advice on what to do with his excess of money. Seems like Marlo is smart enough to know that he doesn't know enough. But also, in going to Prop Joe, Marlo is making further steps towards gaining the trust of Prop Joe. Now, we know that Joe didn't get where he is by trusting everyone....he's not a fool. But I guess any little thing helps the Stanfield organization.

"It's Baltimore, nobody lives forever."
-Tommy Carcetti

The "bunkies on Calvert St." mentioned by Tommy to Norman, The Baltimore Sun is located at 501 North Calvert St.

"This is the hard part, getting these guys to give a shit."
-McNulty

By the way, who are McNulty's "witnesses" who heard struggling inside the house? I guess that he trusts that the city mortician won't check into that....if the witnesses are, in fact, mentioned in Jimmy's report.

You think Jay Jay Landsman gives a shit? A meal of Diet Pepsi, Chinese takeout and Pepto Bismal say no.

"Everything is so serious now."
-Michael

It was always serious.....he's just starting to realize how serious "it" is.

Is Chris trying to put dissent into the mind of Slim Charles? With his "More like Joe make it complicated..." comments. Does this go back to Marlo's "compliments" about Slim in front of the co-op.

"Everything runs through Joe. Everything is clean with Joe."
-Spiros Vondas

I still don't think Marlo gets it. Yea, he gets clean money that hasn't been touched by the corner.....but clean to Vondas means trust, at least that's what I assume.

"He only needs smoke. He doesn't even need fire to drag you down, to drag me down." -Marla Daniels

Yep, it's all about self preservation. The past of Cedric Daniels is still a bit of a mystery for me. We know that Burrell and the DEA have files on him, and the FBI knows about suspicious assets, measured in hundreds of thousands of dollars. It's believed that Daniels somehow "acquired" this money from his days in the Eastern District. But it's yet to be revealed how Daniels got the money. But we do know it's serious enough for him and his wife to worry about, which means the allegations, whatever they may be, are probably true.

"Marlo wants Omar. What else to you need to know."
-Chris Partlow

Snoop is questioning the plan after she and Chris kill Butchie. Problem is....they are on defense now and as we know in football, you can't always predict where the receiver is going to cut before the bomb is thrown.

"Messin' With The Kid" by Junior Wells is playing in the background of the scene in Butche's bar. I only see trouble from messing with Omar the Kid.

Prop Joe wanted to let a sleeping dog lie. But I guess that too many bridges burned by Omar and cash will always kick a sleeping dog.

"Now where my cheese at man?"
-Cheese

"Sensatoinalize it." -Lester

Bringing Lester Freamon in.....Great move Jimmy, cause there's no way he can do it alone with a reluctant Bunk. Only this time, the door wasn't locked on Bunk.

Couple Questions for Thought.

Dukie is still doing mystery during the day. Wonder what that is, aside from going to Six Flags.

What's going on with Randy? Between his foster mother's house getting Molotov'ed putting her into the hospital, to Carver leaving him about to get a beat down in the group home, I'm not sure that Randy has survived these past 15 months. You think at least there would be an early follow-up to get it out the way.

Omar

Not sure where Marlo is making his bank transaction, probably one of the French islands in the Lesser Antilles. But I do know that Omar is in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I made the trip down to San Juan in December of 2005....mostly to catch my college basketball team, Mississippi State, play in the San Juan Shootout, but it also was nice to go to a place filled with sun and beautiful women during the cold DC winter.

But the reason that I know where Omar is living these days is that I walked right through that barrio with my friend Adam. I thought I was leading us on a short-cut between San Juan's two historic forts, Fort San Felipe del Morro and Fort San Cristobál. I didn't know I was leading us through San Juan's version of Hamsterdam where we witnessed open drug use (nothing hard-core, just some cats smoking weed) and a dude tried to sell Adam some Puerto Rican cocaína.

The view of Omar's beach-side barrio from the first fort, looking towards the 2nd fort.
It would be nice to live on the water like that.

The view from the second fort.

Next on the Wire

• Sweet Jesus Omar is going to work them.
• Police beating on teachers.
• If Jimmy gets sloppy, they get caught.
• Michael ain't paying her to be his mother.
• Looks like Marlo is present for a killing.

Other Wire Links:

An NPR interview with Michael K. Williams, the dude who plays Omar.

Baltimore Sun's 'Wire' Portrayal Fuels a Hot Debate [Washington Post]

Felicia Pearson: Through the Wire [[Si] Entertainment]

What Do Real Thugs Think of The Wire? [Freakonomics, New York Times]

Does the News Matter To Anyone Anymore? [A Rant in the Washington Post by none other than David Simon]

Live Game 42 Blog: Washington Wizards @ Milwaukee Bucks

Great game between the Celtics and Magic today, but a bitter-sweet win for Orlando. I certainly cannot find myself rooting for a team from Boston. And I like Türkoğlu, they're calling him Mr. 4th Quarter in O-Town and I think he deserves an all-star nod this year (not sacrificing Jamison or Butler of course), but the Wiz need to Magic to lose. I want that SE Division.

Michael Redd didn't face the Wizards last time. At first it looked like he was going to play tonight, but he hurt himself in the Bucks last game against Toronto and will not see the court.

Lotta sports going on now. G-Tech just made it a game with UVA. The Lakers and the Cavs are on....didn't think I'd find myself rooting for the Lakers either, but I'd also like the home court advantage in the playoffs. Dook and Maryland come on soon.

But the Wizards-Bucks are front and center, so let's start the show....

1st Quarter

I read somewhere that the Bucks have been going to Andrew Bogut in the post a lot more lately. And as Phil Chenier just mentioned, the matchup between him and Brendan Haywood will be interesting to watch. I think BTH will body the Aussie up and hold him below 15 points and 8 rebounds.

In the first seven, Haywood has definitely established an inside presence on both ends. He's pulling in 2 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks so far.

I know that Caron is deceptively quick with his 2.3 steals per game and ability to play the passing lanes. But it's not all physique, Tuff Juice must be one helluva smart player too. I bet he's a scouting report junkie. I predict that rubbing off on the young kids, D-Mac, O-Pech, The City and AB.

The Wiz built a 12-4 lead, but Eddie calls a timeout with just over 2.5 minutes left in the first after a Yi Jianlian long 2 and a Bogut inside hook makes it 12-8. Not the most exciting game so far as the two teams are a combined 9-30 from the field. At least the Wizards have forced 4 Buck turnovers while they've only committed one.

Laker ball, down 3, 20 seconds left....and craziness ensues. D. Fisher 3 miss, Turiaf rebound and put back. 1 point game. Laker pressure and the Cavs turn the ball over as the would-be receiver, Boobie Gibson, slips (the clock with 13 seconds after Turiaf's bucket never starts). The ball winds up in Vujacic hands, he gets it to Kobe who misses a 2 footer under pressure. The rock then pops all over the place, winds up in the hands of Damon Jones going to the floor, and the Cavs call timeout. At first, they only take 1.5 off the clock, it winds up being 3. Can't believe the Kobester was given the gift and blew it.

Meanwhile, at the end of a poor 1st quarter, the Wizards are up 17-15. Both teams are shooting in the low 30s. Caron Butler already has 2 steals.

2nd Quarter

In the Laker game, LeBron makes 2 FTs and the Lakers can't even get a shot off before the buzzer, they got the ball with over 8 seconds left, but Kobe's passing cost them the game. He thought he was getting the ball to an open Luke Walton, but Luke bumbled the ball, tried to get it back to Kobe...but by the time that happened, Bryant's shot came after the buzzer. Way to pass superstar.

Nice 7-0 run to start the second for the Wiz. The kids are in, Nick Young is playing smart and Andray Blatche is erasing Milwaukee shot attempts. 24-15 Wizards at the first timeout. with 8:34 left.

5:58 - Andray Blatche did not get called for a goal-tending when he should have...just like in the Georgetown-West Virginia game yesterday. Charlie Bell, the shooter, ended up getting fouled by Nick Young and made 1 of 2 FTs. 29-23 Wizards with under 6 minutes left.

4:24 - Good ol' White Hole....an errant/loose Wizard pass kinda rolls into his hands....Pech immediately fires the rock up. Poor shot selection, especially since the jumper was out of rhythm.

About 4 minutes left, the Wizards lead 31-25. It's still a grind it out game, with poor offense, a lot of fouls, and a growing turnover count. Steve Buck makes the comment that Milwaukee is just "getting after it" more than the Wizards.

Matt from Hardwood Paroxysm just sent me an IM via Google: "Oh, Lord, Avwee Storey is putting in significant minutes. It's clearly the End Days."

Close to it, I told him, "The Wizards better wake up...last time we heard from Avwee, he was getting arrested with Gil in South Beach."

It's now tied at 31 with just under 3 minutes left. Not sure if it's a lack of communication or what, but the Wizards zone is not accounting for Milwaukee cutters, especially Storey with his 6 points.

1:08 - And the ex-Wizards continue to kill as Michael Ruffin is snatching offensive rebounds...I always was a fan of that guy. He sets the standard for hustle swag.

0:33.7 - Mo Williams, Notorious Wizard Killer, nails a 3 to give Milwaukee their first lead of the game at 38-35.

The first half ends in disappointing fashion. The Bucks out-scored Washington 17-6 in the last 4:20 of the second to take the lead at 40-37.

The Stats - The Wiz are getting out-rebounded by 6 and are 14-40 from the field. And someone needs to do something about those 6 assists to 7 turnovers.

3rd Quarter

4 minutes into the 3rd, 51-46 Bucks, Steve Buckhantz says: "Bogut is just having his way inside." Crap, I should have never said anything about him. 10 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists for Andrew so far.

6:01 - Caron makes his 64th and 65th straight FTs, cuts the Buck lead to 2 at 54-52. Caron is showing out with 17 points to this point. It looks like he needs to put this Wizards team on his back for them to win.

5:30 - Maybe a BTH fadeaway baseline jumper to tie the game will turn the tide in favor of Washington.

5:10 - 67 FTs in a row for Caron....I thought he was going to miss that last one. Wiz take back the lead at 56-54. DeShawn layup on the other end makes the Wiz run 10-0.

3:08 - Then Milwaukee goes on to score 7 straight points of their own. Washington can't lock down the paint and this is opening up things outside.

2:17 - Case it point, a Bell trey makes the run 10 and the Wiz are back down 4, 64-60.

The 3rd ends and the Wizards are still having problems with cutters through the lane, but they are able to keep the score tied at 66....thanks to 12 points from Caron in the period. DeShawn Stevenson is having a bad shooting night, going 1-8 from the field. But as a team, the Wiz went 9-17 with only 1 turnover in the 3rd.

4th Quarter

11:02 - Awvee Storey gets a "How bout that?" from Steve Buck as he hits his 4th bucket, giving him 8 points.

9:20 - Michael Ruffin has 3 points, a FT and the bucket he just hit. You know things aren't going Washington's way when that is happening.

8:03 - Damn, Bogut is still killing and definitely on his way to exceeding my expectations with 14, 10, and 6. 75-70 Milwaukee.

I've been so into this game that I completely forgot about Maryland-Dook on my other TV. UMD is up 55-52 with 16 minutes left. Not a fan of Maryland....but anytime that anyone can beat Duke, I'm all for it.

5:40 - Haywood's.....err...Dave Hopla's two FTs get the Wiz within 1 at 77-76. The time to make a move is now.

Too many offensive rebounds for the Bucks tonight, 12 - Yi has 4.

3:24 - Butler nails a 3, he's just about the only confident Wizard on the floor. That keeps the damage to 2, 81-79 Bucks....that is, until Charlie Bell hits another trey. 20 points off the bench for him...really?

Down 7, 2:43 left...this is not looking good. The Aussie makes it 9 with 2 left.

1:42 - Another Wiz turnover, more Bucks points...90-79. Now, I'm starting to get pissed. A loss like this will get to me much more than a blowout to Cleveland. For one, the Bucks are 17-27. Two, their star Michael Redd is not playing tonight. Three, the schedule. Milwaukee is a team that Washington needs to beat with Toronto, Toronto, Utah and the LA Lakers up next.

....and as I am typing a "HOW DO YA LIKE THAT??" from Steve Buck. DeShawn Stevenson, who was shooting 1-9 with 2 points on the night, just hit two 3 pointers in a span of 14 seconds. The Wizards are down a manageable 5 points with 1:26 now.

Defense please.

0:50 - And it happens, but the Wiz can't take advantage with a Butler runner miss and a Mo Williams steal off Haywood after the offensive rebound.

0:27 - Butler hustle on D....simply wanting the rock more than the Aussie.

0:22 - Wow...AD gets fouled, but only makes 1 FT. Jamison then gets the board over Yi, hits the quick hook AND gets fouled. 90-88 Bucks.

0:21 - Oh my...Jamison misses the And1 FT, but Butler gets the rebound AND the putback!! Tie game at 90. An 11-0 run for the Wiz in 74 seconds.

Milwaukee ball, 20 seconds left.

More defense please.

Whew....Mo Williams miss. Game is going to OT. I had a bad feeling from previous experiences with Mo, but he couldn't pull off the game winner this time.

The Wiz need to jump on a distraught Bucks team early in OT. Meanwhile...Duke is now up 75-73 with 7 minutes left. Yup, that one is over.

Overtime

3:52 - Jianlian hits a smooth deuce to start the OT.

3:30 - But the Lock Smith says NOPE! He hits another 3, 93-92 Wiz. Welcome to the show indeed DeShawn.

3:05 - Royal Ivey gets fouled, yet another Buck finding a seam in the Washington zone. He makes 1, but Bogut gets a putback. 95-93 Bucks.

2:35 - Caron Butler trey....how did these two teams find the energy to make this a game when it was so lethargic earlier.

2:18 - Caron Butler steal, breakaway layup, foul, And1, FT. 99-95 Wizards.

Caron Butler has absolutely monstered the Wizards back into the game.

From Tuff Juice to Clutch Juice to Takeover Juice. He's hitting Milwaukee with all kinds of flavors. Game: 37 Points. 2nd Half: 26 Points. OT: 6 Points.

And he's actually playing with a straw in his mouth....For some reason, I thought that was just a practice thing. It hangs out of his mouth during timeouts, but goes completely in there during the course of play. Isn't that a dangerous choking hazard? Whatever, it's all you Juice....it's all you.

1:19 - A huge Mo Williams 3. 99-98 DC.

0:47.6 - A huger Mo Williams 3. 101-99 Milwaukee.

The first one was off a screen in the corner. That second one, he was just allowed to catch and easily shoot from the top of the arc.

0:30 - Stevenson missed a 3 on the other end. The 3rd bad offensive possession in a row for the Wiz. The Bucks get the ball and call a timeout. 21.4 seconds left in the game. 16 on the shot clock.

0:06 - Oh. my. lord.....Royal Ivey hits a long 2 just as the shot clock was running down. A fade-away high-arching step-back. 103-99 Bucks, 6 seconds left.

Tuff Juice 3 with 0:02.7 left. It's not over just yet. I wish the rest of the team came to play like he did. 40 points, a new career high for him. I'm pretty sure he'd rather have the dub.

Mo Williams at the line, unfortunately, the Wiz have no timeouts and Milwaukee has a foul to give.

Williams makes both. The Wiz inbound to Jamison around half-court and he immediately throws up a shot. He had time for a dribble, but it would've been too risky to do so.....like I said, the Bucks had a foul to give.

Well, this one really hurts. After going on an 11-0 run in 74 seconds at the end of regulation to tie the game and send it into over time, the Wizards succumb, once again, to the Magic of Mo Williams...even after building a 4 point lead with 90 seconds left in OT. Yup, Mo could not hit the game winner in the 4th quarter, but those two OT three-pointers in a row sure were a dagger.

As Day-Day told Clay Davis in the last episode of The Wire (#3).....the Wizards need to "Focus Muther F@#*ker" and take care of business in these next 4 games. At least 3 of them are at home.

NBA.com Game Info

"We just couldn't get out on those three shot and that was the game right there."
-Eddie Jordan talking about the 2 OT threes by Mo Williams and the one long deuce by Royal Ivey.

Here's To You: Mr. Crappy NBA Fantasy Trade Proposal Guy

Don't you just love these guys?

I know, I know....I understand trades & proposals, offers & counter-offers.... a bargaining process is involved. You try and low ball a guy in hopes that a progression towards the middle-ground is eventually made and that things work out square between both interested parties.

But every once in a while, you get a proposal that is so ridiculous that you don't even want to negotiate. You just laugh to yourself and move on......or, write a blog entry about it.

So here's a trade proposal that I recently received from my friend Shawn. My team is the Pecan Sandies, and his team is obnoxiously dubbed Kobe to the Wizards. If you can't see the image well, he is trying to send me Michael Redd and David West in exchange for Dwight Howard and Gerald Wallace. I'm showing their average stats from the past month.

David West
.533 FG% - .885 FT% - 0 3PM - 22.6 PTS - 9.3 REB - 2.9 AST - 0.8 STL - 0.9 BLK
Michael Redd
.453 FG% - .822 FT% - 1.8 3PM - 22.2 PTS - 4.0 REB - 3.0 AST - 1.0 STL - 0.2 BLK
Gerald Wallace
.442 FG% - .753 FT% - 1.4 3PM - 23.8 PTS - 7.8 REB - 4.8 AST - 2.4 STL - 1.0 BLK
Dwight Howard
.550 FG% - .608 FT% - 0 3PM - 19.7 PTS - 14.9 REB - 1.1 AST - 1.5 STL - 2.3 BLK

Of course, the caveat here is that Shawn is currently in first place while I'm scrapping right in the middle of the pack at 5th. So, I do need to make some moves if I want to get that money. The good news is that in a 10 team roto league, only 6 points separate 1-5.

Too bad Shawn thinks I'm a fool, especially since I've won this league 2 out of the past 3 seasons.....one of which I was left for dead, but somehow managed to survive the Malice at the Palace when I had both Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson on my team.

Needless to say, I rejected the deal and left Shawn with this message:

Dude seriously? I mean really.

What on earth would I get from this crappy deal?...aside from FT%, a category I'm ready to punt anyway.

3 ptrs, points and FG% are a wash here. And I'd lose on two things I need, rebounding and blocks...not to mention steals.

C'mon kid, I really expect better from you.

Head. Shaker.

The Lesson:
It's alright to start with a low-quality offer, but please, for everyone's sake, keep it reasonable.

Live Game 41 Blog: Washington Wizards vs. Memphis Grizzlies

Ok, these Memphis boys got the Wiz last time in unlucky game 13. It was a high scoring affair, 124-118, with Jamison dropping 41 and three Grizzlies +20 in the scoring column, and two with 17. Little Juan Carlos Navarro, or as Eddie Jordan calls him..."Antawn Jamison on the perimeter"...dropped a career/season high 28 points, dialing up 5-8 from long distance.

Bullets Forever with tonight's game preview.

I'm not going to talk about that other game, you know which one (this needs to be my only memory). I'm just confident that everything is going to add up tonight. The Wiz will return to their defensive ways. Yeah, the Grizz may score a lot, but it should not be easy for them. Memphis will have to work on offense, which will make an already sorry defensive team even worse.

A couple quick Washington Wizard links:

DC Sports Bog Video: Antonio Daniels has a hard nose. He would also like to tell the children to dress well. And one thing I learn from the AD's video is that I'm one up on an NBA player in something......I got 10,000+ songs on my ipod...and that can take on your 9,000 any day Antonio. You hear me son? That's a challenge.

A Bullets Forever reader provided a link to this good Sporting News article on the relationship of Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison - some nice torch-passing going on here.

Gilbert Arenas owes Oleksiy Pecherov some Fogo De Chao. Holler at me when ya'll go, that's my joint.

Now let's start the show.....

1st Quarter

The Wiz don't eff around on D to start...and get a 5-0 lead in the first 1.5 minutes. Active hands, sneaky steals, and great ball pressure.

Ha! The Grizz are only sending that sucka Darko to the offensive glass...good luck with that. Oh yea, Pau Gasol is out tonight. Makes no difference to me, I think Pau is a softy....as Gasol displayed in a game against the Hornets earlier this year.

9:00 - Butler just tried to take Mike Miller down low. He posted up and got great position almost right under the basket, but was unable to convert after receiving the entry pass. But that's what I like to see! I've been wanting Tuff Juice to muscle cats all year.

7:47 - JCN just got a three look that was a little too open. Luckily, he missed. Surprisingly, these two teams are having a little bit trouble scoring right now....just over 5 minutes in and it's only 7-2 Wizards. That is, until Mr. Gay comes calling.

6:36 - Pick and roll between Stevenson and Haywood works to perfection...AND a dunk right in Mike Miller's facial, plus Miller commits his second foul and has to sit. Maybe this Bullets Forever thing is working out. 11-4 Wiz.

Phil Chenier notices the Wizard hand activity. First timeout.

5:30 - Wiz stay balling like Indo G (random Memphis rapper reference) out the timeout....forced turnover leads to points.

4:40 - I think the Griz just committed their 8th turnover which leads to a Jamison bucket on the other end as he literally snatched an offensive board away from a Grizzly and got the put-back. 18-4 Wizards.

3:14 - Although they only have 2, the Wizards have been crashing the offensive boards hard. BTH also starts the game with 7 points and 4 rebounds before Blatche gives him a rest.

2:25 - Not good coming back...Andray Blatche is leaving the floor with the trainer. He can walk on his own, but with a limp. That's what I'm saying....the injury bug is always just around the corner. At least this doesn't look serious.

1:40 - Okie Doke! Butler threw a perfect pump fake to Darko and that dude went flying. Butler went on to sink a smooth Ice Man-like layup. If he ain't anything now, Darko will never be good. Is it finally time to officially give Joe Dumars the full business for that one?

Dominic McGuire is in early. I like to see Eddie change it up with the young guys...in terms of when they check in. You'll see a lot of coaches follow some type of schedule. But with EJ's method...hopefully the kids will learn that they always need to be ready because they never know when their name will be called.

AB is back....the report is a mild ankle sprain.

0:00.6 - Wow....don't see that too often. As the quarter clock was just about to expire, The Lock Smith tossed up a runner from half-court. But after the release, he gets clocked by Bobby Jones. The foul is called and DeShawn hits all 3 FTs to give the Wiz a 30-9 lead after 1. Nice work.

2nd Quarter

10:23 - And then the kids go bad...D-Mac with two straight turnovers. Plus, Butler picks up his second foul early and must sit.

3 is not a good number for the Wizards to start the 2nd. In the first 3 minutes, the Wiz get outscored (3 x 2) to zero and have 3 turnovers. Plus, in addition to Butler with those 2 fouls, AD and AJ already have 2 as well. That's 3 guys with 2 fouls.

8:00 - Eddie sits AD after he picks up his 3rd. The Wiz wake up....a little.....after a Kyle Lowry J, it's 35-19. (Still, a 10-5 Grizzly run)

Scoring has picked up a little for both teams, 13 total points in the last 2 minutes.

I've always thought that Kyle Lowry was a better player than Conley (right now at least), but I guess the investment is in Conley. Lowry must be doing a decent job as the Grizzlies have yet to turn the ball over in the 2nd. But Conley was not really responsible for their 8 so far as he has 0 while Gay and Navarro have 3 a piece.

The Wiz picked up 3 turnovers early in the 2nd, but two of those were D-Mac's in the first couple minutes of the 2nd. Washington is able to build a 20 point lead at 46-26 with 4:40 left in the quarter.

3:10 - Had to happen sooner or later, 2 straight turnovers by Memphis leads to 4 Wizard points, 52-31.

2:19 - Mid- range jumper by Haywood.....on his grown-man-BI. 13 points and 5 rebounds for BTH.

1:11 - Now is the point where I think it's a mistake not to play Nick Young or Oleksiy Pecherov. As I've noticed before, Nick's psyche seems to be affected when he gets into games late. So.....with AD on the bench with 3 and both Butler and Jamison with 2....in addition to an 20 point lead, why not know?

Probably because Eddie Jordan is an NBA coach and I am not.....and with a quick scoring team like the Grizzlies, I can easily see the youngsters letting things get out of hand. Can't blame Eddie, but I still wonder.

A minute left and Andray Blatche is back in, so that's a good thing.

Mike Conley is quick though...I can see the Tony Parker comparisons. He's able to get a step just about whenever he wants.

A Stevenson 3 miss ends the 2nd. Definitely would've liked to see a better play, having the ball with 10 seconds left on the clock.....but I'll take a 59-38 lead going into the half.

Half Stat Guts:

• The 9 points that Memphis had in the first quarter -- a Washington franchise low for an opponent
• 11 turnovers for Memphis, 6 for DC
• Assists are 13-4 in favor of the Wizards
• 55.6% FG for DC, 36.1% coming from Beale Street
• The Griz were 10-19 from 3 point land in that first game, they're 2-11 at the half tonight

3rd Quarter

11:14 - Conley goes out early with a shoulder...didn't exactly see how he hurt it. I think Caron fouled him going for a steal. That Tuff Juice, it'll bite ya.

8:51 - AJ 3 as the offensive rebound tip, partially hit by Haywood, landed right in his hands. AJ pulled that trigger so quick...I think he was already into his shooting motion before the ball got to him.

8:24 - Jamison just picked up an offensive foul, his 3rd. Butler and Antonio each have 3 as well.