Whew. It’s over. Should have figured that the end would involve the Wizards blowing a lead. I hacked out my initial thoughts on NBC Washington, some more are below, and I’m sure there are more reflections to come.

Historically, most will point to injuries and youth and say that the 08-09 Wizards were destined to fail. Some will also tell of interim coach Ed Tapscott “biting the bullet” and “taking one for the team.”

Not saying that Coach Tap didn’t try his best, and by all accounts, including my observations of his interactions with the media, he’s a respectable and intelligent guy….he’s just not a basketball coach.

The fact is that the Wizards regressed under Ed Tapscott, evidenced by youth such as JaVale McGee, Nick Young and Andray Blatche overtly expressing me-first attitudes in wanting to get theirs. Whatever happened to working on your game, sharing with your teammates, and playing as a team (even in the face of losing)? Read more »

Well, here we are…..finally, the last game of the season. I’d like to be gearing up for the playoffs, but even in the years of futility in the red, white and blue uniforms of Lez Boulez, I would be filled with regret and sadness at the season’s end.

But this year, I’ll probably only be letting out a sigh and a “well, that’s that” after the Wizards-Celtics game tonight.

Hope no one else gets hurt….including the last man standing. Arenas and Jamison aren’t playing, so I guess that’s a good thing (even though Gil only playing in two games is a WTF? situation to me…..sure hope it’s not because of hidden knee issues….the pessimist in me, cultivated by simply being a fan of this franchise, can’t help itself).

You’ll probably be watching the Caps playtoff game tonight, and rightly so. But if you feel like drowning yourself in the sorrows of other Wizards/Bullets fans, you can head over to the game thread on Bullets Forever.

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…..to Kendrick Perkins’ Janet Jackson.

[This is essentially a repurposed photo suited to needs of the Wizards.....all thanks to the guys at The Sports Hernia Blog - "Kendrick Perkins instantly in contention for worst nip slip ever"......great place BTW, put them in your reader.]

And really, what is going on in this picture anyway? Perkins has a stink face, D-Song has his eyes closed and lips puckered, and Antawn Jamison is either trying to avoid an elbow or smooch an erogenous zone…….lot going on…..but there always is, isn’t there?….a lot going on.

Not that anyone would want to relive such a crappy display of basketball from the Washington Wizards, but if your interested in the Wizards-Celtics game blog, it’s on Bullets Forever. Thoughts on the game….well, pretty much everyone played less than they are capable of, even on their worst day. Antawn Jamison was…..okay, but….here’s a run-down in bullet form:

• Caron Butler’s defense was horrible….and it’s becoming more than routine. C’mon guy, at least try to stay in front of Tony Allen, and be somewhat cognizant of switches and the fact that you might have to cover someone else.

• DeShawn Stevenson….it’s nothing but a head game now. But that figures…someone who can get so wrapped up in not feeling his face, among oodles and oodles of lame antics, is bound to go into the mental slump. Thing is, I feel bad for the guy. He’s been a straight warrior in the past, playing hurt, etc., so I can’t really get on him too much…..I just don’t think DeShanw should see the court much anymore, but…….
• What are the options? Nick Young? That goofy lil’ guy is undependable as they come. Maybe, juuuust maybe starting him would mean something, but he’s still a sub par defender.

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Jeff from CelticsBlog.com is doing the grunt work to put together a comprehensive NBA preview from bloggers ’round the ‘sphere. The complete Atlantic Division Preview is out. Here are the highlights from the participating bloggers for each team:

Boston Celtics

[Celtics Blog]
The East is getting better, so I feel like the bad teams will lose less and the good teams will win less, but the Celtics should still be good for the best record in the East. Prediction: 59-23

[Green Bandwagon]
Last year I laughably predicted the Celtics would win 49 games. Translation: I’m not too good at this. Meanwhile, Chicago, Cleveland, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, and the Eastern Conference in general should be better. Factor in James Posey’s departure, the question marks on Boston’s bench, and concerns about whether or not the Celtics will have the same fire and drive, and it is reasonable to expect fewer wins. Prediction: 58 – 24

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After my half-baked ‘Darius Miles to the Wizards’ idea back in July, I knew that some team would take a chance on him. But more and more, I felt that chance would not be coming from the Washington Wizards.

Via Slam, I discovered that Miles has signed with the Boston Celtics. Not a bad move for Boston as a low-risk, poor man’s replacement for James Posey. And if anyone comes to mind as the best possible influence for Miles, it would be Kevin Garnett.

Garnett plays with such an unbelievable amount of passion, and if Miles expects to make anything of his career, he’ll need to start with a rekindling of his love for the game.

Still, it stings a little to know that Miles will be going to an Eastern Conference contender, rather than a rebuilding team with faint playoff hope.

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• From ABC’s report….Kevin Garnett got all of the Celtics (including Ray Allen who seemed to be the biggest surprise) eating PB&Js before games? I wonder which Celtic wears the banana suit?

  Ahh…peanut butter and jelly, more American than apple pie….as I doubt GI’s in WWII had time to bake a damn pie.

  I’ve got one friend/co-worker who eats pre-made PBJs, as an afternoon snack, out of the cooler from the little store on the first floor of my work building in downtown DC…..and I’ve got another friend I’ve known since ten who claims to have never eaten a PBJ.

• Poor Rajon Rondo……each one of his layup misses hurt a little more. But I must give him a ton of credit…..he made damn sure that he did whatever else he could to contribute to victory. Six steals, eight assists, seven boards….who cares if he got 21 points on 8-20 shooting. Dude is the Kyra Sedgwick of the NBA.

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LeBron James’ words to his mother: “Sit yo ass down.” Sure, she didn’t have to be as involved in a LeBron-Paul Pierce off-the-court, wrap-up-foul scrum. And of course LeBron was in the heat of the moment. Still, he barked at Gloria with the command of a bread-winner. The thing is, any mom might have been concerned and up in the mix, but not any son would tell her to sit her ass down (perhaps moms was simply under the influence). Even K.G. was like, “Hey man, you can’t be talkin’ yo mama like that.”

Back to the baby who needs to be put in the corner.

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Business First

Steinberg’s DC Sports Bog and Nancy the reader are holding a contest to nickname Dominic McGuire and Roger Mason, Jr. – Bullets Forever gave me the heads-up…..as our friend the Vanilla Gorilla has already coined the nickname “Taser” for D-Mac. (of course, inspired by the infamous ‘Don’t Tase Me Bro’ skit/stunt). Well, what would Dominic McGuire do under similar circumstances? Judging from the photo below, D-Mac would gladly be tased broseph…..leading one to think that he just may be partial to his potential new nickname: The Taser

The Celtics Game

Solid win for the Wizards last night. [Live Blog on Bullets Forever] Regardless of the quality of the opponent, I was especially proud of the team effort and the ability the Wizards showed in sustaining a couple Boston runs. My boy Adam aka infrequent poster, the Stubborn Old Man, sent me an email right after the game which summed it up best:

After watching tonight’s game versus the Celtics I am convinced that the Wizards are capable of competing with and beating any team in the league. What kills me is our inability to put forth the same effort, focus and concentration regardless of our opponent.

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Welcome to the Wizards-Celtics game preview. To start……

What Happened Last Time?

Wizards Game 2 in Boston: Celtics 103-83: Gilbert talked pre-season smack then got his name chanted (a la Dar-ryl Strawberry) and booed by the playoff atmosphere in Beantown. The Kevin Garnett block on Gilbert Arenas typified the night.

Wizards Game 35 in DC: Washington 85-78: Shocker in DC! (I’m talking about a win vs. the Celtics, not the fact that the Verizon Center crowd was actually *cough* good). Caron Butler and Paul Pierce had an intense 3rd quarter battle. DeShawn Stevenson capped the game with a dunk and trash talk to the Celtics bench.

Wizards Game 36 in Boston: Washington 88-83: Shocker Part II! Tuff Juice was all over the court in the late going…..hitting a double-clutch shot AND1 to put the Wiz up one with 40 seconds left, playing insane D on Paul Pierce, hitting a scoop shot to again put the Wiz up one with 19 seconds left, rebounding a KG miss and hitting FTs to put the Wiz up 3 with 8.6 seconds left, etc., etc…..

Sincerely From Boston.

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