Jose Calderon played flawless basketball for the first 47 minutes and 17 seconds of Detroit’s game against Washington. He had just six points on 2-of-6 shooting, but he dished out 18 assists–nine in the third quarter when the Pistons went from down nine points to up 12. Up to that point, Calderon had not turned the ball over, and he hadn’t committed any personal fouls. His only focus was on getting good shots for Brandon Knight and Greg Monroe (the duo accounted for 13 of Calderon’s assists).
With 43 seconds left in the game, Trevor Ariza hit a 3-pointer to bring the Wizards within six points of the Pistons, 96-90, and on the next possession, Calderon committed his first turnover of the game via an offensive foul. Coach Lawrence Frank immediately called timeout, and when play resumed, Calderon turned the ball over for a second consecutive time when he lost the ball off the dribble. Ariza grabbed the errant pass and was headed down the court for an easy layup, until Will Bynum committed a clear path foul. Ariza converted the two free throws, and the Wizards pulled to within 95-96 with 12.3 seconds left–with the ball. Here’s what happened next:
[D.C. Council: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the subs, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is on the table. Game No. 56, Washington Wizards vs Detroit Pistons; contributors: Rashad Mobley and Adam Rubin from the Verizon Center and Kyle Weidie from home.]
“Excuse me while I kiss the sky?”
OR…
“AHHH!!! All the retracted daggers in the world!!”
Here to provide the DC Council Opening Statements for Washington’s 56th game of the season at home against the Detroit Pistons are TAI’s Rashad Mobley (@rashad20) and guest Dan Feldman (@PistonPowered) who writes about the Pistons for PistonPowered an ESPN TrueHoop Network blog. Dan also does freelance work for the Associated Press.
Wizards Starters (18-37):
John Wall, Bradley Beal, Martell Webster, Nene, Trevor Booker, Emeka Okafor [Nene is out with a sore shoulder.]
[D.C. Council: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the subs, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is on the table. Game No. 51, Washington Wizards at Detroit Pistons; contributors: Conor Dirks, Sean Fagan, and Kyle Weidie from behind the television screen.]
[D.C. Council: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the subs, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is on the table. Game No. 25, Washington Wizards vs Detroit Pistons; contributor: Kyle Weidie, who covered the game from the Verizon Center.]
On Wednesday TAI wondered if it was time to start Nene, minutes limit be damned. Nene didn’t start that night in Orlando, the second of a back-to-back after playing against the Hawks on Tuesday night, and the Wizards got blown out. Nene didn’t play at all on Friday night in Detroit — perhaps partly due to a cold that’s been going around, partly due to the rest that his perpetually sore foot needs — and the Wizards still got blown out.
Tonight, after appearing in 12 of the 15 games since his return, Nene will make his first start of the season for Washington. He will join Jordan Crawford, Bradley Beal (who also returns after missing the last two games due to a sore back), Martell Webster, and Emeka Okafor. Nene’s impact, even in limited minutes, continues to be profound. In 261 minutes over 12 games, he leads the Wizards with a total plus/minus of plus-36. Only one other Wizard has a positive plus/minus on the season, Cartier Martin (plus-32 in 294 total minutes). Also watch the Nene-Okafor pairing — they’ve appeared on the court for 42 total minutes this season to the tune of plus-32.
Before the game, TAI spoke with Pistons Coach Lawrence Frank about the impact of Nene and how he conveys that to his players after they beat the Wizards, without Nene, by 32 points last night.
[D.C. Council: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the subs, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is on the table. Game No. 24, Washington Wizards at Detroit Pistons; contributors: Rashad Mobley and Kyle Weidie from behind the T.V.]
Here to provide the DC Council Opening Statements for Washington’s 24th game of the season against the Pistons in Detroit are TAI’s Kyle Weidie (@Truth_About_It) and guest Dan Feldman (@danfeld11), who is all over the interwebs but contributes here today as a writer for the ESPN TrueHoop blog Piston Powered (@PistonPowered).
Wizards Starters (3-20):
Shaun Livingston, Jordan Crawford, Martell Webster, Earl Barron, Emeka Okafor (Will Earl Barron start two games in a row? Stay tuned, Wizards fans…) NOTE: Bradley Beal is a game-time decision, and Nene is out with a cold/flu (that Jan Vesely likely gave him). News via @cmillscsm.
[The DC Council -- After each Wizards game: setting the scene, rating the starters, assessing the bench, providing the analysis, and catching anything that you may have missed. Unlike the real DC Council, everything here is over the table. Click here for cumulative DC Council 3-star ratings over the course of the season. Game 55 contributors: Markus Allen, Ryan Gracia, and Kyle Weidie.]
