Yep, us Wizards fans don’t have much to be happy about these days (wait, you are still a Wizards fan, right?). But even if you aren’t a Wizards fan, you can appreciate the below (except, of course, if you’re a Pacers fan).

I attended last Sunday’s match versus Indiana……the Caron Butler buzzer-beater game. I present, the pictures I took:

Game Run-Down:

[Wizards Insider]
Oddly, given how hot Butler was, Indiana Coach Jim O’Brien elected to not double team Butler on the final play. Danny Granger, who tied the game at 117 with a clutch three-pointer on Indiana’s last possession, drew Butler and had a hand in his face but it didn’t matter.

[Wizards Outlet]
Caron Butler said he doesn’t even know how he summoned the energy to torch the Pacers for 17 fourth-quarter points, including the Wizards’ last 15 and a game-winner.

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Opposing teams are starting to catch on to Kiss Cam hi-jinks. Some like Juwan Howard of the Bobcats give a casual wave. Some like Al Harrington and Nate Robinson of the Knicks ham it up.

Perhaps it’s because he’s always famously getting railed on by Stephen A. Smith, or perhaps it’s just because he’s foreign, but when it comes to the Kiss Cam, Rasho Nesterovic’s teammates (and a trainer) duck and cover, leaving him high and dry.

Can’t tell who’s ducking next to Rasho, but Travis Diener literally went running into the stands.

Poor Rasho….left all alone, looking like a cross between Jaws from the James Bond movies (and Happy Gilmore) and a creeper who is looking to diddle kids in a park.

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So I got home after a dinner on Monday night and caught about the last five minutes of the Wizards-Pacers game….seeing the Wiz down 100-91 at the 5:45 mark didn’t exactly instill confidence in the possibility of a win, but I figured that the deficit was at least manageable.

Three minutes is all it took for the atrocious display that is the Washington Wizards to go from being down nine points to 20 points.

Actions taken by Jeff Foster, Danny Granger, and T.J. Ford were the tipping point which led me to easily conclude that not only were things falling apart, but the Washington Wizards were also rising down.

The photoshop concept, suggested by Bullets Forever user Jon L in the comments section here, derived from a Roots album…..the title of which stems from a book by this guy, similar to books being the basis for titles of previously alluded to Roots albums, Things Fall Apart and The Tipping Point, both also good candidates for some Wizards photoshopping.

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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 Atlantic Division Preview was first, the Southwest Division was second, and now the Central Division is out. Here are the highlights from the participating bloggers for each team, click on the blog links to see the full team preview:

Chicago Bulls

[Give Me The Rock]
Non-player goals would be to try to trade some expendable players to get help at the SG position. Yes, I know that Ben Gordon is on the team, but, while I can’t deny his scoring ability, at 6′ 3″ (and apparently a smaller 6′ 3″ than Derrick Rose) I’ve always felt his height was a liability and that the Bulls would have a very hard time making it through the playoffs with him as the go-to guy. Prediction: 42-40

[Blog-A-Bull]
One major goal is to get the team’s defense back to what it before last season, a top-5 unit that thrived on hassling opponents into bad shots and turnovers. With the personnel mostly constant from those happier times, the onus is on Del Negro to get the team motivated on that end of the floor. Likely years away from being a great offense, the return to a top defensive team is imperative if they hope to challenge for a playoff spot, which is the ultimate aspiration for the team this season. Prediction: 43-39

Cleveland Cavaliers

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Ron Thompson on Comcast with his “Ronny’s” tonight…..some type of award with a creative nickname.

The Warrior Award: DeShawn Stevenson – agreed. My 2nd place would be Antawn Jamison
Most Improved: Roger Mason – agreed again. Just as Ron said, it was a difficult choice between Mase-ON and Brendan Haywood.
Mr. Dependable: Obviously Jamison.
Mr. Complete: Caron Butler
(I’m beginning to think that they selected players first, and then named awards according to their games.)
The Overachiever: Eddie Jordan – I’m caught on this award. I hate to call Eddie an “overachiever” for doing his job and being the good coach that I know he is, and whom I’ve supported, from Day 1.

Anyway, the game…

This is the Pacers ‘De La Soul’ game….you know, the Stakes Is High. If they lose, they can pretty much count on watching the playoffs from home. And that’s fine with me, I’d rather see the Atlanta Hawks step up to bat. The task won’t be easy, Danny Granger has been killing lately (much less being an upcoming Wizards Killer, a la Mo Williams) and both Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler will be resting injuries tonight.

Quarter One

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Hey, YOU…..go read a site about the sudden outburst of what basketball courts are made of, Hardwood Paroxysm my friends. Other than HP’s coverage of everything basketball (reason enough to visit), a recent post features a Q&A about the Washington Wizards involving this fair site and the good folks of Bullets Forever. Consider it one of many possible playoff previews.

Before we get into tonight’s Pacers game, here is what went down with the team from Indy earlier this year:

Game 1: Wizards @ Pacers, Oct. 31, 2007 – L, 119-110:
My very first Wizards game blog…..aww, ain’t it special? So many highlights from this loss. Looking back, I can’t believe this was in the first couple of paragraphs:

Tony Kornheiser used to talk about the Curse o’ Lez Boulez…..is there now a Curse o’ Lez Wizards? Think about it…Injuries to Gilbert and Caron at the end of last year (btw, I’m not going to count Jamison’s knee thing..that almost was expected, at least to have one 4+ week injury on the team). This year: Etan’s heart condition. And now…boy did Haywood’s knee go in an awkward direction when he fell over Diogu in the first quarter. He seems to be fine after that nice dunk. Then Stevenson to the locker room? Is this the way it’s going to be all year?

The answer? Yep. But shouldn’t we all be pleasantly surprised that the Wizards are in the playoffs considering?

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We all know that Scott Skiles got fired on Christmas Eve….and sure he’s not happy with the pink slip, but why is he holding that ax? Ben Wallace better look out for the blow out.

I’m not sure if Michelle Rodriguez just looks plum crazy in her mug shot, or if she would be the hot, edgy chick with an ‘tude in Chained Heat 17.

The DC Pro Sports Report has an entry on Wizards and Capitals attendance figures. They are surprised that the Wizards are only averaging 3,300 more fans per game than the Caps. I’m not sure if this means that people are liking hockey more than I thought, or that the Wizards fans suck.

An initial glance of the headline for this post from The Big Lead made me think that Topanga went down on 36 Florida State football players, yes that Topanga. Glad I read it twice, she only got pulled over with a DUI…..and we’re still waiting for the mugshot.

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Well, Caron Butler is out with an ankle tonight. Darius Songaila will start in his place, along with Haywood, Jamison, Mason Jr. and Stevenson. A little bit bigger lineup, not a bad idea since Mike Dunleavy at the 2 and Danny Granger at the 3, both 6’9″, present a tall challenge. But the Wiz should still be able to get up and down the court at a decent pace with AJ at the 3. I just hope he can keep up with Granger trolling around the 3 point line. Gonna be tough, but let’s think that avoiding three losses in a row will provide some extra kick for this team.

For the record:
Season Opener Live Blog @ Indy [a 119-100 Wizards loss in OT]
Game 7 Live Blog – Indy in DC [a 103-90 Wizards win]

Start the show….

1st Quarter

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Troy Murphy is out tonight. Good, we don’t need another 3 point shooter on the court, much less a big man who spreads the floor.

Eddie Jordan is going for his 100th win at the Verizon/MCI Center this evening. Get it for him Wiz.

1st Quarter

Despite a turnover on the first possession, the Wiz do good to establish Brendan Haywood inside (just like in the Hawks win) on the 2nd possession for the 1st bucket of the game.

As Phil Chenier noticed, the crowd is filled with anticipation on Gil’s first shot attempt, a 3 point miss. Even on TV, you can sense hesitancy among the fans. Of course, after seeing the camera pan, lotta no-shows or lates at the start. What is DC turning into, LA? Wish the Wizards could elicit the same passion as fans have for the Skins. Guess you gotta get multiple rings for the franchise first.

8:20 - Gil gets on board with his first FG. The Wiz are doing a good job of contesting shots on D so far, save for that wide-open Tinsley 2 pt attempt (and miss) before Gil hit his shot.

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Ok, I made that up.

But everyone is talking about how Stephon Marbury’s days with the Knicks might be numbered. And yes, no team is going to take the 2 years, $42 million left on his contract in a trade. But even if he is bought out, I really can’t think of an NBA team that would reasonably sign the team killer. That being said, somebody would have to, right?

BTW, the breaking news found via Slam Online is that Starbury has gone AWOL.

So, in the event that the Knicks do cut Marbury loose, I’ve scoured NBA rosters to see which teams may just give the guy a chance. Starting with the least likely victim and ending with the most likely.

7) The New York Knicks – Really…would this scenario be that far-fetched? Isiah would have the new contract sent before he realized that the New York-born, former All-Star guard, that he could get on the cheap, was the guy he just cut.

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