From the Wizards’ perspective, you’ll hear sentiment such as, “We just turned into our old selves in the third quarter,” courtesy of Andray Blatche in the quote mix video above. He also said that too many players were trying to put things on their own shoulders and that there were no Kobe Bryants or Dwyane Wades in the locker room.

Regarding the offense, Rashard Lewis said in the first quarter the Wizards moved the ball side to side, but later in the game, they often utilized only half of the baseline to halfcourt plane.

John Wall cited lack of heart and fight … hero ball.

Nick Young said that they have to find ways to get people open, saying Grant Hill was talking to him during the game, telling him that the Suns were reading every play the Wizards called.

JaVale McGee walked out of the training room with just compression shorts and headphones on after the game, jamming to some tunes and asking a member of the media he knew for a box score.

With so much attention being paid to what the Wizards did or didn’t do, give credit to what the Suns did do. They realized that they had slept through the first quarter and came out in attack mode. After the Wizards out-scored the Suns in the paint 18-8 in the first, Phoenix took a 38-18 advantage down low for the other three quarters, ultimately winning the game 109-91. Maybe one day Washington will do to other teams what the Suns did to team, but they have to care a lot more first.

Below are a couple photos demonstrating the will of the Phoenix Suns against the lowly Wizards.

There’s the 38-year old Grant Hill sizing up and taking the 25-year old Nick Young to the hoop after Andray Blatche missed a jump shot on the other end.

And of course, two-time MVP Steve Nash.

Lot of guys watching Nash on this play.

And where would we be without a Goran Dragic wrap-around assist to Marcin Gortat?

Other reads from Truth About It:

• January 27, 2011 -- ShareBullets: Portraits Of A Young Team & Wizards Picture Leftovers
• January 22, 2011 -- From The Other Side: The Suns Adjusted, The Wizards Did Not
• February 10, 2011 -- Wizards-Bucks Quote Mix, and John Wall Greets Earl Boykins

{Steve Nash all alone. - K. Weidie}

The last game was played in Milwaukee, and this one was played in the friendly confines of the Verizon Center.  The Bucks were missing three starters, and the Suns had a healthy roster at their disposal.  The Wizards are a putrid 0-20 on the road, and they went into last night’s contest with 12-8 home record–including four straight wins at home.  You get the point here, there were plenty of differences between last night’s game against Phoenix and Wednesday night’s game against Milwaukee.  Still, it played out exactly the same.

In both games, the Wizards played flawless first quarter basketball, only to see their hard work come unraveled in each quarter after that, leading to a double digit loss.

The Wizards shot 53-percent in the first quarter, and they were mainly led by Nick Young (11 points) and Andray Blatche (10 points).  John Wall did not do much damage scoring-wise (two points), but he managed to dish out a whopping nine assists, before he was subbed out for Kirk Hinrich with 3:49 left in the period.

Meanwhile the Suns only shot 34-percent in the first, they committed nine turnovers, and they lacked any sort of energy and rhythm.  During one stretch, when the scored was tied at 14, the Suns turned the ball over twice, and had a shot blocked by JaVale McGee the next time down the floor. The Wizards turned that into into 11 consecutive points (and five assists by Wall).  The score after one in Washington was 33-22.  The score after one quarter in Milwaukee was 27-19.

Unfortunately for the Wizards, the Suns snapped out of their doldrums in the second quarter by shooting 50-percent, and relying on Marcin Gortat (eight points), Channing Frye and Goran Dragic (both with five points).  They still turned the ball over six times, but they were able to hold the Wizards to just 34-percent shooting and 20 points.  The score at halftime was 53-52 in the Wizards’ favor.  In Milwaukee, the halftime score was 49-47 Wizards.

The third quarter was when the Phoenix Suns finally put everything together and pulled away from the Wizards.  Their turnovers were low (three), their shooting percentage was high (50-percent), their three-point percentage was even higher (54.5-percent), and their defense was smothering (the Wizards shot 30-percent).  Channing Frye hit four three-pointers in the quarter, and Nash had five points and six assists.  Blatche (two points) and Young (three points) were nowhere to be found for the Wizards, and the score after three quarters was 83-71 Phoenix.  In Milwaukee, the score through three was 75-66, in the Bucks’ favor.

The fourth quarter of last night’s game, much like the fourth quarter in the Milwaukee game, was basically garbage time.  The Wizards cut the score to 88-80 with 8:47 left in the game, then the Suns held them scoreless for almost four minutes, and they pushed the lead back to double digits.  The final score was 109-91, and the bottom line was that the Suns made adjustments to their poor start, but the Wizards never countered.

After the game I asked Steve Nash, Grant Hill and Jared Dudley about the disparity between their poor first quarter play, and the adjustments they made from there:

“You know I thought we just missed some shots, we weren’t sharp, we were fumbling the ball around a little bit and not converting.  I thought they had more energy and more purpose early on and it took us awhile to play at a higher level.” –Steve Nash

“In the first quarter Nick [Young] got hot and hit some threes, and we had to respect McGee after he got that lob, and we were just to make Wall shoot, so we were going under the screens, and we were just off.  But once we starting limiting Nick, and concentrating on keeping Blatche out of the sweet spots, we improved.  Plus we had 14 turnovers the first half which fortunately didn’t take us out of the game completely.  Second half we took care of the ball, starting hitting some shots.  We also saw them getting frustrated in the second half, and that’s going to happen with a young team with a young point guard, so that worked in our favor too.” – Jared Dudley

“They came out and hit some shots.  We turned the ball the over a little bit too much and they got out into transition.  We had a bad first quarter.  We kept our composure.  I thought in the second quarter, the second unit did a great job and got us back in the game.  At halftime, we were down one and were talking amongst ourselves as players and said hey we’re down one, we’re back in the game and we played terrible.  Let’s just come out and take care of business.  We had a good third and just finished them out there in the second half.” –Grant Hill

Other observations from the Suns locker room:

The Washington Wizards inexplicably went to a zone in the third quarter, and Channing Frye single-handedly dismantled it to the tune of 12 points.  Sean Fagan of Bullets Forever reported that Andray Blatche mentioned the point of the zone was to keep the Suns out of the paint–unfortunately it led to the Suns highest scoring quarter of the night.  After the game, I asked Dudley and Hill if they were surprised to see the Wizards’ zone.

“You know what? Teams have been doing that to us recently, so I wasn’t that surprised.  Teams have been doing that and switching screens, and playing Steve [Nash] with a big man, so I wasn’t surprised to see it.  Now I was surprised they stayed in it as long as they did, especially with Channing killing it, but hey we stretched our lead, so I’m not complaining.” –Dudley

“Nope, I wasn’t surprised at all, we were scoring pretty easily prior to that, and we knew from playing them earlier in the season that if they did go to a zone, we could score right away in bunches, and then they’d eventually switch back to man.” –Hill

I also briefly spoke with Mickael Pietrus (who did not play) about whether he had talked to Rashard Lewis, and what his observations were on his adjustment to the Wizards:

“That’s my friend, we talk and text all the time, and he’s a real good guy, and eventually he’ll be a good leader for this team.  But right now, he’s still learning, Arenas and [Jason]Richardson are still learning. In Phoenix, and Goran, Vince and I are still learning too … it takes a month and a half to two months, maybe longer to really get comfortable.  But in terms of Rashard, he’s my friend so I know his game and his body language, and he’s not comfortable in Washington yet.  Trades are a funny thing man some people can handle it and they adjust, others can’t handle it and they never adjust.  We’ll see how it plays out though.”

Other reads from Truth About It:

• January 22, 2011 -- Wizards vs. Suns: Aggressor & Regressor
• January 27, 2011 -- ShareBullets: Portraits Of A Young Team & Wizards Picture Leftovers
• November 9, 2009 -- Wanted: Time & Trust – Suns Set Wizards Down 102-90

[As it turns out, Hakim Warrick's monster jam on Yi Jianlian at the end of the first half was a sign for things to come for Washington in the second half.]

There was a battle for momentum toward the end of the second quarter during Sunday night’s Wizards-Suns game. Steve Nash had just penetrated the lane (as he did with ease all night), and dished off to Hakim Warrick (again, as he did all night) for a thunderous slam, and there were just four seconds left on the clock.  John Wall then took the ball, ran down the court and launched a shot from just inside the three-point line.

After Wall’s attempt went in off the glass just before the buzzer, Channing Frye looked in disbelief and then ran towards the locker room.  Wall briefly looked at the crowd, tapped his chest twice, and then he too ran off the court.  His shot had cut the Suns lead to three points, and momentum seemed to be firmly on the Wizards’ side.

In the first 90 seconds or so of the third quarter, it seemed like the Wizards were up to matching the Suns’ intensity.  Jason Richardson and Channing Frye both scored off passes from Nash, but the Wizards countered with scores of their own courtesy of two free throws from Wall and a dunk from Alonzo Gee.  At that point, the Wizards were still within three points.

But then the Steve Nash show really started to kick into full gear. The Wizards could not keep pace and things began to get out of hand. Nash was either scoring or dishing on every basket, and each of Phoenix’s other four starters (Grant Hill, Channing Frye, Richardson and even Earl-freaking-Barron) scored within the first six minutes.

The Wizards weren’t nearly as fluid.  Gee took and missed two three-pointers, which really isn’t his shot, while JaVale McGee and Wall took turns turning the ball over.  Andray Blatche, who started quickly with 12 first quarter points, went almost half of the third quarter before he scored a basket, but at that point, the Wizards were already down 85-73.

After calling a full timeout, Flip Saunders decided to substitute Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young into the game. Arenas (6 points and 5 assists) and Young (10 points) had given the Wizards a substantial offensive boost in the first half, and I’m sure Flip was looking for them to do the same in the third quarter.

Unfortunately for Saunders, neither player could re-create their first quarter magic.  Arenas did not score or dish out an assist in his four minutes on the floor in the third, and Young went 0-for-3 from the field and committed two fouls.  In that same span, Warrick and Richardson combined to score eight points for the Suns, and when that third quarter horn sounded, the Wizards were down 95-77. They went on to lose the game 125-108.

On the surface it would be easy to blame the Wizards’ third quarter woes on the brilliance of Steve Nash.  He had three points and eight assists in the period, and that’s not even counting the hockey assists.   But Nash played just as well in the first quarter (eight points, four assists) and the Wizards were in the lead.  A look beyond the surface shows that the Wizards lost that quarter for one main reason:  Wall and Arenas were not on the floor together.

When Wall and Arenas played together in the first half, the Wizards extended their lead from 16-14 to 26-18, and their open court style caused difficulty for the Suns.  In the second period, the Wizards weren’t able to stretch their lead as they had previously, but the duo still helped their team to score 30 points in the quarter.  The formula was pretty simple:  Wall was a threat to drive and get to the basket, and Arenas was a threat to shoot from the outside, or get to the hole if he needed to do that as well.

In that putrid third, when the Wizards only scored 17 points, Wall and Arenas were on the floor together 53 seconds total, and during the other 11 minutes, the offense was predictable.  There were forced shots and bad shots, but not enough easy shots, because the two best players were simply not on the floor.  By the time the fourth quarter started and the pair was on the floor again, the complexion of the game had vastly changed because the Suns were so far ahead.

After the game, Flip seemed to blame the Wizards third quarter play on the team’s mentality:

“When things don’t go right as a team, we get down on ourselves and let one mistake compound on another and that’s when teams go on an 6-0 runs or that 8-0 run that turns a 6-point game into a 14-point game. And then your mentality, how you play is totally different.”

If Wall and Arenas are the best players, and they don’t play together during a pivotal part of the game, it’s the coach’s mentality that has changed, not the players’.   This shift in mentality, against a Suns team just one game above .500 going into the meeting, saw the Wizards get blown out in the quarter from hell, which cost them the game.  When the Wizards take on the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers tomorrow night, the failure to coach and play better will lead to a similar fate.

Wizards-Suns: Top Quotes.

[Michael Lee - Wizards Insider]

I can’t even attempt to count the number of times that I’ve seen Steve Nash play in person, but the guy never ceases to amaze me. Over the past five years, the league has been overwhelmed with talented, fast and electrifying point guards — Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry and now John Wall.

But even at 36, after a series of injuries, thousands of miles on his wheels and the loss of Mike D’Antoni and Amare Stoudemire, it’s impossible to knock Nash out of the discussion of the league’s top five point guards. Try as you might, you just can’t. He still has enough speed, and much more intelligence, which makes him a difficult cover. He carved up the Wizards on Sunday with the precision of a surgeon; dropping those passes that make you just shake your head in wonderment.

[Michael Schwartz - Valley of the Suns]

Nash became the first player in NBA history to twice record 17 assists without missing a shot since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77. Only three other players have done this once and the list isn’t too shabby: Magic Johnson, John Stockton and Mark Jackson. Nash also pulled the trick April 3, 2007, when he hit four shots and dished 17 dimes in Memphis, and before that it hadn’t been done since Stockton in 1994.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Nash became the second player in the shot clock era (since 1954-55) to post a 20 points and 10 assists game without missing a field goal or free throw, and that hasn’t been done since 1985 when Lester Conner did it.

[Craig Stouffer - Washington Examiner]

John Wall, despite bouncing back from his disappointing outing against Portland on Friday with 12 points, 12 assists and three steals, seemed like a pawn in Nash’s plan every time he guarded him. For all that Wall does getting his hands into passing lanes and disrupting as a help defender, he’s always a bit resigned to let a screen completely take him out of the play. The problem is, while Wall was trailing Nash, the Wizards big men froze in front of him, whether it was JaVale McGee or Hilton Armstrong or Yi Jianlian. And rotation has been an issue on defense all season. It’s not that Nash wasn’t great. But the Wizards, who were easily baited into an up-tempo game that was always going to be difficult for them to sustain, looked like orange cones the way Nash ran through them. Phoenix probably gets fewer dunks doing shell work in practice than they did on Sunday night.

[Trevor Paxton - Bright Side of the Sun]

In the midst of a third quarter run that effectively killed the Wizards’ hopes at a win, Eddie Johnson said, “And here I thought this was going to be a game decided in the fourth quarter.” I thought the same thing, especially after a nearly-defense lacking first half that had the Suns leading 64-61. However, to start the second half, the Suns, would have none of that.

And to end on a somewhat positive note, here are a couple big-time Trevor Booker slams:

Other reads from Truth About It:

• January 20, 2012 -- DC Council Game 14: Wizards 105 vs Thunder 102: From Subway To Chicken Wings
• January 17, 2012 -- DC Council Game 13: Wizards 106 vs. Rockets 114: John Wall’s Big Day Brings No Rewards
• January 16, 2012 -- DC Council Game 12: Wizards 90 vs. Sixers 103: Turnover Township

This Wizards team is hard to dissect, and I don’t mean “take apart,” as Steve Nash did on Sunday evening on his way to captaining his Suns to a 125-108 victory.

The Wizards are hard to dissect in the sense of separating individual parts to determine why the team continues to lose in the worst of ways (and win by the skin of their teeth). Anything and everything could go wrong on a given night.

On offense, in general, the team wastes too many possessions with bad shots. Pretty simple to conclude that they could use a lot more discipline in this regard. On defense, it comes down to focus and will, something several Wizards have major issues with. When you combine the overall effect that has on the team with the stylings of the two-time MVP in Nash, you have a recipe for the Suns to have their way with the Wizards.

Nash was often seen casually strolling through the paint, slicing through defenders as shown in the above GIF on Sunday night. But really, there was nothing casual about it. Well, unless you’re talking about the Wizards’ defense.

Nash could perform surgery blindfolded against Washington. He’s calculating, he’s precise. One can’t help but wonder which one will come first, Nash’s retirement or Ted Leonsis changing the name of the team, because something’s gotta give. Let’s turn to the Elias Sports Bureau for support:

Steve Nash’s average of 13.4 assists per game versus the Wizards since returning to the Suns in 2004-05 is his highest against any opponent.

Enough said.

Nash came out on top in what was an exciting duel between he and John Wall for a brief spell. The Canadian finished with 17 assists to 2 turnovers and shot 8-8 from the field, netting 20 points. Wall had a decent 12 assists to 4 turnovers, but 10 of those dimes came in the first half when it still was a game, not in the second half that sealed the deal. Wall succumbed to the man whose skills academy he once attended with just 12 points on 4-12 shooting and 3-4 from the free-throw line.

The most telling sign of Nash’s effect on the game came midway though the fourth quarter. Nash went to the bench with 1:13 left in the third, his Suns holding a comfortable 16 point lead. The Suns would push that lead to 21 with 9:23 left in the game thanks to a Jared Dudley trey ball. Then the Wizards found a little moxie and energy (thanks to some beastliness from Trevor Booker), went on a 14-5 run and cut Phoenix’s lead to 12 with 5:13 left.

Maybe the sense of hope for the Wizards at the point wasn’t necessarily false, but unfortunately for Flip Saunders’ bunch, this isn’t like soccer when a player can’t be subbed back in. Nash returned and the Suns promptly went on a 11-3 run over the span of 88 seconds, Nash tallying three assists in the process. Nick Young hit an inconsequential layup with three minutes left before Nash sat down at the 2:42 mark with Phoenix up 18.

The game was put gently to bed by Nash, who served as a playpen mobile all night, dazzling the Wiz Kids with flicks of his one-handed bounce passes and alley-oops galore. The Wizards now take their 0-10 start on the road to play the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Get ready for more lessons.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• January 22, 2011 -- Wizards vs. Suns: Aggressor & Regressor
• December 6, 2010 -- The Third Quarter From Hell (via Phoenix)
• January 27, 2011 -- ShareBullets: Portraits Of A Young Team & Wizards Picture Leftovers

Despite their 1-3 record, the Wizards (8-17) still believe they made progress on the trip, with Coach Flip Saunders and several of his players commenting on how the team could’ve easily won two more games if a few more breaks had gone their way.

The Wizards have recently patted themselves on the back for not quitting and being in close contests. “Breaks” … sure, Michael Lee’s words, but the franchise has conveyed the ‘if only a couple of plays’ argument, as if some fate has intervened.

I’m under the impression that if the Wizards wanted it a little bit more, especially on defense, if they had just a bit more focus, determination, hustle, you know, all of those intangible sports clichés, then they could have notched a couple more wins.

The perception of the “breaks” not going the Wizards’ way seems odd to me. It’s like saying they lost due to reasons beyond their control … interference from the basketball gods I suppose.

Losing falls under the supervision of Saunders and his players. Hoping for breaks is what crappy teams do. Good teams don’t rely on breaks, they use their collective talent to take control of games and get wins.

Example #1: Jamison & Boykins run into each other

Example #2: Randy Foye gets lost

Bonus: talking it out

This is a familiar scene you might see from any one of the Wizards’ three captains.

{best web hits}

[Michael Lee - Wizards Insider, Washington Post]

The schedule will show that the Washington Wizards played a game in Phoenix on Saturday, but for those who had to sit through all 48 agonizing minutes, it really appeared to be short three-hour layover on their return back home to the blizzard. Showing up for an actual game was optional. On the last night of their West Coast trip, the Wizards looked like a team that was ready to go home and make some snowmen.

[Mike Jones - Wizards Outlet, Washington Times]

We knew they were going to have a tough time because they were on the tail end of a back-to-back and because they had some banged up guys — Antawn Jamison (stinger), Caron Butler (ankle), Gilbert Arenas (bruised hip).

But Flip Saunders didn’t want to use any of that for an excuse for tonight’s poorest of poor efforts.

“You can come up with excuses every night, why not to play,” Saunders said. “It’s a back-to-back, we’ve been on the road for eight [days], it’s the last game of the road trip. If you want to even be an average team, those thoughts can’t enter your mind. It’s almost as though the last thing we wanted to do was to be out there tonight. It’s pretty much unacceptable.”

[Mike Prada - Bullets Forever]

Was the effort later unacceptable, as Flip Saunders said?  Of course.  But that’s kind of missing the real issue here.  The Wizards had to know that it was going to be tough for them to raise their energy level to play a racehorse game considering they played the night before.  They had to know the difficulty of playing the second night of a back-to-back.  And yet, they still tried to play a racehorse game against the best racehorse team in the league.  That’s being stupid.

[George Panagakos - Examiner.com]

What went wrong?  Well, it was another poor shooting night for Washington, only 36.4% from the field.  Also, the Wizards only had 14 assists.  Gilbert Arenas began the game strong with 2 assists early, but the Wizards missed six shots in a row, down 10-9 in the first, and then trust began to fade.  Arenas finished the game with only 4 assists on the night after a season-high 13 Friday night.

[Mike Schmitz - Valley of the Suns]

Just another day at the office for the Phoenix Suns in front of the citizens of Planet Orange at the Purple Palace. The Suns made easy work of the Washington Wizards, 121-95, to become the third team in franchise history to start the season 10-0 at home while remaining the NBA’s only undefeated home team.

[Paul Coro - The Arizona Republic]

The Suns’ substituting began with a 23-18 lead, and the bench stretched the lead to 16 during a span that covered the end of the first quarter and start of the second. Louis Amundson and Goran Dragic combined for 14 points during that stretch.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• December 21, 2009 -- Chronicling Bad Wizards Defense vs. Phoenix
• December 31, 2009 -- What Went Wrong When Oklahoma City Came To Washington, DC
• July 2, 2010 -- CHECK MY STATS: Kirk Hinrich, Sioux City Shooter

Why is Gilbert Arenas always so ready to give up a foul after he or his team commits a turnover?

Why is Caron Butler always shuffling/switching his pivot foot when he catches the ball, leading to a travel?

Why are the Wizards entrenched in bad communication, often running into each other on pick and roll defense?

This team is surrounded by a lot of questions, these are just some examples. The quandary of this bad Washington Wizards team won’t simply be resolved by ‘when Mike Miller becomes healthy’, ‘when Gilbert Arenas gets his mentality back’ or ‘when Flip Saunders is able to reign in his players to properly run his offense’.

Running the offense is one glaring problem because this team was supposed to be able to score. Screw the offense for this post, let’s talk defense.

Defense usually just requires concentration, focus and hustle. Not every possession against Phoenix was bad defensively, but many, many were. And when you’re losing, it’s better to concentrate on what went wrong.

Thus, I chronicled every point scored by Phoenix and used my judgement to assign blame for each. Some points were the responsibility of multiple parties, and I’ve indicated the percentage split when applicable. It’s also worth nothing that there were several examples of bad defense where Phoenix simply didn’t make an open shot.

Each defensive possession is described in the spreadsheet below, which shows the total points, and fraction thereof, each player allowed, the minutes he played, and the points given up on a per minute basis, which is how the players are ordered from top to bottom, worst points given up per minute to best. The second sheet shows the defensive details.

Things to notice:

• JaVale McGee is still getting lost, a ton … and that’s why he is the worst in points given up per minute.
• Caron Butler‘s new commitment to defense? How about committing to hustle first. Butler does not play with the want and desire necessary to be a decent defensive player.
• Much of the same can be said about Gilbert Arenas, who finds himself getting caught on or trailing screens way too much.
• Earl Boykins gets a lot of points scored on him because of his size, but he also tends to just take himself away from defensive commitment with a general lack of involvement.
• Antawn Jamison is surprisingly the lowest/best. I thought he’d be higher because of his slow feet and occasional lack of awareness. But this is just a one game sample, and he does put himself in the right position for the most part.
• At this point, Randy Foye‘s entire game is lost.
• Worth noting that much of the Wizards’ second unit played against the Phoenix scrubs, who only mustered 19 4th quarter points after a Nash-led Suns team scored 30, 33 and 39 in the first three quarters respectively. So, the numbers of some could be better than their defensive reality.
• Also, below the spreadsheet, there is a log of each point scored by Phoenix with a couple screen shots.

1st Quarter

(2) - The Wizards start off on defense look anxious, as if to say, ‘How are these guys ultimately going to score on us?’ Grant Hill hits a left wing jumper dead in Caron Butler’s face.

(4) - Steve Nash hits a left corner two in Gilbert Arenas‘ face. Both times, Suns shooters have gotten the slightest bit of separation from ball screens. Caron got his on a post screen/switch with DeShawn Stevenson.

(6) - Gilbert and Caron lax on pick and roll D, Haywood late to help, DeShawn doesn’t put a body on Amare Stoudamire who gets the tip back. 25% each.

(8) - Haywood/Arenas pick and roll defense (pictures below). Nash comes off the picks so fast that he gains incredible separation. Arenas must beat him to the spot so he’s not trailing so bad on the screen. Brendan Haywood can’t leave that much space on the help when Stoudemire isn’t cutting to the hoop.

(10) - Why is Jamison out of position so badly? (picture below) AJ steps out to help with Nash on the Frye ball screen, but when Frye starts to slip and cut to the basket (notice Jamison is aware of this because he’s putting his arm around Channing), he gets his feet caught in quick-sand. Look how much separation Frye is able to get from Jamison as he plods his heavy feet around the 3-point line.

(13) - Team Transition Defense. Arenas, Stevenson, Haywood, Butler. 25-25-25-25%

If you notice the picture below, Butler was the first wing player back, but he just goes to a spot on the floor. There’s no team communication on who to pick up.

Jamison was back early, so he picked up Richardson. Haywood was focused on Stoudemire coming down the court at first, but then, as you can see, he gets all turned around. It probably would have made the most sense for Caron to practice awareness and pick up Channing Frye, who is trailing Nash. And that way, Stevenson, who is the last Wizards defender back for one reason or another, it happens, would pick up the last Suns perimeter player down the court, who is Grant Hill in the bottom right of your picture.

In any case, nothing worked out, Frye hit a three.

(15) - Stoudemire 1-on-1 move against Haywood.

(17) - Stevenson lost track of his cutting man, Richardson.

(19) - Nick Young lost Richardson on a double screen, bad help from Jamison and Butler. 60-20-20%

(21) - Caron Butler turnover, Nick Young watching for a second as his man, Richardson, sprints back for a fast-break bucket. 65-35%

(23) - Steve Nash, height of Earl Boykins.

(24) - 1 FT, Defensive 3-seconds, Brendan Haywood.

(26) - Phoenix got the Wizards’ defense moving and Nick Young closed out poorly on Goran Dragic, who drove to the hoop.

(28) – Amundson via poor pick and roll defense from Jamison and Boykins. Running into each other again.

(30) – Amundson scored on a crazy Nash pass after Nash caught an Antawn Jamison deflection. We’ll blame Nick Young for giving up and wanting to go on offense after the deflection.

2nd Quarter

(32) – Stoudamire got deep post position on Blatche, made a good one-on-one move.

(35) – Bucket And 1, Stoudamire out-working Blatche in the paint.

(38) – Blatche was already helping, McGuire got caught helping too deep in the paint and left Dudley open for a three in the corner.

(40) – Dragic drive on Arenas for a layup, second chance courtesy of Butler‘s man getting a rebound. 50-50%

(42) – Grant Hill very tough shot on Dominic McGuire.

(44) – Mostly bad help defense on Caron Butler, but we can also blame McGuire for the drive and Haywood for his help.

(46) – Team Defense: Arenas, Haywood, McGuire, Butler. Dragic drive and dish to Amundson.

(48) – Arenas clear path foul after Blatche turnover. 30-70%

(50) – Arenas gets caught on double screen, Nash jumper.

(53) – Richardson corner three, lazy Caron Butler transition defense. Sheer, frustrating laziness (pictures below).

Do you notice Grant Hill, Caron’s man, sprinting back while Butler casually jogs back, taking his sweet, sweet time? I do.

Dominic McGuire picks up the cutting Hill while Richardson is left open in the opposite corner. Meanwhile, notice how Caron is just watching the action unfold. Still sauntering up the court, he goes to guard NOBODY … not even taking the time to recover to Richardson, the open man.

Eventually the ball finds itself to J-Rich for the trey.

(55) – Grant Hill gets a couple screens, no sense of urgency from Caron.

(57) – Gilbert Arenas looking funny chasing around Nash.

(59) – Nash 2 FTs, fouled in transition by Foye.

(60) – Frye 1 FT, bad transition defense: Arenas, Haywood, Butler, Jamison.

(63) - Butler loses track of Channing Frye’s three.

3rd Quarter

(65) - Amare Stoudemire got too much space from Haywood.

(67) - Transition: Grant Hill made Caron Butler look like an old man hobbling after him.

(70) - Gil gets switched on Richardson and off Nash. Post move And 1.

(72) - Richardson strong shot in the paint over Stevenson off the pass.

(74) - Channing Frye jumper on slow recovery by Jamison.

(76) - Stoudemire lob dunk from Nash due to Caron‘s gamble, Stevenson slowness to pick up Nash in transition, Haywood‘s help, etc., etc. Transition D. Arenas and Jamison were at fault too, just because.

(78) - 2 Stoudemire FTs, foul on Jamison, this week’s episode of Lost directed by JaVale McGee.

(80) - McGee goaltend on second chance attempt by Stoudemire. McGee didn’t block out anyone and Caron couldn’t block out Stoudemire. 75-25%

(82) - Wiz try some zone defense trapping. Richardson sneaks behind McGee‘s line of defense and Nick Young‘s communication. Easy pickins for Nash. 65-35%

(84) - 2 Stoudemire FTs, Butler foul in bad help against Nash drive on Boykins. Butler didn’t attempt to block out Stoudemire on the rebound.

(86) - Mostly Nash against the smaller Boykins, but McGee could have stepped up and helped. 75-25%

(88) - Richardson made a hard cut against the separation of Nick Young and the lack of help on the screen from McGee. 50-50%

(91) - The Suns run a ton of screens, I’ll put this on Foye, Jamison and Boykins, the latter two really seeming to not care about defense. Channing Frye three.

(93) - Richardson easyness: 50% Foye absent mindedness, 25% to Blatche and 25% to Boykins too.

(95) - Blatche didn’t block out Stoudemire, he got second chance points.

(97) - Blatche goaltend on Richardson. Blame Boykins for giving up on Richardson’s cut and McGee for not seeing the ball on the lob.

(100) - All 5 Wizards (Boykins, JaVale, Blatche, Young, Foye) jog back in transition as McGee missed a shot and showed the frustration on his face … but blame Foye for not picking up Dudley.

(102) - Stoudemire completely slips the pick he was going to set for Nash and McGee is completely unaware.

4th Quarter

(103) - 1 Lopez FT, Nick Young will get the foul called on him, but McGee ran away from blocking Lopez out, blame him.

(104) - 1 FT, Alando Tucker, drive and foul by Foye.

(106) - Goran splits Blatche/Boykins attempt at D … very bad, McGee late on the help. 40-40-20%

(108) - Tucker drive, Foye lost in zone, McGee bad closeout. 75-25%

(111) - Goran trey. Some sort of weird zone defense. Nick Young is out of position, Dom McGuire doesn’t recover to help fast enough. 80-20%

(113) - Tucker drive on Nick Young, McGee matador help. 70-30%

(115) - Lopez must read JaVale McGee‘s scouting report, Epic Vale fell bad for a pump/head fake here.

(117) - Dragic lob to Lopez … Foye/McGee/Blatche. 35-35-30%

(118) - Earl Clark FT, foul courtesy of Andray Blatche.

(119) - Dragic FT, foul by Foye.

(121) - Tucker FTs, drive and foul on Young.

More to come ….

Other reads from Truth About It:

• November 9, 2009 -- Wanted: Time & Trust – Suns Set Wizards Down 102-90
• December 31, 2009 -- What Went Wrong When Oklahoma City Came To Washington, DC
• December 30, 2009 -- Denial and The River Without A Paddle: Wizards-Thunder Post-Game Locker Room Video

This team has no moxie. With the persistent problem back-to-back games pose, there’s ever-increasing skepticism and little hope that they will ever change course for the better. There are a ton of excuses for why this team is falling way short of expectations, a lot of them seem to stem on more time and patience. But how do you get a team to play with energy and focus like they care?

So, I put my blues collection on shuffle and spent the better part of my Sunday watching the Wizards-Suns with focus … and boy did I learn a lot about this team. I was able to capture the essence of the game in the nine frames below, but I’ll have much more to come in the future about the less desirable aspects of the Flip Saunders’ team.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• December 2, 2010 -- What An 0-9 Road Start Looks Like: Wizards-Raptors, A Screen Shot Revue
• December 31, 2009 -- What Went Wrong When Oklahoma City Came To Washington, DC
• December 21, 2009 -- Chronicling Bad Wizards Defense vs. Phoenix

{flickr/Keith Allison}

One thing I didn’t to mention in my post-game write-up … and I’m not sure if it had a proper place there anyway … was the “mood” of Gilbert Arenas after the Suns game.

I’ve only been around the new, media unfriendly Arenas at media day, practices, and home games. And he’s only talked once after a practice (to my knowledge), the first one after he got fined. I also haven’t been to every practice, but his routine usually has been to say, “They said I don’t have to talk to you guys today … only on game nights.”

Most are still getting acclimated to the melancholy, aloof Gilbert Arenas … the one who has become so jaded by the media that he started putting on a rendition of himself that’s a far cry from the entertaining Arenas of old. A seemingly 180-degree turn, but still 100% quirky.

If you ask his teammates, he’s still the same Gilbert. Maybe he’s not pulling the pranks he has in the past, but he’s certainly not putting on a terse facade with them. The media has witnessed Arenas joking around with others, only to see his alter ego take effect when “official” media time commences. I’ve found myself wondering if Arenas’ “act” causes him internal strife, in the sense that it takes energy to suppress part of his being. Or, is the whole charade something he enjoys?

I suspect a little of column A, a little of column B. Instances of Arenas being asked to remove his hood before speaking with the media after the opening night win against the Nets, or his incessant pumping of the handle on his designer roll-away bag after the Heat game seemed to indicate that he certainly wasn’t enjoying having to talk to the media.

On the other hand, when a reporter was asking Mike James a couple questions in the locker room prior to the Suns game, Arenas appeared as if he couldn’t help himself, snickering at the two man scene as he walked by. I can’t speculate what about the sight of Mike James and a reporter talking brought a smile to Arenas’ face, but I nonetheless dubbed it Arenas’ first media-induced smile of the season.

Back to after Sunday’s game … I’m not going to proclaim some type of dramatic change from Arenas, nor will I purport it to be permanent. But he seemed to shelf his “act” just a bit when speaking with the media. Gone were the completely somber, one word answers. Gone was the hesitancy to look up or make eye contact. Now, Arenas didn’t wax poetic about the game of basketball, captivating the media corps. After all, it was after a loss. He did, however, answer questions in a straight forward manner without coming across like he was forced to talk.

Again, all of this could mean nothing … but it was just something I noticed and felt it was worth mentioning.

Caron Butler haves some fun with his Mountain Dew addiction

Wizards-Suns Links & Quotes

[Mike Jones - Wizards Outlet, Washington Times]

The Wizards’ margin for error is rather slim without their full arsenal of firepower (haven’t I written that before? Like, 63 times last season).

[Michael Lee - Wizards Insider, Washington Post]

Jamison might not be the best player, but it is becoming obvious that he is someone that the team really needs on the floor. Not just because he can get 20 points and 10 rebounds without holding the ball for long stretches, but also because of his leadership. He also provides the bridge for Butler and Arenas, who are not in sync offensively.

[Tom Knott - Washington Times]

They are not a pretty sight, whether it is Caron Butler missing three shots at the rim or Randy Foye, inexplicably, making an ill-advised move to the basket before halftime that allowed the Suns enough time to sink a 3-pointer.

The latter prompted assistant coach Sam Cassell to give Foye a quickie lesson in time management as the players made their way to the locker room.

That snapshot is emblematic of a team that is exhibiting a low basketball IQ and lacks a sense of urgency.

[Rashad Mobley - Hoops Addict]

The offense, which was supposed to be the one area that Coach Saunders specialized in, has been struggling the last several games, and no one seems to have the answer as to why. Saunders said after the game that his players didn’t trust the system or each other. Brendan Haywood thinks that when the offensive sets break down, there are too many one-on-one and isolation plays. Arenas thinks that the absence of both Jamison and Miller are the key, because of how they can spread the floor and make things easier for everyone. From my vantage point, it is all of the above, plus the fact that the Wizards are simply missing shots that they were hitting in their victories. In fact, the Wizards have not looked fluid on offense since the first half of their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

[Brian Jackson - CSNWashington.com]

Without Antawn Jamison and Mike Miller still out at least another week the Wizards have to find a way to stay afloat. The offense is struggling in a big way and their absences are a big reason why. Both Jamison and Miller have the ability to stretch defenses because they are a threat from beyond the arc. No offense toFabrico Oberto and DeShawn Stevenson but they don’t get that same type of respect from opposing defenses. In over 25 minutes of play against Phoenix, Oberto only attempted one shot and Stevenson is shooting a putrid 14 percent from 3-point range so far. Right now teams are just sagging in the lane and making it difficult for the likes of Arenas and Butler to get any decent looks. That has a lot to do with players forcing shots and not making that extra pass.

[Mike Prada - Bullets Forever]

For the Wizards’ sake, that grinding can’t take too much more time. We’re only seven games into the season, but already, other Eastern Conference teams like Atlanta and Miami have started stronger than the Wizards. The longer it takes for the Wizards to pick up Flip Saunders’ ball-movement-heavy system, the more ground they will have to make up to avoid being a bottom-rung playoff team. And being a bottom-rung playoff team couldn’t have been what ErnieGrunfeld and company had in mind this season.

Also see:

• Can the Wizards Learn How to Win – Jarrett Carter, Stet Sports
• Wizards struggle from the field in loss to Suns – George Panagakos, Examiner.com
• Déjà vu? Wiz hope not, fall to Suns, 102-90 – Craig Stouffer, Washington Examiner
• Wizards drop fourth in a row, lose to Suns – William Yoder, Agent Dagger

Other Side

[Wil Cantrell - The Bright Side of The Sun]

Jason Richardson again played a strong game, posting up a variety of Wizard defenders which eventually led to the Wiz double teaming him. Richardson had his head up to feed the open man for a basket. It’s refreshing to see Richardson play a complete game this season after last year saw him focusing too much on three pointers.

[Paul Coro - The Arizona Republic]

The Suns are considered flawed defenders and rebounders. But their defense limited Washington to 39 percent shooting Sunday, as stars Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas shot 14 for 42. The Suns’rebounders scored on second chances as often as the Wizards, and each frontcourt starter recorded double-digit rebounds.

The Suns were not fast or sharp offensively early for the 11 a.m. start (Arizona time). Washington started small guards, prompting the Suns to post up Jason Richardson often. It was successful, but it also led to the Suns turning stagnant.

Also see:

• Suns 102, Wizards 90 — Takin’ care of business – Mike Schmitz, Valley of the Suns

{flickr/Keith Allison}

Other reads from Truth About It:

• December 21, 2009 -- Chronicling Bad Wizards Defense vs. Phoenix
• November 9, 2009 -- Wanted: Time & Trust – Suns Set Wizards Down 102-90
• August 27, 2009 -- A Young(er) Ernie Grunfeld and Wizards Web Hits

Well, the Wizards certainly played better against the Suns than they did against Indiana last Friday. But this time, they simply lost to a better team. It’s another day, another loss … the Wizards’ fourth in a row with their record now standing at 2-5. One would hope that this doesn’t become routine, but that didn’t keep members of the media from groaning “feels like last year” as they made their way to the media room to wait for Flip Saunders’ press conference.

Of course, I wasn’t operating under an “official” media capacity last season, but I can imagine letting out a sigh, shrugging my shoulders, and wondering what to ask Saunders as I did on Sunday. But this isn’t like last year. There isn’t a sense that losing is inevitable. This team conveys a strong belief that everything will come together with time, health … and more trust on offense.

The Wizards started against Phoenix not necessarily lacking energy, but were plagued by defensive mismatch problems  … a theme that’s not unique to this one game. While Fabricio Oberto concentrated on Amar’e Stoudemire, Brendan Haywood had to worry about Channing Frye and his three-point shooting, spreading the court ways. Frye finished 4-8 from deep.

Haywood seemed to have trouble moving his feet fast enough to cover all the offensive looks from the Suns. At times, the spinning and turning Haywood was doing on defense looked to be some sort of interpretive dance in the paint. The Wizards center was curiously limited to 11 and a half minutes in the first half, but finished the game as a rebounding (10) and shot blocking (5) presence in his 32 total minutes.

Many of the issues can also be attributed how tough it is to guard Steve Nash. Often, it wasn’t the guy setting the screen and rolling who caused trouble for the Wizards. Rather, it was the secondary cutter who broke free as the Washington help defense became focused on Nash and the screener. Nash finished with 17 assists, two more than the Wizards’ team total … which became a primary topic of discussion after the game.

Randy Foye, whom Sauders said he started because of his offensive consistency, was an immediate target of the Suns’ offense. Jason Richardson scored the game’s first four points in the post against Foye. Grant Hill also got in on the action and there wasn’t much the 6’4″ guard could do. After the game, Flip called playing Foye a “Catch-22″. What’s a coach to do when he needs to get the offense going?

And therein lies the unexpected problem, the offense. With the Wizards holding the Suns to 102 points, forcing 21 turnovers and getting 23 points off them, the defense became a secondary issue. What exactly do the Wizards need to do to, in Gilbert Arenas’ words, “put the ball in the basket”?

“It’s a never ending thing here lately, our offense has been stagnant. And we’re struggling offensively, which is putting a lot of undue pressure on us defensively,” said Saunders. “The ball was sticking too much at times. Guys are seeing guys struggling and somebody comes in and tries to do it on their own sometimes, and try to do a little bit too much instead of trusting other teammates.”

Missing shooters like Mike Miller and Antawn Jamison hurts, and it didn’t go unmentioned during post-game interviews. But also on Sunday, some very make-able shots were not falling. Caron Butler missed several easy shots at the rim, and many key jumpers just didn’t seem to go down as the Wizards shot 39.1% from the field as the team, their fourth consecutive game under forty-percent.

A lot of the offensive stagnancy results from the Wizards’ simply not trusting the system and each other to make plays … the word “trust” becoming a prevailing theme. It’s partly due to the time it takes for teammates to learn how to play with each other and develop a comfort level. But part of it is also finding a way to get everyone on the same page. This starts with the coach and his point guard. Arenas seems to want his teammates to be more decisive and shoot the ball quickly. Saunders, on the other hand, wants more ball movement.

“We’re not there as far as moving the ball. We don’t make that one extra pass. Again, we’re taking too many contested shots. When you’re taking contested shots, it usually means that you probably put the ball on the floor and you’re trying to take a shot on your own instead of creating a shot for someone else. If we were a hockey team, we’d have no hockey assists. You know, the pass that leads to the pass that leads to the score,” said Saunders.

Time and trust. It’s the assumption that ball movement and offensive flow will happen once the former goes by leading to the latter’s ability to develop. When will this happen? The clichéd response is ‘only time will tell’. I guess Wizards fans just have to trust that it will.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• December 21, 2009 -- Chronicling Bad Wizards Defense vs. Phoenix
• January 22, 2011 -- From The Other Side: The Suns Adjusted, The Wizards Did Not
• January 23, 2010 -- A Locker Room Without Harmony: Wizards Embarrassed By Heat 112-88

Things you need to know:

• The last time the Wizards beat the Suns was on December 22, 2006 in Phoenix — the night that Gilbert Arenas put up 54 points.
• Randy Foye and Fabrico Oberto will start today … along with Arenas, Butler and Haywood.
• In reference to Foye, Saunders said he was looking for “offensive consistency”, i.e., what Nick Young does not provide.
• Before the game Saunders said Oberto is an excellent pick-and-roll defender — so, it will be interesting to see if Fab matches up against Amar’e Stoudemire while Haywood chases the 3-point shooting Channing Frye around the perimeter.
• ENERGY! – The Wizards need a heavy dose of it. When I asked Flip how, aside from Antawn Jamison speeches/tirades, this team gets themselves going today, he essentially said, “We’ll have to wait and see.” He went on to express concern about this being an afternoon game saying that NBA players always have trouble with day games where they have to wake up and play without the normal routine.
• Gilbert Arenas surpassed 10,000 career points against the Pacers — Today, DeShawn Stevenson needs two points to surpass 5,000 career points.
• In terms of Caron Butler’s game against Indy (24 points, 8-21 FGs) where he seemed more aggressive, but not particularly effective, Saunders was asked if that was the “balance” he was looking for out of Tuff Juice. Flip simply answered, “I didn’t like anything I saw on Friday night.”
• The Suns are 5-1, beating the T-Wolves and Warriors at home and the Clippers, Heat, and Celtics on the road. Their one loss was at the hands of the Magic in Orlando.
• Final Quote, Flip on Friday’s Pacers game: “I was searching, I was searching for a lot of things. Couldn’t find anything, but I was searching.”

That’s about all I got … I’m going to go to the media room and refill my soda and then get ready to watch the Gilbert Arenas and Steve Nash show.

Random Posts

• September 27, 2010 -- The Quiet Man Is Back: Gilbert Arenas Emerges Bearded From His Cocoon
• December 12, 2007 -- Live Game 21 Blog: Washington Wizards vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
• November 7, 2008 -- Wizards at Bucks: Game 3 Reactions, The Starter Blues

Getting caught in an awkward moment, say…cheating with a coworker, is bad enough in an arena filled with 18,000 (well this year in DC, 10,000 or less) — no need to broadcast to a much wider audience on TV.

But the game changes when the Big Aristotle comes to town. Late in the first quarter, Shaq tied up Caron Butler for a jump ball and the cameras were there.

It could have been a tension filled moment between the two players who were once traded for each other. But the Big Diffuser stepped in to give Butler a smooch on his head, letting him know that all was copacetic.

Just look at that elation on Butler’s face. Tell me he’s not enjoying what’s going down.

Random Posts

• February 26, 2010 -- Shaun Livingston in DC, Caron Butler’s Media Tour and Wizards Rundown
• June 7, 2009 -- Nick Young “Doin’ It Big” This Summer
• December 1, 2007 -- Game 16 Blog: Washington Wizards @ Philadelphia 76ers

picture from flickr/gamescoreblog

Golden State Warriors

[Upside and Motor] (check the great picture too)
The Warriors jumped the shark. Two seasons ago they were a darling, last season they took a slight step back (but enough of a step to fall just short of the postseason), and now they’ll find themselves struggling to reach 11th place in the West. Welcome back, lottery balls; the Bay’s missed you. Predicted Record: 30-52

Los Angeles Clippers

[Clips Nation]
And then there’s the question of health. Can these guys stay on the court? The marquee additions, Baron and Camby, have been injury-prone throughout their careers (although both were surprisingly durable last season). Kaman likewise has had some injury issues, including missing 30 games last season. Throw in the ages of several players expected to log heavy minutes (Mobley is 33, Thomas 31, Camby 34, Hart 30, Baron and Ricky 29) and it certainly is cause for concern. Injuries can happen to any team – but they seem to happen to the Clippers more often. Predicted Record: 41-41

Los Angeles Lakers

[Forum Blue & Gold]
This team is 10 deep with guys that could start a lot of places in the league — Lamar Odom is coming off the bench, name another team where that would happen? That depth provides three advantages. One, the Lakers will win a lot of games because the second unit will outplay other team’s second unit. The Lakers “Bench Mob” led by Jordan Farmar, Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza come in and change the pace, running and being aggressive on defense. Just like a baseball pitcher, that change of pace can be hard to handle. The Lakers are going to stretch a lot of leads out at the start of the first and fourth quarters. Projected Finish: 60-22

[Respect Kobe]
I’ve said that Odom will be the biggest weakness, and the biggest potential problem, fo the Lakers this year. Simply put, I say that because he is not a good long range shooter. The Triangle Offense needs shooters to space the floor, and the lane is going to be very busy with Gasol and Bynum sharing space and Bryant and Ariza slashing to the basket. But Odom is not a long range shooter; in fact, the period during which he showed major improvement last just happens to coincide with the point at which he virtually stopped attempting three-point shots altogether. Predicted Record: 62-20

[Hoops Addict]
The team’s greatest strength is the fact that their opponent’s do not have Kobe Bryant. Fresh off a gold medal and his first long-overdue MVP, Bryant is the game’s consensus best all-around talent. Defensively he remains among the league’s elite one-on-one defenders, while on offense he is still an assassin with the ability to break a team’s will at a moment’s notice. Bryant’s presence is what makes them a title contender. Predicted Record: 64-18

Phoenix Suns

[Bright Side of The Sun]
Some people will mourn the passing of the D’Antoni era and for all the excitement he brought and the credit he earned, it was time to move on. Letting the other team score quickly so that you can run it back on them was a blast. So was disco. Predicted Record: 55-27

Sacramento Kings

[Sactown Royalty]
If you ask Reggie Theus and the Kings organization, the goal is the playoffs. If you ask most Kings fans, the goal is playing the youngsters as much as possible and drafting Ricky Rubio, Blake Griffin or B.J. Mullens. The Kings are a team in transition, and Theus is going to have his hands full balancing going after wins with getting the kids some burn. Predicted record: 37-45

Random Posts

• January 14, 2008 -- The Lock Smith – DeShawn Stevenson's New Nickname & Photo
• June 28, 2009 -- Point, Counter-Point: Why The Hell Did The Wizards Select Cash In The Second Round?
• November 17, 2011 -- Summer Memories: JaVale McGee vs DeMarcus Cousins

I know this about the game of basketball: If a shot, or rebound, goes off someone from the defending team and into the basket, it counts. I’ll go on to assume that if the ball bounces off the floor hard enough and by chance goes into a basket, that counts for points as well. So, what’s to keep me from thinking that a shot taken from the opposite basket, which leaves a player’s hand before the buzzer, and is not touched by any other player on the court, should count if it bounces off the floor and through the net?

Basically, should the referee have caught that ball?
—-

On to the Wizards game….if you want a preview, head to Bullets Forever, or check out my Wizards Rundown.

1st Quarter

• No Gilbert of course, no Caron, no Antonio.
• DeShawn Stevenson’s left knee is swollen, but he’s still playing.
• 11:38 – Jamison nails the first points for the Wizards, a long 2 from the right wing. I’m thinking potential 40+ point game for him.
• 10:59 – Andray Blatche makes a confident baseline drive against the porous Phoenix D. The result is an assist for AB to Brendan Haywood.
• 10:05 – Haywood needs to step up or Jamison needs get through the screen. Either way, the Wizards can’t just give Grant Hill open jumpers. 4-4 game.
• Suns get a couple easies, Eddie calls timeout down 8-4, under 9:00.
• 10:21 – I guess we’re living with the outside jumpers from Amare Stoudamire?
• 7:38- Comcast is struggling with their coverage…missed a Suns fast-break point earlier and randomly threw the Wizards logo on the screen during a made Haywood jumper.
• The game is getting sloppy for the Wizards, a couple turnovers, a foul on a Suns fast-break….17-8 Phoenix lead. Amare Stoudamire set a pick that clocked Roger Mason coming down the court one time…..the Wizards need to raise their defensive awareness.
• Andray Blatche has been active in multiple areas: deflecting passes, hitting the offensive boards, looking for teammates.
• The Wizards are doing a fair job on defense as the Suns go a stretch of over 3 minutes without scoring, 4 minutes between FGs, both by Amare Stoudamire. 3:33 left, Suns up 17-14.
• But the spacing and patience for Washington on offense looks off on a couple possessions.
• 2:56 – Jamison rebound put-back…..he also has the potential to make Phoenix pay with his effort on the boards. 2 offensive, 4 total rebounds already. 19-16 Suns.
• The Wizards are scraping and keeping the packed house quiet. Game tied at 21 after a long Nick Young jumper, 1:40 left – 13-4 Washington run in last 5 minutes
• Phoenix scores the next 6 points to finish off the first 12 minutes, 27-21 Suns.
• DeShawn Stevenson limps to the bench. I mean really….what’s next?
• The Suns are shooting 57.1% while the Wizards are at 34.6%.
• Phoenix has only taken 3 three-pointers, making 1.
• The Wizards need to keep hitting the boards hard, 5 offensive rebounds so far.
• Eddie Jordan tells ESPN he wants Nick Young to be aggressive in the open floor. Let’s see if he complies.
• It would help if Brendan Haywood guarded Amare Stoudamire, he’s 6-6 with 13 points.

2nd Quarter

• 10:36 – A nice drive to the basket earns Nick Young some FTs….good that he’s not settling for mid-range fade-aways, 30-26 Suns.
• Phil Chenier points out that if the court is not balanced for the Wizards on offense, more opportunities are created for Phoenix to fastbreak.
• You can’t beat Phoenix without a reliable point guard.
• Eddie Jordan mic’ed up on ESPN….”Get Back, Get Back, Get Back”….like a repetitive patriarch.
• 8:06 – Nick Young does have a nice arsenal of moves….including a spin then step back jumper from the FT line. Very smooth. 36-30 Suns.
• 7:16 – Dominic McGuire blocks a Raja Bell 3 attempt….super quick and deceptive close-out on the shooter.
• 6:44 – 3 on 1 break for the Wizards, led by Roger Mason, a pass to Young….and a promising unselfish play from Nick The City with the immediate push back to Roger for the layup. 36-32 Phoenix.
• DeShawn stays in the game despite the knee trouble……tough dude.
• 4:22 – Blatche is having trouble keeping up with Amare Stoudamire too, 17 points for the all-star, 43-34 Phoenix.
• 4:11 – Jamison ends his 10 minute scoring drought with a 3…12 points for AJ. The Wiz need him in the zone.
• 3:42 – What a great play from Phoenix. Steve Nash running a pick and roll on the right wing….inside help from a 3rd Wizard defender goes with the roller but Boris Diaw is left open for a jumper at the top of the key. Nash’s 4th assist puts the Suns up 46-37.
• 20 of Phoenix’s 48 points have come in the paint.
• 1:59 – Haywood throws up some trash…..spinning and fading away from the basket.
• 1:46 – Nick Young with a huge block of a Barbosa layup attempt….I’m sure the Suns don’t take too kindly to his gloating.
• 1:20 – 2 blocks on 1 possession for Stoudamire….on Unbreakable, Andray Blatche.
• 1:01 – Andray’s confidence bringing the ball up in the open court has really improved since the beginning of the season. He sets Haywood up nicely, who can’t finish, but gets fouled by busy-body Amare. 51-43 Suns after both BTH FTs.
• 0:05 – More signs of life from Haywood…Phil C says he looked disappointed because he didn’t receive the ball in the post, but Brendan got the o-board, putback, And 1. 51-46 Wizards.
• The 2nd quarter ends with Amare Stoudamire’s first miss, at the buzzer.
• Not a bad effort by the Wizards at all. I’ll take the 5 point deficit, but is there enough gas in the tank with the depleted personnel?

Stat Half

• The Wizards are 11-12 from the FT line, a good sign of following the game plan. Phoenix is 5-6.
• The Suns have 22 FGs on 14 assists — par for the course, both for the Sun offense and the Wizard defense.
• Blatche has not scored, but he has 2 steals and 7 rebounds (3 on the offensive glass).
• Stoudamire
  is showing who’s boss with his 18 points, 7-8 FG, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
• Jamison leads the Wizards with 16.
• Haywood came on late with 11 points, he was a little limited with 2 fouls.
• 8 offensive rebounds and 8 second chance points for the Wizards.
• Stephen A. Smith ends the ESPN halftime show with a “They need Caron and Gilbert.” Thanks genius.

3rd Quarter

• 11:18 – Andray Blatche continues to work hard, despite not getting a foul call. He muscled his way past Boris Diaw for a bucket.
• 10:55 – Roger Mason is doing a man’s work as well with a hard fought drive to the basket, Suns up 55-50.
• 10:21 – Stevenson drives and misses, he definitely looked limited by the knee….his mouth, however, is not limited has he throws a mini-fit and let’s the ref hear it down the court.
• 9:39 – 3 pointer from DeShawn….maybe he’s just like Sidney Deane from White Men Can’t Jump…he plays better when he’s mad. Wiz are down 3, 57-54.
• 9:08 – Jon Barry references Andray Blatche with a “shades of Hakeem Olajuwon” statement….Blatche does make Brian Skinner look like a fool with a Dream Shake. 5 points, 3 assists, 2 steals and 9 rebounds for AB at this point.
• Still, Phoenix continues to run and the Wiz can’t get closer. Timeout by Eddie J, 61-56 Suns.
• 7:26 – This time a Haywood fading jumper is nailed…BTH is coming on since I talked about him throwing up a garbage shot. 15 points. 63-60 Suns.
• 6:27 – Andray Blatche throws down a hard dunk over Stoudamire…and Brian Skinner, who gets hit dead in the mug by the ball coming through the net. Barry is impressed by AB’s ability to put the ball on floor.
• AB goes out to get a rest…..is that the right thing to do? He’s hot, I’d leave him in longer than the first 6 minutes of the 3rd. Songaila enters the game for him.
• 5:50 – Nash turns the ball over, the 8th for Phoenix, 1st turnover of the quarter for either team.
• 5:38 – Jamison draws a foul on the other end, his 2 FTs tie the game at 66.
• Dangerous save by Mason to Jamison…right under Phoenix’s basket…dodged one there. AJ goes down to hit a 2, keeps the tie at 68.
• 4:26 – Stevenson hits a 3, the Suns score within 6 seconds. DeShawn is definitely soldiering on with a noticeable limp, as long as it doesn’t hurt the team.
• 3:18 – D-Song fouls Stoudamire on a baseline drive after a Nash pass….mimicking a previous play. Songaila needs to improve his feet quickness….on the other side of the coin, someone needs to stop Steve Nash with the ball so D-Song is not faced with an impossible situation.
• 2:26 – BTH dropping baseline jumpers and holding the pose, 17 points for Haywood, 80-75 Suns.
• 1:27 – Roger Mason Jr. hits a 3 like it ain’t nuthin’ to him.
• 0:53 – And it really ain’t, Mason hits another 3 and the Wiz take an 81-80 lead.
• Raja Bell has a quick answer in less than 10 seconds. 83-81 Suns.
• The Suns push the score to 85-81 and the Wiz had the ball with 3 point whatever on the clock….and they can’t even get a shot off. Nick Young gets thoroughly confused by a double-team.
• Still, the Wizards are hanging tough. Only 8 points from the bench….what bench? The City with 6, D-Song hasn’t scored, D-Mac has 2 in 6 minutes and O-Pech didn’t get in until the last 2 minutes of the 3rd.

4th Quarter

• Steve Buckhantz reports that Glen Consor was activated to participate in a Wizards practice the other day…..no socks and running shoes. Crazy.
• 8:58 – Nick Young out of control and on the verge of losing the ball….he comes close to charging Steve Nash, no call. Nick keeps his composure and hits the short jumper in the middle of the paint. 10 for him, Wiz down 2, 89-87.
• Grant Hill is leading a push for Phoenix.
• 7:30 – Amare is stealing the ball from Nick Young and making athletic fast break buckets.
• 95-87 Phoenix, timeout and Eddie Jordan is mad, holding onto the ball.
• Nerves getting the best of the Wiz…..they can’t take advantage of some chances.
• The Wizards are getting the ball in the paint, they just need to finish the job. They’re in reach, down 7…95-88, but I’m not sure how long the window will be open.
• 4:41 – Raja Bell closes that window a little with a 3 to put the Suns up 10.
• 4:14 – Amare is hitting bank shots on a Sunday, 29 points for him.
• 3:33 – Strong drive by Stevenson, And 1…game within 5. The Lock Smith looks like he’s using every ounce of energy.
• 3:11 – Careless and costly turnover as Jamison tries to pass it to the wrong guy, Haywood.
• 2:37 – Haywood putback slam…100-97 Phoenix. 7-0 Wiz run, 21 points for Haywood.
• 1:42 – The 2-time MVP with a three, Blatche did not step up on the pick and roll. Only 8 points for Steve Nash.
• 1:04 – Jamison great basket…he catches a lob pass and shoots a reverse layup all in one motion. 103-99 Suns.
• 0:39 – Can the Wiz get a stop? Yes, but Diaw gets an offensive rebound. That hurts.
• 0:21 – RMJ with a three….18 points for him…a step-back and Michael Jordan shove on Nash. 105-102 Suns.
• 0:16 – Grant Hill gets fouled, rather him at the line than Nash…..he misses the 1st, makes the 2nd. Eddie takes the final timeout, Washington down 4.
• Insane sequence…Stevenson has a hard time getting the ball in bounds…seems like there were a couple open looks. He tosses a crazy pass across the width of the court to Roger Mason. There’s a fight for the ball, Mason scrambles to get it…..misses a 3, but Jamison gets the rebound and just misses the putback. AJ gets fouled and nails both FTs. 106-104 Phoenix, 8 seconds left.
• No one likes DJ Strawberry….he’s twice wide-open in the back court on the Suns side-out. The first time, Grant Hill elects to take a timeout. The second time, the Suns almost get a 5 second call…Stoudamire gets fouled and makes both FTs, 30 total in a row for him.
• The Wiz get the ball, but they wait until the last second to make a three pointer. They lose by 1 point. 108-107.

What can you say? Great effort guys. Losing sucks. Injuries suck. This game is in the past. Nice work from both Brendan Haywood and Andray Blatche…we can only hope they parlay this into more consistent performances on a nightly basis. The “Rookie Tour” continues.

NBA.com Box Score

In Other News: NBA Coaches are Getting Catty There Days.

Gregg Popovich on the Pau Gasol Trade:

“What they did in Memphis is beyond comprehension,” said Popovich. “There should be a trade committee that can scratch all trades that make no sense. I just wish I had been on a trade committee that oversees NBA trades. I’d like to elect myself to that committee. I would have voted no to the L.A. trade.”

Ivaroni’s Response:

“[Popovich is] a great coach and they do a good job there,” Iavaroni told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I don’t read into anyone else’s comments. That’s just the nature of the league. People have a right to their opinion. We’re just taking care of our best interests.”

Meh, what’s new?

Random Posts

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• December 22, 2008 -- Blogger Q&A: Dallas Dedicated
• June 22, 2010 -- Catching Up With Emir Preldzic, Turkish League Champion

—-
About That Nuggets Game [live blog]

With 5:41 left in the 4th quarter, as Linas Kleiza was hitting two FTs to push the Denver lead to 12 at 96-84, Carmelo Anthony, who at the time had 40 points, checked back into the game.

Normally, I would not blame a team for bringing their superstar back to the court with a 12 point lead. Five minutes and forty-one seconds is a lot of time….we know this is the NBA. But, it’s the manner in which the Nuggets carried out the remainder of the game that makes me object. Denver’s intent was not so much to put away the game as a team, rather so ‘Melo My Man could put on an individual show and go for an individual achievement.

Eddie Jordan has his opinion on the subject: “The end part of that game I felt was a little bit on the classless side,” Coach Eddie Jordan said after his team’s sixth straight defeat. “But we all have our ways and when you get your butt kicked, the other team can do whatever it wants to do. But I thought it was very classless to close a game out like that. I have my opinion; I can say what I want to say. That’s what I thought it was.”

I understand Eddie’s frustration. No one likes to be embarrassingly kicked while they’re down. But my thoughts are close to those of Jake on Bullets Forever.

1. Did the Nuggets have the right to put Carmelo on the court? Yes, just as the Wizards had the right to double Melo off the ball so he would not achieve fiddy.
2. Do I blame Denver for doing so? No, with that much time, no lead is safe.
3. Does Eddie Jordan have a beef? It’s certainly his right to complain as well. But I think he’s making his comments more for his own team. The Wizards effort against the Nuggets was not bad, but the team needs to play with more pride to succeed.

—-
On To Rise In Phoenix (hopefully)

Remember when the Wizards were last in the desert? I do. I watched the game at Buffalo Billiards in Dupont Circle with a group of friends. Gilbert dropped 54 points in a dramatic 144-139 overtime win. That night was my first public witnessing of Gilbert’s “arrival” in DC, outside of the phone booth. Buffalo Billiards, or most any bar in the District, is not known for becoming captivated by an NBA game, much less one involving the hometown Wizards. But that evening, people who otherwise could not name more than two Wizards were incapable of averting their eyes.

Tonight is a Mentally Tough Game. It’s unlikely that Caron Butler or Antonio Daniels will play. They probably shouldn’t. Phoenix is a very smart basketball team led by a top 5 NBA point guard. We’re all weary of their incendiary offense. I’m not sure I’ve ever hoped for a morale victory before, I suppose tonight will be the first. Essentially, the young Wizards must learn and show growth in a game like this. Because of the aforementioned reasons, they cannot afford to relax for one second. They can’t incur cerebral breakdowns. They must be mentally tough.

—-
In Other News

• Why is Andray Blatche sad these days? Mac G’s Word has the answer.

• Gilbert Arenas has created a new beverage called an Agent Zero. It’s half Corona, half Shirley Temple, and 100% fruity.
• Also from that DC Bog post about Gil’s drink concoction, we learn that Arenas once had keloids in the crotch region. That doesn’t sound very Agent Zero-like.
• Gilbert the Prankster will always have the last laugh. I think Nick Young got off easy.
• Gilbert Arenas in a Q&A with Slam’s Michael Tillery:
  

  “Watching the game like a coach. It’s easy to watch it as a player. You see things and you try to figure out what coach is talking about. As you sit there, you begin to think like a coach instead of a player.”

  I look forward to seeing the results of his mentally maturing basketball IQ. After all, gathering intelligence is what agents do.

Random Posts

• January 6, 2011 -- Wizards Downed By 76ers 109-97: An 0-17 Road Record Reflected In Confidence Levels
• January 31, 2011 -- The Rebounding Darrell Walker … and then there’s Andray Blatche
• December 28, 2011 -- 3-on-3: Back To Atlanta, What On Earth Will Jordan Crawford Do?

But I took some notes, and got them organized for the blog. Now Let’s start the show.

First of all….
Big Tigger is out? Not a die-hard I guess. MC Styles looks lost.
Little known fact: MC Chris Styles used to throw some kickin’ middle school parties.

1st Quarter

A minute forty into the game and the Suns jump out with a 7-0 lead. It’s all a set up, amazing to watch. You don’t know what is going to unfold until it happens. Some plays you see comin’….but not this Steve Nash pass to a cutting Shawn Marion for the dunk.

10:00 – 2nd personal foul on Brendan Haywood. He picked up the first with a silly charge a minute into game. Wiz were trying to go to him early, and that’s good…but not if Haywood tries to force it. Looks like Eddie Jordan is going to leave BTH in the game with 2.

DC can be such a transient city. Yes, they say the US is a melting pot. And well, I always tout DC as the melting pot of the U.S. — But where the hell did all these Phoenix Suns fans come from? Can’t be a bunch of Canadians, can it? The upper deck, or “The Hill” as the Wizards marketing now refers to it, is packed. The lower bowl, or the Swamp (yes, Washington, DC was built on top of a swamp), is speckled with fans.

8:40 – Wizards are trying to run with the Suns a little bit. This move could be considered dangerous taking into account often inconsistent offense from the Wizards. AD misses a jumper which wasn’t a bad look. Those will need to fall for him if the Wizards expect to be in it.

Miss by Stevenson. Man, he really couldn’t hit the side of the Verizon Center this year. It’s like we get the 00-01 rookie year with the Utah Jazz DeShawn and not the NBA vet in his 9th year DeShawn.

Quick check of the stats for Stevenson:

• 00-01 Utah Jazz – 34.1 FG% 68.4 FT%
• 07-08 Washington Bullets – 36.2 FG% 60 FT%

6:20 - Deee-Shawn hits a deuce. The “Can’t Feel My Face” move is definitely in effect. Guess he can’t come up with anything new.

Just the look of Steve Nash. You gotta love it. He’s probably made a fool out of many who have underestimated him simply because of his look.

3:26 - Haywood is still in and getting dunks. No interior D from the Suns allows him to get 8. Wiz need to keep going inside on the Suns. I just wish they had another post scorer.

3:00 - Just under 3 and DeShawn drives to the basket. Stevie Nash gives a Euro-style flop, more recently known as the Hollywood Baron Davis. DeeShawn gets the call and knocks down the shots.

Digging the Wizards Cheerleaders tonight, they’re all in lady-cut gold Wizards jerseys. Much better than the gold shorts from the Cavaliers game. Those were terrible.

2:00 - You know Eddie Jordan is starting to gain confidence in Roger Mason, Jr. — he’s the second guy off the bench, after Blatche, checking in for Stevenson.

The Wiz don’t do a bad job of hanging around, down 4, 36-32. 11 assists for the Suns, on 13 made baskets….4 assists for the Wizards.

2nd Quarter

11:26 – Great move by Antonio Daniels to give himself a lane for a nice pass to Blatche for a reverse lay-in..

10:24 - Leandro Barbosa J. AD has got do a better job at getting over the screen. You can’t go under on a good shooter like Barbosa.

10:15 - Songaila and Nick Young are 3rd and 4th off the bench, in for Jamison and Daniels.

6:17 - Andray misses a jumper, partially blocked by Amare…and Stoudamire was allowed to leak out unnoticed for a dunk deriving from a sweet full court pass by Nash. Communication for the Wizards? Suns are up 43-35 and showing signs of pulling away.

5:22 - Jamison hook on a runner….just another one of those “Antawn Jamison” shots.

4:52 - Andray Blatche is showing Hustle Swag again with a put-back dunk. 10 points for him already.

4:42 - Bad foul on Amare Stoudamire committed from behind by AJ. It was funny, almost like Blatche turned to Jamison to ask him about the silly foul, or why didn’t he just let Amare go, etc…Pops said that AJ turned to AB and gave him a look as if to say, “I know, don’t tell me about that sh*t kiddo.” (an open lane for Amare was caused by Andray going for a steal in the first place)

Stoudamire has 18 by the way….

4:10 - Drive to the basket by AD and a hard foul by ‘Bosa. They called a flagrant…but it looked like just a hard foul. Barbosa seemed apologetic.

3:45 - Great penetration move by AD, who swings it to Andray, who uses his length for the lay-in. But the Suns are that fast, they go right down the throat for a transition bucket. Phoenix up 50-47.

2:17 - Great pass by Blatche to Songaila for a deuce. The play was really set up by Roger Mason co
ming off a curl and making a great pass to AB, who was set up for the flip.

The Wizards are still just hanging around, down 5, 60-55 at the half.

3rd Quarter

10:10 – A Daniels pass goes out of bounds, off of Haywood’s back, when the Wiz were in transition after a Raja Bell basket. Value The Ball.

9:07 – Haywood with a nice put-back, 12 points for him. Pops says that he’s almost playing like 7 footer. Wiz down 61-66.

8:20 - BTH goes to the basket yelling…aaand he gets blocked by Amare Stoudamire.

8:07 – Raja Bell 3, 10 points for him. It’s not like the Wiz started the 3rd quarter playing poorly, but the Suns are so exact & efficient. 12 pt lead. It’s getting easy for Phoenix.

How quick can it be? It’s as if the Suns keep hitting the Wizards over the head with a stick. They then hold that stick out there, daring the Wizards to grab it, and when a grab attempt is made, the stick is pulled out of reach, hitting the Wizards on the head again. Speaking of hits with a stick.

4:00 - When did it become a 19 point lead? That’s the Suns. You can only combat them with slowing the game down to half-court, like the San Antonio Spurs. Not what the Wiz have done of course. But at the same time, you gotta be able to play a little Defense, ya know?

2:44 – Andray had the ball for a 1-on-1 with Amare Stoudamire, but he pussed it up. A right hand hook. C’mon AB, let’s see some post moves….drop steps, leg whips, pump fakes, the whole list.

1:26 – Another trey for Raja Bell. Malcolm’s boy is killin with 19 points, Suns up 22. I’m also told that Bell has four 3s in the 3rd. I call him Malcolm’s boy because Adam’s brother, Malcolm, named his pit bull after Raja, inspired from Bell’s days ballin’ in Philly. Ok, Cool?

Marion is on the bench with ice on his wrist, and no, he’s not wearing a watch.

Funny thing is, the Suns don’t seem like they are absolutely killin’ the Wizards. They just casually run over them.
Suns dropping a hundo to the Wiz 76 at the end of 3.

4th Quarter

Why is Brian Skinner’s ‘David Banner-esque’ goatee dyed blond at the tip?

The game is not even close, but the Wizards start out the 4th with some intensity on D. I like to see that they are not quitting.

9:15 – Is Barbosa going to be in the 3 point contest this year? He’s 8th in the league in made 3s, Raja Bell is 14th.

Make it about Steve Nash all you want, but this Phoenix Suns team can shoot the cover off the ball.

8:00 – Nash does yet another Euro-style flop, this time on Nick Young. Young was running down the court without the ball and ran into Nash, who was setting him up. The refs didn’t buy it, but AB missed his shot and of course, Grant Hill easily scored going the other way.

5:28 – Great pass from D Mason to Haywood…..Well, they held Stoudamire to only 6 points in 2nd half.

4:30 – Risky, but nice, Nick Young dunk.

Wiz cut the Suns lead to 14, but all I can seem to watch is the cheerleaders at this point. Blocking out has appeared to be a premium for the Wiz this game. At least they won the battle of the boards 43-42.

2:51 – 2nd illegal dribble of the game for Nick Young. Does the Wizards Spirit Squad ever give it a rest?

1:27 – Nice assist from Blatche to D-Song…AB is always ready to dish.

Well…that’s about it, the play of the Suns was amazing. What else can you say? At that point of the night, I’d had enough scotch and I’d had enough Wizards.

Stat Stuffers

• 42 assists for the Phoenix Suns, an NBA season high.
• Steve Nash, 19 of those assists.
• 7 Wizards and 6 Suns scored in double-figures.

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Ok, what do you think of when you hear the name Jason Kidd?

• Great passer (career 9.2 assist per game average).
• Deceptively quick, one of the best in transition.
• Court vision…and he takes care of the ball, 3.18 TOs per game for his career – excellent for someone who handles the ball so much.
• Best rebounding point guard (actually, best among all guards — he’s averaged 6.7 for his career).
• He’s big, (6’4″, 210 lbs.) and this is part of the reason why he can see the court so well, rebound, and post up smaller point guards causing the opposing defense to adjust.
• Before his knee injury history slowed him down, Kidd was a premier league defender, still has averaged over 2 steals per game for his career.

The negative? Jason Kidd simply cannot shoot, and leaves a lot to be desired on the offensive end in general. Partially, this is a side effect of him being such a great distributor…he doesn’t exactly need to score. But then again, his lack of range decreases the amount of offensive spacing for his team. His career FG% is a small hair above 40%, barely 33% from 3-point range.

So, how about Steve Nash?

• Experienced. He’s a savvy veteran who knows all the tricks.
• Court vision (pretty much a prerequisite for all great pure point guards) — 2.57 career TOs per game.
• Much better scoring threat than Kidd. His shooting percentages (FG & 3P),along with his scoring average has improved throughout his career
• Great transition player, and in my opinion, he is better at getting penetration into the lane than Kidd. This is probably a side-effect of him being more of a scoring option.
• And not that Kidd doesn’t, he’s great at this also, but Nash seems more astute in knowing the passing angles, along with the timing of ball distribution (not to mention that great PGs must know their personnel. — How many times have you seen a bad passer feed the ball to a lumbering big man on the break, only to see a bumblin’, fumblin’ turnover or missed shot?

And the negative? Defense. Look, I’m sure you can blame many other Suns players as to why they are not a good defensive team. And I’m sure you could also cite an offensive system which is not conducive to lock-down D. But if you are making, or going down, a list of reasons, put Steve Nash at the top. As the point guard, usually defending the other team’s point guard, you are the first line of defense in either keeping that other PG from getting into the lane and thus, making your own defense avoid a shift and cover…or, at least keeping the other guy from easily getting his team into their half court set. (Gilbert Arenas, are you listening?) Steve Nash is fast in the open court, but he is not quick on D…..but he certainly has his “tricks”.

Saying that Chris Paul will eventually be a better point guard than Jason Kidd or Steve Nash is easy to do…although, it may be a tough pill to swallow for some. But here’s the thing, CP3 is closer to that statement than you think. I’m talking this year.

Here is the obvious:

Chris Paul is a much better defender than Steve Nash and on-par with Jason Kidd. He’s averaged over 2 steals per game for his career so far, almost 3 per game this year. And I know what you’re saying….Chris Paul is only 6’0″. How is he going to be able to stick with the bigger point guards? Heck, at least Nash is 6’3″. Yes, C-P-Threazy can possibly be eaten up in the post. But really, with the loosening of the zone defense rules in the NBA, how many point guards are really posting up anymore? Considering that more and more teams are swaying towards a run’n'gun offense in today’s NBA, I’d rather have a point with the quickness and ability to stay in front of the opponent.

Chris Paul will also be a better offensive player than Jason Kidd, and most likely, in line with Nash’s capabilities today. I know, I know…defenses are still giving him space. Not for long though. I really think his numbers so far this year are more indicative on what he will be able to do over the course of his career. Through 8 games so far: FG% – .504, 3P% – .438, PPG – 19.3. Yes, I know that Paul shot around 43% from the field his first two years in the league. And from beyond the arc, he shot 28% and 35% in those years respectively. Keep in mind that Nash shot less than 42% from the field his first 3 years in the league…and while the Canadian may be a better 3 point shooter over the duration, I don’t think Chris Paul will be far off of Nash’s 42.8 career 3 point shooting percentage.

So, it’s easy to see. Court vision, transition game, unselfishness, pin-point passing…..Chris Paul has all of that now. And he will continue to develop these skills once he has the experience that Kidd and Nash have today. But CP3 is the more complete player. He has defensive and offensive traits that either of the other two lack. Paul will be remembered as the better point guard of the three, if not one of the greatest of all time. Even knowing what I know today about the games and careers of Steve Nash and Jason Kidd, if all the factors were the same…in terms of if Paul, Nash, and Kidd were all coming into the league at the same time, or even free agents after their first 3 years per se…… I would choose Chris Paul over the other two every single time.

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Remember all that whining the Suns did last playoffs? Well, most of it revolved around Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw getting suspended. But….

*Side Rant* The rules for leaving the bench were implemented for a reason, a good reason. No exceptions should be made. Period.

And good for Commissioner Stern for not putting the rule up for discussion on the agenda for NBA owner meetings. For one, officials can’t always determine intentions when a player leaves the bench. But more importantly, neither can other players already involved in a potential situation. Plain and simple, fisticuffs in NBA basketball games have the ability to be defused easier and more quickly when you limit the possible number of players involved. And if the boundaries are broken, punishment should be handed down, no question.

But back to the Canadian.

I really don’t believe Bruce Bowen’s step-in on Nash last year…where there was incidental contact between Bowen’s left leg and Nash’s crotch…was that bad. Used to be, if someone was up in your sh*t on defense, you took the ball through their nose. Bruce Bowen has displayed many dirty defensive “tricks” in the past….but his reputation doesn’t always have to precede itself and translate to assumptions about every one of his questionable plays. So yea, call an offensive foul on Bruce in this instance…but otherwise, chill out.

And Robert Horry’s hip check. Bad foul, shouldn’t have happened. Call a technical, flagrant…whatever. But the reactions? Save that for TNT’s non-NBA programming. They know it.

Well…I wasn’t watching the Charlotte Bobcats – Phoenix Suns game last night when it happened, but I did catch the highlights and a brief discussion on ESPN’s NBA Nation. Of course, the Suns were up 30+ when this happened…

….but Ray Felton drove the lane, easily getting past with a spin move Nash as most do; Steve Nash was knocked off balance, but clearly stuck out his leg tripping Felton, who went down very hard, in the process. Ray was able to shoot the FTs, but got taken to the training room after that. Thankfully today, MRI reports say that Felton’s knee should be okay.

Unfortunately, I can’t find a link to the clip yet….and I’d really like to see the play a couple more times for an in depth breakdown. But I know what I saw, and what I saw looked much more intentional that Bowen’s knee to the crotch. (and I know that you’re asking yourself, why were either of these guys in the game anyway?….irrelevant)

UPDATE: Found the clip of Nash tripping Felton, I think the evidence is conclusive.

Now, I really respect Steve Nash’s ability. And I’m fairly confident that he deserved those MVP awards. But he’s not the innocent white cream pie that people perceive him to be. He’s a warrior, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be dirty too. He’s just a little more deceptive and smart about it than others. Think John Stockton.

Verdict: 1 game suspension….and yes, “hypocrite” maaay be a little harsh, then again, maybe not.

If anyone disagrees, I’d like to know why his foot was that high in the air and reaching back…..and if I’m totally off-base and wrong on this one, I will apologize.

BTW…interesting discussion on Yahoo! Answers….someone posed the question on whether Nash’s trip on Felton was intentional or not.

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