Ok, the look on Gilbert Arenas’ face is etched in my mind too … but I’m also getting used to it.
Arenas had one of his better offensive games of the season against Sacramento on Wednesday night. It was just his fifth game getting to double figures in field-goals made (10), tied for his second most free-throws attempted (12) and third most made (10), only the fourth time he took more than three three-pointers and shot fifty-percent or better (3-6), and his sixth time shooting 45% or better when taking 10 or more shots (.455).
All signs of progress for Gilbert.
Of course, the team is pretty much the same. Last night was the fourteenth time the Wizards have shot below 45% this season (43.2%). They are 1-13 when that happens. It was also the thirteenth time the Wizards have tallied less than 20 assists (13). They are 1-12 when that happens.
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Despite what anyone might say, the game wasn’t on one man. It hasn’t been on one man all season. Not Caron Butler. Not Antawn Jamison. Not Gilbert Arenas. Not Flip Saunders. Not, etc.
The Wizards win and lose as a team.
Gil: “This is the fourth loss under my belt. I personally lost it at the end.”
[via @MikeJonesTWT]
Ownership of a loss. “It’s about time” or a step in the right direction? The good news is that every game brings another chance to turn the corner.
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{Arco Arena, where it's at - flickr/Bo Knows California}
1 ) Added attention
It’s a nationally televised game on ESPN (10:30 pm EST). Actually, this is probably a bad thing for the Wizards.
2 ) It’s going to be a close game
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Q1
8:08: Dom McGuire has gotten good at the corner jumper…..as long as he omits that hitch he has in his shot at times. 9-4 Wiz.
D-Mac, of course, can potentially be a great defender, but really must work on his lateral movement.
7:37: Blatche spin and gets in air, but the Wiz (Mike James in this instance) are making better cuts, and it’s an easy pass for a layup. 11-6 Wiz.
Wiz start 1-5 on FGs, but go 5-5 since…thanks to the fact that Brad Miller cannot guard Andray…who has 9 points on 3-4 shooting.
5:46: Butler is having his own issues with Salmons, who just drove by him for a dunk. 17-13 Wiz.
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Jeff from CelticsBlog.com did the grunt work to put together a comprehensive NBA preview from bloggers ’round the ‘sphere. The order of appearance: Atlantic Division, the Southwest Division , the Central Division, the Northwest Division, the Southeast Division, and finally, the Pacific 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:
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
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Unfortunately, I probably won’t be able to witness the Wizards handle the Lakers in La-La land tonight. Bummer. Combine my distaste for the Lake-show (mainly as a result of Kobe) along with bragging rights over an LA-bred co-worker, and I hate having to neglect my Wiz this evening.
Remember when the Lakers came to DC? It was the game where Caron Butler probably re-injured himself and ended his consecutive FTs made mark at 73. A truly tragic loss, 103-91, for which I stayed the entire time, and then was forced to watch a SuperBowl between two teams I genuinely dislike. Not the best DC sports Sunday.
Today, I believe, will provide some reconciliation for that February 3rd. And I have a higher mission than the Wizards-Lakers game at 9:30 tonight. I’ll be taking the trusty green line down several metro stops to check out the debut of the Washington Nationals new ball park, Nationals Park and the domestic debut of the 2008 Major League Baseball season on ESPN (8:05 pm).
I’m really looking forward to it. I’m not a sentimentalist, nor some type of baseball purist (basketball is obviously my main squeeze), but there is something about the crack of the bat and a sporting environment which is most conducive to a day of social interaction with family and friends…..awww, screw all that, I’m just ready for the cold weather to be put out to pasture.
And who knows, if the DC metro system doesn’t betray me, I just might be able to catch the end of a game where the Wizards will hopefully have the upper-hand over the Los Angeles Lakers.
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By now, everyone knows that Antonio Daniels will be out with a sprained knee for 2-4 weeks. Initially, I figured that Roger Mason would start. Wizards Insider has just reported that Nick Young will get the nod.
“…but I’m hearing that Nick Young will start along with DeShawn Stevenson tonight against Sacramento. Not Mason. The reason, according to the person I spoke with, is that Eddie doesn’t want to put Nick Young, Dominic McGuire and Andray Blatche on the court at the same time. He’d rather have a vet like Mason out there with the young guys.”
Reconsidered, I think this is a great move by Eddie Jordan. Not only is it good to balance out an inexperienced rotation, but I also like how he is putting Bean Burrito aka Nick Young on the spot to perform.
Eddie Jordan: “It could change, game by game.”
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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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