The Sacramento Kings closed out their season with a very emotional home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. At the time, there was a strong possibility that it was last game in Sacramento after 23 years as the team‘s owners, Joe and Gavin Maloof, looked to move the franchise to Anaheim, California. The Kings broadcasters broke down on air, and fans organized a protest by refusing to leave the arena after the contest’s conclusion. Kings players returned to the court to address their adoring fans. There was great sense of empathy amongst sports fans online in seeing a team ripped away from a fan base.

Former NBA player and current Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, husband to controversial ex-DC school chancellor Michelle Rhee, made a last ditch attempt to save the team in California’s Capital City. His presentation to the NBA was more impressive than the Maloofs‘, the potential TV money from their deal with Anaheim being inflated. Money discrepancies are not surprising with the Maloofs since their bad financial dealings have led them to this current predicament and their financial stake in Palm Casinos Resort, which is now down to a paltry 2-percent.

Johnson was able to convince the NBA’s relocation committee to give him a chance to secure a funding plan for a new arena, and after the Maloofs pulled their bid to relocate, the Kings will remain in Sacramento for at least 2011-12.

When the move appeared imminent, I caught up with Washington Wizards head coach Flip Saunders and swingman Maurice Evans to ask about their personal experiences playing in Sacramento. In the video below, Saunders talks about the Sacramento Cow Bells, and Evans provides a funny antidote about a passionate Kings fan that still supports him every time he returns.

In his stints coaching for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Washington Wizards, Saunders has an overall career record of  29-23 vs the Kings, 10-15 in Arco arena, now called Power Balance Pavilion. Saunders’ T-Wolves opened the 1999-00 NBA season against Sacramento by splitting two games in Japan.

As mentioned by the coach in the video, the most significant battle, however, between his team and the Kings came in the 2004 NBA playoffs when Minnesota defeated Sacramento four games to three in Western Conference semi-finals. Game three provided a thrilling 114-113 overtime road victory for Minnesota, highlighted by a great Kevin Garnett-Peja Stojakovic duel. The final boxscore is a trip down the NBA aughts memory lane.

When Chris Webber’s three-point attempt to tie Game 7 rimmed out in the closing seconds, Garnett jumped up on the scorer’s table and pounded his chest in celebration. Another noteworthy event of the series came when Sacramento’s Anthony Peeler took a elbow swing at Garnett in Game 6. Considering subsequent revelation of the Big Ticket’s on-court prickish behavior in recent years, he probably deserved it. The video account of Game 7 by Wolves superfan Jonny Voss, along with a recap of the Peeler forearm shiver to Garnett, remains pretty hilarious.

Minnesota went on to lose to Los Angeles Lakers in Western Conference Finals, largely due to an injury to point guard Sam Cassell. Garnett won his only MVP in 2004 and did not return to the playoffs until donning a Celtics uniform four years later. In the following November, Latrell Sprewell made his infamous “feed my family” comments, using his kids as props at a press conference. He would never play in the NBA again. Saunders was unceremoniously dumped by GM Kevin McHale after starting the 2004-05 season with a 25-26 record. The T-Wolves have not seen post-season play since.

In a somewhat notable relation to today’s current financial squabble, Kevin Garnett made $28 million and Sprewell earned $13.5 million in the 2003-04 season. Seven years later, and not including normal economic inflation, Lebron James makes about half of what Garnett did and almost the same as Sprewell, but labor costs need hacked in order for NBA to survive. OK then……

Evans played just one season with the Kings, 2004-05, his second in the NBA, and appeared in 65 games compiling a stat line of  44-percent FGs, 33-percent 3PTs and 76-percent FTs, while averaging 6.4 points, 3 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 0.6 steals per game. His best performance with Sacramento came in a 104-100 win at Boston on February 13, 2005. In 30 minutes, Mo accumliated 17 points on 3-4 from three-point land with four rebounds and two steals. Evans scored 13 points in Game 3 of Sacramento’s first round playoff matchup versus Seattle. The Sonic prevailed four games to one, sending the last Kings team featuring Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic home in defeat. Current Wizard Rashard Lewis averaged 16.4 pts, 4.4 rbs  and 2.2 asts for Seattle in the series. Sacramento made the playoffs behind the scrappiness of Bonzi Wells, Ron Artest and Kevin Martin in 2005-06, but fell to San Antonio in the first round and hasn’t sniffed the playoffs in the five seasons since.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• March 6, 2011 -- Wizards Distress Signal Answered By A New Cast Of Heroes
• December 2, 2010 -- What An 0-9 Road Start Looks Like: Wizards-Raptors, A Screen Shot Revue
• July 20, 2009 -- Wizards Vegas Summer League Media Dump

One of the more unique experiences I’ve had in my three short years of covering the Washington Wizards came during the 2008-2009 season.  Eddie Jordan had been fired, Ed Tapscott was the interim head coach, Gilbert Arenas was out for the majority of the season with a knee, and that all added up to a dismal 19-63 record.  But the locker room dynamic was fascinating to watch, particularly after a loss.

During his post-game press conferences, Coach Tapscott’s comments did not focus on whether the Wizards won or lost, but he focused on who played well, how hard his team fought, and the lessons that could be learned.  I did not know whether it was Tapscott’s demeanor, or if he was taking that stance because he knew his time as Wizards head coach was temporary.  I just knew he preferred the diplomatic approach as opposed to, say a Flip Saunders, who is much more pointed with his comments.

Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Deshawn Stevenson were the veterans of the locker room that season, and I always respected how they carried themselves after a loss.  They were somber, angry and frustrated, but most of the time they would answer all questions thrown at them.  It was clear they really did not want to talk to the media, but they understood it was their duty as professionals.  It was also obvious that all of the losing was taking a toll.

Nick Young, Andray Blatche and Dominic McGuire (I would include JaVale McGee, but he was relatively mute during his rookie year) were the youngsters of the team, and their collective attitude in defeat came in stark contrast to the veterans.   By the time the media hit the locker room, they would be laughing, smiling, comparing attire and having a good time.  I did not know whether they simply didn’t care about the mounting losses, or if they just had the ability to quickly move on and not dwell on them.  I just knew that on certain nights, the veterans were visibly upset that the entire locker room wasn’t as affected by the losses as they were.

I saw that same type of locker room atmosphere after the Sacramento Kings lost to the Washington Wizards 136-133 in overtime on Tuesday night.

The veteran Kings players were represented by Francisco Garcia, Beno Udrih, Jason Thompson and Carl Landry.  Garcia and Udrih talked to the media after the game,  but the looks on their faces were similar to that of Jamison, Butler and Stevenson in ’08-09 (and likely the same as Jamison’s in Cleveland this season).  Garcia complimented Nick Young’s stellar game, but was clearly annoyed that it happened at the expense of his team.  Udrih was a bit more talkative and reflective about what went right and wrong for the Kings, but it was clear that he was not happy about yet another loss.  Thompson and Landry both chose to get dressed extremely slow, and they did not talk to the media.

Darnell Jackson, Donte Greene and DeMarcus Cousins played the roles of Young, Blatche and McGuire.  They made jokes about the scarcity of lotion, the post-game meal, and Greene even posed for a picture with a member of the Israeli media (she was covering Omri Casspi).  An outsider who hadn’t seen the game would not be able to tell by looking at these three players that the Kings had lost a heart-breaker in overtime.  Jackson did not play, and Greene did not have an impact on the game, so I did not approach them for interviews.  I wanted to speak with Cousins (who shot 4-19 and had 10 points and eight rebounds), but he was whisked away by a Kings PR person.

Does Paul Westphal’s approach to a post-game loss compare to the optimistic, positive approach of Ed Tapscott two seasons earlier?  You be the judge:

Other reads from Truth About It:

• December 29, 2010 -- Considering An Andray Blatche Trade
• April 30, 2009 -- Questioning Antawn Jamison
• April 9, 2009 -- Wizards vs. Cavs: The Final Showdown in Screen Shots

No “typical Wizards’ losing ways” from the media…
No ranting writers calling for heads…
No outrage of radio call-in shows…
No bloggy posts about how Nick Young is like the worst passer, ever…

Winning is the big differentiator. The Wizards did so, 136-133 versus the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night … barely.

[BTW, did you know, including Tuesday night's whopping three assists, Young has accrued 17 total assists in the last seven games -- since the Dec. 29 home win versus the Indiana Pacers. Those 17 assists represent 7-percent of Young's previous career assist total ... SEVEN PERCENT! ... Over 261 games!]

It’s almost like Nick is making even more progress … in other departments. What kind of bizarro world are we living in?

So…

No ragging on Young for trying to move with the ball, away from the corner and from defensive pressure with 18 seconds on the clock and a 125-119 lead, and then stepping out of bounds…

No wondering about the angst Young was going through, thinking about getting over the 40-point benchmark while trying to be the man securing the ball on the in-bounds pass with Sacramento trying to trap and turn the ball over or foul…

And don’t even talk about that free-throw Young missed with 7.6 seconds left that allowed little Pooh Jeter to abuse John Wall’s footwork and JaVale McGee’s nonexistent help defense awareness to tie the game and send a once improbable scenario into overtime (a scenario that had the Wizards up six on the Kings, with the ball, and 18 seconds left).

Nothing can take away Nick Young’s career-high 43 points. They came early and often, 13 points in the game’s first seven minutes, courtesy of Flip Saunders calling Nick’s number in an offense the team trusted to run. The Wizards got Young immediate looks at the basket, no extra dribbles or time to think. It was very Rip Hamilton-esque, but from someone with much more athletic ability and nicer lift on a fading jumper. Every one of Young’s first quarter field-goals came courtesy of an assist from a teammate — two from Andray Blatche, two from John Wall and one from Rashard Lewis.

Nothing will remove Nick’s memory of shooting in a hula hoop during the final four minutes of the third quarter, where he scored 16 straight points for his team via four three-pointers. Kinda weird that Washington had a nine point lead (80-71) after Young’s stretch began at the 3:49 mark of the third and only an 11 point lead (94-83) when all was said and done at the end of the quarter …

… But we won’t mention that … because the Wizards won … thanks to Nick Young … because that three-pointer he came back and hit early in the overtime session was huge.

How 43 Was Posted:

• Efficiency - 43 points on 22 shot attempts; 7-10 from three, 8-9 from the free-throw line.
• Thanks - 12 of Young’s 14 field-goals were assisted by a teammate.
• Technical Help - The Kings were assessed three technicals, via Francisco Garcia, DeMarcus Cousins and Jason Thompson … Young shot and made all three tech foul shots … And what do you know? The Wizards won by three points.
• In The Numbers - The date: 1.11.2011 – Add those integers together and you get the same sum as 4+3.
• Hula Hoop - Nick said the basket looked like one.

Nick Young Is: The Thriller

Other reads from Truth About It:

• February 9, 2012 -- DC Council Game 26: Wizards 93 vs Knicks 107: Mission: Lin-possible
• February 8, 2012 -- The Wizards Said WHAT? Nick Young: ‘That’s Our Word, Be Great’
• February 7, 2012 -- DC Council Game 25: Wizards 111 vs Raptors 108: Indefensibly Sprinting Back On Defense

Musings from a miserable Wizards-Kings game

Nobody likes to wait. Waiting sucks.

Let’s say you order Chinese food — some General Tso’s chicken, a pint of lo mein, perhaps some dumplings — and the friendly telephone operator says that the expected wait is 30 minutes. Standard. But 45 minutes go by and your stomach begins to growl in indignation. After an hour goes by, you begin to wonder if the MSG-laced meal you ordered is ever going to show up.

Or you meet a girl, go out with girl, call said girl, and are left hanging by a string, a hope, dying to hear your phone ring. Nobody enjoys this.

You know that feeling deep down inside, or that voice inside your head telling you that what you have been eagerly anticipating, what you have been anxiously waiting for will never materialize? That’s the feeling I had last night watching the Wizards play the Kings at ARCO Arena.

First things first, the Wizards’ seven-point loss to the Lakers was a moral victory for the ages. The Wizards played arguably the best team in the Association pretty tough. Certainly, tougher than anyone could have anticipated, even through two and a half quarters.

So, the Wizards flew up the California coast to take on a 4-15 Sacramento Kings team. Yes, the Wizards are a notoriously bad team on the road. However, since they were already IN CALIFORNIA, the 390-mile trip from the Staples Center to ARCO shouldn’t have been a big deal. The flight takes just over an hour.

“The first road win will come tonight in Sacramento,” said Wizards fans across the DMV.

The 5,000-plus Kings fans who skipped last night’s game probably felt the same way. And for good reason. This is a Kings team which had averaged less than 90 points per game for the season and had only scored over 100 points twice.

But from the opening tip, Sacramento played with more energy. I hate to challenge effort, but the Wizards looked slow, lethargic, and heavy — and Andray Blatche was in street clothes. Shoot, Beno Udrih was diving for loose balls, crashing into the boards, getting tripped by photographers behind the basket. Know what happened next? His teammates hustled over to their grounded comrade to give him a helping hand.

It was just sloppy, and the Wizards were turning the ball over at an increasingly troubling rate. They turned the ball over three times in the first three minutes of the game and went on to give the ball away a season-high 24 times. The biggest issue wasn’t the turnovers on their own, but the fact that the Wizards would do little else but trickle back on the break, which allowed the Kings to rack up a bevy of points-off-turnovers. I was subjected to the cruel and unusual punishment of watching the Sacramento Kings net transition bucket after transition bucket, from layups, to pull-up jumpers, to thunderous alley-oops.

Where is R. Lee Ermey when we need him?

“Now, repeat after me, maggots! This is my basketball. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My basketball is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. My basketball, without me, is useless. Without my basketball, I am useless. I must shoot my basketball true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to defeat me. I must defeat him before he defeats me. I will…”

The Wizards, hindered by a severe lack of ball movement, shot under 41.3% from the field. The East Coast squad had 11 assists, compared to Sacramento’s 27. They were also out-rebounded 36 to 48.

The Wizards have a problem: A waiting problem. The Wizards hurry up and wait. They race down the court, hold it, and then hand it to the other team.

Fans are left waiting for Gilbert  to regain his form, whilst he turneth the ball away — 12 times over the past two games. Arenas is wasting precious possessions with every gun-slinging three-pointer he takes — he has made just 4 of 15 over the past two games. Just stop it, Gilbert. Oh, and next time the diminutive (by NBA standards) Pooh Jeter is guarding you, how about you back him down and make a play. That sort of thing would have value, at least more than picking up your dribble and causing a 24-second violation would (Yea, we know, Trevor Booker didn’t display astute offensive spacing, but are you really going to blame the rookie?).

Fans are waiting for Blatche to stop being a sissy and start getting his hands dirty. Waiting for John Wall to stop getting hurt. (Stupid Reebok Zig Slashes. I don’t trust those things.) Waiting for Yi Jianlian to be assertive and make opposing power forwards notice that he’s actually on the floor. Waiting for Kirk Hinrich to stop over-dribbling. Waiting for Nick Young to play a bit more consistently and pass the ball every now and then.

I admit it, that was unfair to Young. He’s been one of the Wizards’ better players over the past few games on both ends of the floor. He’s trying to take charges, really pressuring ball carriers, playing solid help defense, and scoring in bunches.

Every now and then, the Wizards will put it together and give you a couple of very exciting, productive minutes. Otherwise, it is reels and reels of players getting beat to loose balls, getting dominated on the boards, and taking questionable shots.

BUT DIDN’T YOU SEE THAT JAVALE MCGEE BLOCK?! I did. It was cool until I noticed the scoreboard. The Wizards were down 19 points.

There is also this, unfortunately:

The Wizards are set to play the Knicks at home on Friday night, perhaps without John Wall. Great, can’t wait.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• October 30, 2010 -- Quick Bullets On Wizards As Hawks Take Them Down 99-95
• February 11, 2011 -- Under The Hoop: Atlanta Hawks vs Washington Wizards
• January 27, 2011 -- ShareBullets: Portraits Of A Young Team & Wizards Picture Leftovers

As previously advertised, this Wizards team runs on emotional highs and lows. Last night’s 116-91 loss to the Sacramento Kings just happened to be a Comedy of Errors. Not so much in a ‘ha-ha’ kind of way, but more reminiscent of when Caron Butler used to say last year that he was laughing to keep from crying.

The Wizards, led by Gilbert Arenas and Kirk Hinrich in the backcourt, because John Wall was a late scratch, along with Al Thornton, Trevor Booker and Kevin Seraphin in the starting lineup (Andray Blatche was still out) — quite a surprise entry by Flip Saunders, who must be desperate by now … either for a win or to get out of “what he didn’t sign up for” — fell to 0-12 on the road for the season and 6-15 overall.

I guess this loss was beyond embarrassing, because the Washington Post didn’t even use “embarrassing” in the title of Michael Lee’s post on Wizards Insider, as the online newspaper did after losses in Boston and Atlanta earlier this season. After the Boston loss, Ted Leonsis responded in his blog, Ted’s Take, writing that he wasn’t as easily embarrassed. One must wonder if seven straight road losses since, low-lighted by take downs in Toronto and Sacramento by a combined total of 44 points, is starting to change that sentiment.

Leonsis blogs about last night’s game today:

No rest for the weary.

Don’t despair.

This is all a part of a very tough process.

Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Rome indeed wasn’t built in a day, but impatience with team leadership has seemingly been festering for years, and can surface faster than the Wizards can reach a double-digit deficit against a team presumed to be just as bad as they are.

And what kind of foreman did the Rome construction project have? Rome’s purported mythical founders were a couple twins named Romulus and Remus. They were raised by a she-wolf, and ultimately, after founding Rome, Romulus killed Remus for one reason or another, as one tale goes. This comparison doesn’t seem to bode well for some parties in the Wizards franchise, and begs the question of who is Romulus and who is Remus amongst Ernie Grunfeld and Flip Saunders (assuming Leonsis is Jupiter)?

But in terms of the game, the Wizards came out sloppy and complacent. Injuries and inexperience be damned, it shouldn’t be this bad, especially against a frazzled team like the Kings. Fifteen first half turnovers blanketed the fragile Wizards team psychology with cancerous demonstrations of players trying to play for themselves later in the game. The Wizards totaled just 11 assist for the game, a season low, with four of those assists coming in the last four minutes during garbage time.

On one hand, you can’t blame some of the Wizards for trying to score quickly in the second half, which obviously involved solo forays to the hoop. Playing against the Kings, you always thought there was a chance for a comeback, even when Washington was down 21 points with about a minute left in the third. One the other hand, there are a plenty of players with selfish offensive capabilities on the Wizards, and Saunders’ implemented offensive system doesn’t always do enough to dissuade that.

Plus, with players emulating a demeanor as fragile as their coach’s preceding reputation of not being a forceful presence, it’s easy to see why the Wizards also seemed to miss a ton of easy shots in the second half. It’s funny how the psychology works, I assume, making me wonder if the Wizards’ minds were playing tricks on them by making the rim appear smaller to their basketball muscle memory was used to do.

Right now, Flip Saunders must be sitting alone in his four cornered room staring at candles.

Notes:

What was not expected: The veteran guards Arenas and Hinrich leading the team down a turnover-prone road, each had five. Of course, when the recipients of most passes either have hands of stone or don’t know what they’re doing, simply handing the other team extra possessions is going to happen.

What was expected: Booker and Seraphin having trouble with footwork, blocking out assignments and offensive spacing … but for now, it’s let the kids sink or swim.

Hey, look at that: Al Thornton reappeared. The Wild Child aka Cowboy Al aka Juice displayed an offensive spring in his step with 20 points on 7-11 from the field and 6-9 from the free-throw line in 31 minutes. But Al only had one freaking rebound … and you know he didn’t have an assist.

If there’s one thing that plagues this Wizards offense, it’s players who put on the horse blinders while on that  end of the floor … and Al Thornton and Nick Young are two of the biggest culprits in this regard. Speaking of Young, he went 1-8 with three points in 24 minutes. Don’t invest in any real estate with Young, he knows nothing about location.

Hinrich: People wonder about that Kirk guy, but I’ll point out a couple things that most don’t notice. Maybe Hinrich’s individual defensive skills have eroded with age to a certain extent, but he provides a lot of glue when on the court regardless. While Arenas was looking like an old man next to the speedy Pooh Jeter at times, Hinrich was beating Jeter to the spot to cut him off. And Kirk clearly has an overall positive effect on defensive communication. Directing the traffic of kid teammates isn’t glamorous, and it sure isn’t easy.

Arenas: Like I’ve said, Arenas is trying. Maybe he doesn’t always make the best decisions, and maybe his jumper isn’t falling like he wants, but he is trying. I found this bit about Arenas via Wizards Insider encouraging:

Arenas admitted that he has to remember to be more patient with a rebuilding team. “It’s hard,” he said. “In situations in the past, I would have taken 30 or 40 shots to try and keep us in the game. But that is not the case anymore. I’m not that player anymore. I would much rather play within the team concept. You just got to play. You can’t worry about the score sometimes. You just have to play and try to get better each night.”

JaVale: Want to talk about embarrassing? How about that silly dunk whiff of his at the end of the game? Let’s watch:

The clip doesn’t show it, but McGee kind of smiled/smirked afterward. Good for him for representing the boundless potential yet determined lack of focus that keeps this Wizards team from coming close to reaching its potential.

Quote of the Night:

“I don’t know what you learn from a game like this, but you know you got to come out and play harder next time.” -Steve Buckhantz

Other reads from Truth About It:

• December 8, 2010 -- Chalk Up Moral Victory No. 3 In 115-108 Loss To Lakers; Should The Wizards Be Ready To Stand Behind Their Message Of Toughness?
• February 7, 2011 -- ShareBullets: Plodding Through An NBA Lottery Winter
• February 5, 2011 -- When Roles Get Lost: Wizards Fall To Magic 110-92

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.

Coincidentally, the Wizards are 0-11 when they have less than 20 assists and shoot less than 45%. The are 5-3 when they have 20 or more assists and shoot better than 45%.

For your viewing pleasure, here’s a chart expressing the relationship between number of assists and FG% in each of the Wizards’ 23 games this season, green circles are wins.

The progress of individuals be damned. This is a glaring sign of team that’s not playing like a team, rather as individuals trying to make things happen on their own.

The question isn’t when will the Wizards make that one single play turning close losses into wins. Rather, it’s about who is responsible for getting this fractured group to start playing as a single, cohesive unit that spreads the floor, shares the ball, and makes the easier shots created for them in the offense.

{what others are saying}

[Craig Stouffer - Washington Examiner]

Do we have to go through this again? Okay, the Wizards (7-16) lose, 112-109, at the Kings (11-13), their sixth defeat in a row, a half-dozen that they’ve dropped by a total of 14 points. I’ve tried to stay away from using the “basketball gods” jargon that Wizards head coach Flip Saunders prefers but it’s more clear tonight than ever before that there ain’t no good ju-ju with Washington right now.

[Michael Lee - Washington Post]

The Gilbert Arenas that the Washington Wizards had been waiting on — the one who could go on explosive one-man runs and carry his team back from despair — appeared close to returning on Wednesday night at Arco Arena. When his team fell behind by 12 points against Sacramento with little more than six minutes remaining, Arenas placed the team on his cartoonish shoulders and willed the Wizards back with punishing drives to the basket and dishes to his teammates.

[Mike Prada - SB Nation]

In the end, it’s Evans who wins, stealing the ball from Arenas and sealing the win for the Kings.  It’s a play that signifies the direction of these two teams.  One is young and up-and-coming, the other is old and on the downswing.  One thought this would be a year they would contend, the other knew it was going to be a rebuilding year.  One has a bright future, the other … well … not right now at least.

[Jason Jones - Kings/NBA Blog, The Sacramento Bee]

Evans said he didn’t realize his foul of Arenas before the ball had been inbounded would give the Wizardsa free throw and possession.

But after he forced Arenas into a turnover (Evans wasn’t credited with a steal) Evans couldn’t wait to shoot two free throws.

“That is something I dreamed, to get the ball in the end,” Evans said. “I got the ball in my hands and made the free throws.”

[Zach Harper - Cowbell Kingdom]

It’s not that he made a play to win the game. It’s that he made a play that never gets made to win the game. We never see defensive takeovers on the final plays of games. We may see a tipped shot or the defense at the mercy of whether or not a bad shot will fall as a player chucks it from 20-feet while fading away unnecessarily. But we never see the possession just ripped from a superstar’s hands from a rookie who simply decides not to be the guy to give up the shot.

[Tom Ziller - SacTown Royalty]

If I hadn’t watched it myself, I wouldn’t have believed it. That entire final sequence, that is. The what-the-Frahm! turnover on the sideline inbounds play that gave Caron Butler the ballin the open court. The loose ball foul on Tyreke Evans that let the Wizards get within one point. And, of course, the brilliant steal in isolation — plus the two sunk free throws — which iced the game.

[Mike Jones - Washington Times]

“It’s frustrating because I live for moments like this, and I’m just trying to work my way [back],” Arenas continued. “And the team has been behind me since we started and I feel like I’m letting them down right now, especially because they were used to the glory days. But I guess I can’t hit every game-winner. At one point I was 19-for-21 on end of game shots. At the end of the day, it all evens out and one day I’m going to start hitting them again.”

Other reads from Truth About It:

• December 14, 2010 -- Wizards-Lakers Last-Minute Ticket Giveaway & Stats On A Season
• September 8, 2010 -- Wizards/Bullets Team History: A Statistical Search Part 2
• July 28, 2010 -- 2009-10 Wizards: Better at Defense Than You Thought, Still Took Bad Shots

The Wizards win and lose as a team.

[via @MikeJonesTWT]

{links}

[Michael Lee - Wizards Insider, Washington Post]

Even worse, the Kings had been complaining about how such a young team was struggling trying to win games down the stretch. You could definitely see how young the Kings were as they blew that 12-point fourth quarter by wildly launching three-pointer after three-pointer (they missed seven in the final six minutes).

But that same unit, which featured two rookies in Tyreke Evans and Omri Casspi, and a second-year forward in Jason Thompson, was still able to make the critical plays down the stretch against a veteran Wizards team that all of sudden hasn’t figured out how to win games. Confusing. Really confusing.

[Mike Jones - Wizards Outlet, Washington Times]

After the game, the frustration in the locker room was evident. Brendan Haywood, who usually always has something to say, said “I have nothing good to say. Leave me alone,” when reporters walked up to him.

Flip Saunders kept his post-game press conference short and sweet.

“Groundhog day,” Flip said. “I told our guys, all we can do is keep on plugging. When you’ve lost the games that we’ve lost, and to fall behind by 11 with six minutes to go, it would’ve been easy for them to say that’s it, but they didn’t. We went to our halfcourt trap, made plays and got back into the game, but we didn’t and that’s frustrating.”

Other reads from Truth About It:

• December 16, 2009 -- 10 Reasons Why Wizards-Kings Is Must-See TV
• December 9, 2010 -- Evidently, Rome Wasn’t Built By Wizards Either
• December 2, 2010 -- What An 0-9 Road Start Looks Like: Wizards-Raptors, A Screen Shot Revue

{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

• All seven of the Wizards’ games in December have been decided by four points or less.
• The Wizards have lost five in a row by a combined margin of 11 points. Dan Steinberg of the DC Sports Bog reports that this is the lowest total five game loss margin in franchise history.
• So, the Wizards have obviously lost their last five by four or fewer points. The last team to do that in a single season was the 1979-80 Knicks. The most consecutive losses by four points or less is set at six games by the 1976-77 Suns.

3 ) Can’t go wrong with $1 dollar beer, can you?

There will be a hostile environment like the Arco Arena of the Chris Webber/Vlade Divac/Mike Bibby/Doug Christie days … Cowbells and beer baby, actually, dollar beer.

The Kings are doing a dollar beverage promotion, which includes beer. And as of 2pm on Tuesday, only about 900 tickets remained. However, the packed house of rowdy drunks doesn’t exactly make the California chapter of MADD happy.

It’s worth noting that in recent times, multiple Kings personnel have been stricken with DUI charges, including former coach Eric Musselman in October 2006 and current player Andres Nocioni just this past November.

With an ownership that’s “thrilled” at the idea of legalized gambling on the NBA, would you expect anything less?

4 ) Rook vs. Vet Match-up

Tyreke Evans vs. Gilbert Arenas … ’nuff’ said.

5 ) The Kings haven’t beaten the Wizards in 1,753 days

The Wizards have beaten Sacramento eight straight times, the longest current winning streak the Wiz have against an opponent and the longest current losing streak the Kings have against an opponent.

The last time the Kings won was on February 27, 2005 in DC. That night, Gilbert Arenas dropped 43 points on 32 shots and 7-11 from three-point land, Kwame Brown had a double-double with 10 and 10, and Steve Blake scored 17 off the bench.

But that couldn’t overcome 38 points from Mike Bibby and a paltry seven points (3-15 FGs) and three rebounds from Antawn Jamison. The Kings won 110-108.

6 ) Every Gilbert Arenas shot is an adventure

• 21 NBA players are averaging over 20 points per game this season. Arenas is the only one shooting below 40%.
• In fact, Arenas has attempted the most field-goals (396) out of any player in the NBA currently shooting below 40%.

7 ) Tyreke’s attempt to join elite company

Only three rookies in NBA history have averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Evans is trying to become the fourth to do so, and would join LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Oscar Robinson on that elite list.

8 ) Who will start for DC?

Flip Saunders has experimented more with his lineups this season than a mad scientist. Much of it has been due to injury, but a lot of it is him simply searching for a combination that works … which kinda pissed off some vets, as they blamed Flip’s substitution patterns for being one of the reasons they lost a 17-point lead to the Clippers on Monday. Really guys?

The Wizards have started 10 different lineups this year, only second to the 11 of the New Jersey Nets.

9 ) Antawn Jamison, the Gentleman Warrior

Jamison has been the only Wizard clearly playing his heart out each and every night. He still, perhaps naively, has championship aspirations.  Also, he loves the long ball. Jamison has made at least one three-pointer in each of the last 13 games, one off the current streak of Jared Dudley (14 straight games with a three). Jason Kidd and Steve Nash have also made a three in 13 straight games.

10 ) Limited decision if you’re an NBA freak

The only other game that will be on at the time is San Antonio at Golden State. At 12-10, the Spurs aren’t doing all that great, but they’re certainly doing better than a dysfunctional Warriors team and are favored to win by 5.5, despite a 2-6 record on the road. Also, San Antonio has won eight out of their last 12 while the Warriors have lost seven of eight.

…. Just watch the Wizards-Kings.

Reason +1

I will be discussing the game on ESPN.com’s Live Dime Chat. You’re welcome to come join me and the other ESPN experts/TrueHoop Network bloggers if you’re up.

Other reads from Truth About It:

• June 4, 2009 -- The Epic Tale of Eddie Jordan: Connections, Relationships, and the Basketball Community
• January 11, 2011 -- A New Professional In Town
• December 10, 2010 -- ShareBullets: A Winner Arises From Memory

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.

Did the Kings just not account for Blatche in their game plan at all? Is Brad Miller that bad of a defender? Is he being left on an island? Don’t know, but Andray has 8 points already.

4:47: Jamison drive…kick to James….pump fake…single dribble…jumper. I mean, I know that probably looked easier against the Kings, but still, where are those fundamentals all other times? 21-15 Wiz.

It’s just hard to tell how bad these two teams really are when playing against each other because the offense looks so easy and that’s the first thing you focus on….I’m sure that turnovers will be more evident soon.

24 out of 46 total points have been in the paint…there goes your evidence of terrible D.

0:38: Butler with a tough, forced, fading, fumbling miss..but D-Mac with an aggressive attacking follow slam. Wiz up 10, 31-21.

McGee, as usual, has shown plenty of activity and energy….good to see him always working when everyone seems to be talking about his lack of minutes.

To end….James gets it to Butler with his back to the basket in the paint, but I don’t like that he dribbles to reset at the three point line and misses at the buzzer. Still 31-21.

Q2

Crittenton, Young, Butler, Songaila and McGee start.

2 straight early turnovers for the Wiz……5-4 Wiz to Kings total.

I like how Crittenton is intent on pushing the rock…time will hopefully give him a balance of limiting carelessness (something he’s not doing too much of now).

9:10: Garcia gets an easy offensive rebound and hoop because the Wiz fell into a trap of running and not securing the board…Tap calls timeout. 38-29 Wiz.

Jamison comes in for Butler to play the three.

8:16: Nick Young is moving more crisp….great off ball movement and Songaila hits him with cutting pass for a layup…24 points in paint for Wiz.

6:46: Love to see McGee get up high for boards, but teams know that he’s susceptible to getting the ball knocked away…as happens now.

4:57: The Wiz are still a little bit careless on offense and are giving the Kings some easy transition buckets…timeout Tap. who gets his starters back in the game. 43-35 DC.

2:17: The Kings pull a Wizards and collapse deep in paint thanks to Butler and Blatche…..Jamison gets the first three of the night for the Wiz. 52-42.

2:00: Easy Brad Miller layup….looks like a lack of communication, which ain’t good at all.

Stat I want to see: How many extra opportunities Dominic McGuire creates each game.

Wiz maintain their 10 point lead thanks to 56% from field and 15 points on 5-12 from Butler…..54-44 at half.

Q3

9:38: It’s so odd how Andray Blatche can’t focus at times, yet seems to have an uncanny passing ability……gets position in the lane spins and senses a cutting Jamison for an easy layup. 60-48 Wiz.

8:29: Butler drops a trey…..20 points for him.

8:17: But McGuire is too low in his defensive stance in closing out on K-Mart who hits a trey…..gotta play drive but make them thing you’re playing the shot….D-macs hands were not high enough. 65-53 Wiz.

7:22: Blatche fills the lane…they still are not accounting for him. 13-5 Wiz run…..Sacramento isn’t even contesting the passes.

Caron Butler is starting to feel it against Salmons….even the smallest of windows is too much separation. Timeout Kings and the people who are actually three start to let out the boo-birds. 73-56 Wiz.

5:34: More Andray Blatche filling the lane, more Kings ignoring him…..a 5th assist for Butler and 16 points for Andray.

2:22: Kings can’t even run a 4-2 fast-break without some dude named Mike James knocking the ball out of bounds in the midst of a layup attempt.

2:20: Unfortunately, when we all want Andray Blatche to stay on the court, he does what has plagued him the most….commit a foul, his 4th of the game and must sit in favor of Songaila.

Well, the Wiz built on their lead in the 3rd, and that’s all I can ask…..thank you for those 13 points in the quarter AJ. 89-70 DC.

Q4

Songaila starts the 4th out with a bad turnover, his 3rd of the game……his play has been a bit down lately, but he always hustles and finds the right positioning on defense. McGee, Crittenton, Butler and Young in addition.

9:55: The Kings makes a big push to get to 12….just a lack of focus on the Wiz and they are not creating inside-out opportunities on offense. Timeout Tap.
Much of the Kings catch up buckets have come in transition. 91-79 Wiz.

15-4 Kings run in first 3:50 of the 4th….GRRRRREAT!!

6:32: WOW….Jamison takes a quick step baseline from the right wing on Brad Miller and jams it right in the face of Shelden Williams. When is the last time Jamison dunked the ball? That one screamed, “I am NOT losing this muther fuckin’ game.”

6:00: D-Mac commits turnover…they poked it from behind…..c’mon McGuire, what’s with all the dribbling?

Game is starting to get physical….and people wonder if either of these bad teams have some quit in them.

4:21: McGuire with a HUGE block on Udrih block and Songaila recovers…D-Mac is so good at one-on-one block timing. Kid also has 11 boards.

But…the Wizards can’t seem to finish close opportunities…they are 5-14 so far in the 4th (I think)

3:27: Then again, Kevin Martin misses a wide open three….Kings have missed their last 5 shots…..although they’ve been chipping away the whole time – 100-92 Wiz.

3:12: Wiz commit 14th turnover of the game….do either of these teams want this?

3:00: Garcia cuts it to 5 with a wide open trey from the corner

2:00: Garcia misses a 2nd open trey from the same spot.

1:00: Wiz get several great chances at the basket as the ball is bumbled all around by both teams……but just cannot put the ball in the hole.

0:43: And what do you know, Udrih hits a three to make it 104-102 DC…..yep, the Wiz were up 19 at the start of the 4th, damn they are good at blowing leads.

Wiz can’t manage to inbound the ball and must call a timeout.

0:24: Jamison hits a most unbelievable shot….no, not a flip running crazy hook or any of his tricks…he willed himself all the way to the hoop and hit a twisting layup.

0:20: Butler goes for steal, fouls, but Salmons only makes 1 of 2. …Butler gets fouled and makes his two. 108-103 Wizards.

0:15: Udrih makes 1 of 2, but the Kings get the board off the 2nd miss…..Udrih misses a thre
e…….ANOTHER BOARD (Shelden over Andray)……..anf OF COURSE!!! Garcia with a bomb. He has 14 points and it’s 108-107 Wizards with 0:03 left.

Blatche is the one who gets fouled….OMFG!!! but he makes BOTH….crazy kid, crazy. 110-107 Wiz.

3.2 left...Garcia gets a look….tries to drawn a foul by kicking his feet out…no dice, it’s a miss.

110-107 Wizards over Kings……NBA.com Box

Random Posts

• April 19, 2008 -- The Truth About A Wizards-Cavs Playoff Preview
• November 5, 2010 -- What Washington Wizards Wear
• November 7, 2008 -- Wizards at Bucks: Game 3 Reactions, The Starter Blues

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

• February 18, 2010 -- What The Wizards Are Getting: Profiles of Howard, Singleton and Thornton in Multimedia Form
• June 22, 2010 -- Catching Up With Emir Preldzic, Turkish League Champion
• December 12, 2011 -- Forget The Book On Leadership

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.

I’ll have my own review of the Nats stadium (along with photos, etc.), but here are some good Nats-related posts you should check out if you so desire:

• Nationals Park: Tighter Rules, Friendlier Staff? [Raw Fisher] - interesting tactics by the Kasten and the Lerner family; I give it to them, RFK really improved last season after the Lerners took over.
• Capitol Punishment will be in attendance – check there for some good Nats info.
• Poe’s Epic Journey From Griffith to RFK to Nats Park [another Raw Fisher post] - great story about an old usher who has authoritatively seen and heard all there is about DC baseball.
• Last night’s cherry-breaking exhibition game against the Orioles seemed to go well. [Nationals Insider]
• Get out the way when the Meat Hooks are around. [great photos from Mr. Irrelevant]

Wizards Stuff

• Do you like long walks on the beach? So do Eddie Jordan and the Wizards.
• For awhile now, I’ve been saying good riddance to the basket-completion-challenged Jared Jeffries. Now, it looks like his defense is on the decline. [Epic Carnival]
• Is the beard lying? Looks like some people think that Drew Gooden has a better beard than DeShawn Stevenson.
• The Pradamaster covers Eddie Jordan’s constriction of his game rotation. – Me? I’d love to get Nick Young more time, but yea, it’s just not realistic at this point heading into the playoffs. Not too mention that he could be hitting a rookie slump soon. In any case, Nick needs to learn to be ready to produce off the bench at any time, in any situation. Somehow knocking on wood as I type this, but the next injury could be just around the corner.
• A case for D-Song to make the All-Fundamental team, if there were one. [Washington Post]

• Yet another Jekyll and Hyde performance. Yet another instance where smallball succeeds in spite of itself. Yet another game in which Darius Songaila saves the day. [Bullets Forever]

• If interior defense were bread, Sacramento would starve. [SacTown Royalty]
• My favorite Caron Butler dunk is still the one he threw down over Yao Ming last season because well, the guy is 7-7. Another was the one he pounded on Alonzo Mourning’s head in Miami last year and of course, who can forget the one he hammered on Andris Biedrins in a game against GS at the VC last season? But tonight, Butler literally changed a game with the dunk he jammed on Kevin “I look like a late 80′s hip-hop video extra” Martin in the third quarter with the Wiz trailing 75-71 with 2:58 to play. [Wizards Insider]
• “Caron did a great job finding me and all I had to do was to lay it in and then make free throws,” Songaila said. “The biggest thing for us was getting stops at the other end. Roger came in and we were down and made a couple of shots and from there, we stayed with it, got some stops on the other end and in the end we got the W.” [Washington Times]
• “We need Mikki in the game to win,” Artest said. “We’re not beating nobody without him, and he knows that.” [ target="_blank">SacBee.com] – Mikki Moore letting Ron Artest down, what a world.

• “It’s lack of leadership on the floor, that’s what it is,” Theus said. “When things start going south, you have to have someone on the team that steps up and grabs hold of the team and says, ‘Hey guys, this is what we’re going to do and this is how we’re going to get it done,’ outside of what we’re talking about as coaches.” Kevin Martin said he agreed “100 percent” that the team lacked leadership. [SacBee.com]

photo from flickr/kla4067

Random Posts

• June 24, 2010 -- Grunfeld, Gilbert, and the Galácticos
• October 6, 2009 -- Wizards Mounted On VCU’s Siegel Center & Iverson’s Trip Home
• May 27, 2008 -- Oleksiy Pecherov: Washington Wizards Player Evaluation

“…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.”

Hey, you gotta remain flexible. Now let’s start the show…

1st Quarter

Absolutely frustrating start to the game…Possessions: Wiz lose it out of bounds to Kings, foul on DeShawn, foul on Nick Young, traveling on the Kings. Wiz Ball.

11:15 – Nick nails a 3…..but he picks up his 2nd foul on the other end….barely a minute into the game. Bean is having trouble checking Beno Udrih.

10:32 – Nice take by Burrito…he really used his stride on a long-driving layup. He’s been active one way or the other. 7-2 Wiz.

9:33 – Caron Butler wakes up from 3…..along with Ronnie Artest at the other end.

8:07 – Damn…back to back jumpers by the Kings big men, Mikki More and Brad Miller – 7-0 run by them, 10-9 Wizards. Timeout DC.

The Wizards are having matchup trouble in 3 ways: Miller is bringing Haywood away from the basket, I’m not sure if AJ knows how to handle Mikki Moore, and as tuff as Tuff Juice is, Ron Artest is a tank.

7:20 – O-bound and basket by Butler, around 3 Kings with their feet stuck in quicksand. 12-9 Wiz.

Haywood is matching up with Moore and AJ with Miller now…..then again, it was back to vice versa the next time down the court.

6:02 – Roger Mason is back in the game for Nick Young….and he came in ready by hitting a deuce.

5:21 – Mason just had two nice drives to get into the paint and dish the ball to BTH – The 1st time resulted in a deflection out of bounds by the Kings; the 2nd, two made FTs by BTH – 21-13 Wizards.

4:20 – Boy, the Wizards are really active on the offensive boards, and in trying to get the ball into the lane. If Gilbert had to have a sub for him in the Big 3, who would it be? I might have to nominate Brendan Todd Haywood.

3:17 – Brad Miller lob to Ron Artest for a 2…Caron made the mistake of letting Artest get behind him. Ronnie got free with a slight, but not worth a call, shove in Butler’s back.

2:53 – Another bucket by Mason – Wiz 25-17. That’s 6 for him, all shots made.

2:39 – Haywood block, push it up the court, Butler with the ball on the left wing, jumps into his shot….nope, he zip pass in the lane to a cutting BTH. Basket, And1, 11 point lead for the Wizards. Wait, was that Brendan Haywood who got the block at one end and the hustle basket at the other end? 27-17 DC.

The Washington Wizards are really playing well now. Believe it or not, zero turnovers and 4 assists for the Wizards. Who has 3 of those assists? Caron Butler.

Gotta love another move by Eddie Jordan, he’s putting a backcourt little pressure on the Kings – get them on their heels.

2:00 – Amazing pass by Caron to Roger Mason cutting for a layup. Caron is playing like a young Grant Hill with the ball distribution tonight. The Princeton Offense is a well oiled machine.

1:00 – DeShawn 3 – I think I’m glad that I picked him up in a fantasy league last night….before I even heard AD was going to be out. 33-22 Wizards.

0:33.5 – Unbelievable! A Brad Miller pump fake at the 3 point line (I saw him pulling the okie doke on Andray Blatche from a mile away)….Miller then took 2 dribbles right down the middle for a dunk.

A couple missed opportunities for the Wiz at the end. The 1st quarter ends with the Wizards up 33-24 on the Kings.

Both teams are shooting over 50%, still 0 turnovers for the Wizards, Sac Town with 4. 11-8 rebounds in favor of DC.

2nd Quarter

Spencer Hawes in the game for Sacramento. I’ve read somewhere that this guy is a stiff. Then again, his name is ” Spencer” — might as well be “Lance” or “Carlton”

Caron doing the damn thang from all aspects, knocking down more jumpers, getting steals….in addition to his 4 assists of course.

11:00 – Nick Young is not around long as he picks up his 3rd foul. Burritos….they’ll get’cha – they make it a little hard to move quickly on D, know what I mean?

Wow, Sacramento has many more problems than the Wizards do…Mike Bibby’s out, Kevin Martin‘s out, Abdur-Rahim’s career is done, they can’t take care of the ball, they can’t block out on D

9:25 – Vicious dunk by style="font-weight:bold;">Dahntay Jones. Well Andray, might as well get used to that, it’s going to happen from time to time if you want to be a shot blocker – just ask Zo Mourning and Deke Mutombo. 37-29 Wizards.

8:13 – Beno 3 – as soon as I start trashing the kings, they cut the lead to 4. 39-35 Wizards.

Eddie Jordan gets frustrated with the offense on the other end, you can hear him yell on TV, “Cut Hard!” – Roger Mason subsequently cuts for a bucket.

BTW – How did Brad Miller go from cornrows to middle-part 80s dork hair-doo?

6:30 – Beno Udrih looks like a skinny Euro-style Mark (or Brent) Price.

5:56 – AJ 3, bout time he got going….8 points for him. 46-39 ‘Zards.

5:12 – Man, a straight smack down from BTH delivered upon Mikki Moore while going for a bucket inside the paint, they haven’t showed the replay, but I’m not so sure that Haywood was going for the ball. 1 made FT – 46-42 Wizards.

3:56 – The Wizards have a couple cold possessions, then dime dropper Butler whips it to a cutting AJ for a dunk. 48-44 Wiz.

Caron Butler is really trying to institute ball movement, 6 assists for him so far, but the Wizards have gotten a little sloppy — Now, they are only up 1, 48-47, shooting below 45% (while the Kings are just under 55%), and have 3 turnovers.

Steve Buckhantz saying that Ernie Grunfeld seems pretty confident that the Wizards will sign someone. Eddie Gill…Mike Wilks….

Also reported on Wizards Insider after the game….I remember liking Brian Chase from the summer league a lot.

1:50 – Miller J from the top of the key. I’m not sure how the Wizards keep losing track of him. 12 points for white cornrows.

The half ends with the Wizards up 52-51. Well…they have held together nicely, but the defense has been horrendus. They are allowing the Kings to get too many open shots, especially in transition which led to the Wiz squandering an 11 point lead and allowed Sacramento to shoot 52.5% from the field.

Why the Wiz are up 1 in spite of poor Defense:

• 9 turnovers from the Kings
• 8-8 on FTs, Haywood is 5-5
• Balanced Scoring: 8 the 9 players available are in the books (all have played, just Songaila has yet to score), 6 of those with 5 or more points

3rd Quarter

Haywood on Moore now. BTH just got his 10th rebound, got his double-double early in the 3rd.

10:25 – AJ 3 miss, but it wasn’t a bad shot, they worked the ball around the horn well.

9:51 – Back to more of what the Wiz need – a BTH inside bucket, 13 points.

9:08 – Offensive foul on Ron Artest, really smart move by Butler, he was leanin on Ron pretty hard and basically goaded him into pushing Caron off.

I didn’t know that Rod Strickland was the Director of Student Athlete Development at the University of Memphis. Sicknin’, wondering what he’s teaching those kids.

7:10 – So Butler is not infallible, he blows a 2 on 1 fast break with Nick Young. Wiz still holdng at 62-56.

6:30 – Stevenson 3, hasn’t done much so far tonight, that’s his 8th point, but it’s good to know he’s there.

5:52 – Butler J on ‘Test puts the lead to 67-58 Wiz – A hard fought 11 points for Caron.

5:20 – DeeeShawn 3 – Momma, that can’t feel my face man is back.

4:43 – Nick picks up his 4 personal – he’s just not strong enough yet to be able to avoid fouls.

4:08 – Man, are you kidding me? 3 by DeShawn – 74-63 Wizards. That guy must be eating Smoot Bars. – snackonasmack.com

3:17 – Butler to Jamison, 8 assists. The lead has been pushed back to 14. They’ve done two things on this run: move the ball efficiently on offense, and the Wiz have stopped allowing the Kings wide open looks.

2:25 – Dahntay Jones with another Debo move down the lane for a layup — he did not do any push-ups on the court after the shot.

1:39 – Tech on Brad Miller – he got frustrated by the collapsing Wiz D and gave AB a lil’ shove going back down the court.

Great 3rd quarter, the Wiz outscored Sacramento 28-16. From years of reading about the NBA, I know that teams see the 3rd quarter as being perhaps the most crucial. Seems like Wizards teams of the past have come out of the locker room after intermission lacking energy, desire…at times. This year, things have been different. I need
to find out 3rd quarter stats vs. the opponent for the season.

4th Quarter

Steve Buck just told us that the Wiz are 7-1 at home when leading after 3.

D-Mac, Mason, Stevenson, Songaila, and Blatche to start…interesting lineup.

10:25 – 5 threes, count ‘em, for DeShawn Stevenson.

8:44 – 3 by Roger Mason…great decision by Stevenson, he got free on the left wing, had a small amount of room to pull up, considering how hot he’s been…but it still would’ve been a tough shot. No, DS swinged the ball right to the left corner to Mason. Stevenson has 19 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds.

Timeout – Wizards up 20, 88-68. Defense is much better this half. Miller is not getting what he got in the 1st.

7:68 – Blatche draws a charge, nice work buddy.

I think I know who DeeShawn is — he’s Samson, not the one from Half Baked, but the one from the Bible. As his hair (beard) gets longer, he gets better….

6:21 – Sac Town is 0-8 on FGs in the 4th.

3:06 – The game continues to go back and forth. The Kings don’t have enough energy to get back into the game…and the Wiz have just enough energy to keep them at bay. Wizards are up 92-77.

1:04 – Great D by Dominic McGuire — Spencer Hawes was trying to back him down…got to the rim, but D-Mac blocked his shot when he tired to shoot it from the level of his face. The ball ended up going out of bounds off Hawes.

Game. Over. The Wizards win 92-79. Gotta be proud of this win:

• The Wiz led the Kings the whole game
• The played much better D in the 2nd half – The Kings shot 52.% at the end of the first half, ended up 43.4% for the game.
• The big difference, 7 steals for the Wiz, 18 turnovers for the Kings.

Enjoy the 3 days off Wizards – See you next Wednesday against the Bulls.

Photo Credits:
The Washington Post DC Sports Bog
Basket-Stats.info
CavsHistory.com
ESPN.com

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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.

6) The Sacramento Kings - Mike Bibby is going to be out for at least 8 more weeks with a torn thumb ligament. Plus the Kings suck this year, I picked them to finish with the worst record in the league. On top of all that, they are no longer selling out Arco Arena. So what are the Maloof brothers to do? What any shady casino owner would do…something crazy to sell tickets. Could you imagine Marbury and Artest on the floor at the same time fighting over the ball? Or just fighting in general. Personally, I wouldn’t pay to see it, but maybe there’d be a chance for some PPV duckets. Or….they could use Starbury to guarantee a sabotage of the team so they could move the Kings to Sin City, The Major League Theory. The owner of the Cleveland Indians in that movie was a former Las Vegas showgirl…coincidence?

5) The Atlanta Hawks – You just feel like some of the high flying Hawks are deprived without a good point guard. Then you realize that they drafted Marvin Williams over Chris Paul and Deron Williams, and you start to feel sick to your stomach. Could you imagine either of them with Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford and Josh Childress? Tyronn Lue and the perpetually injured Speedy Claxton just aren’t cutting it, and Acie Law is just a rookie. Strike that…considering the latest with Josh Smith, not to mention terrible ownership, the Hawks don’t need a potential triple dose of cancer.

4) The Indiana Pacers – Larry Bird has never liked Jamaal Tinsley. And I’m pretty sure that he hates Marbury. But think for a second, the Pacers are off to a halfway decent start. I certainly didn’t expect them to be 3-3 at this point. So what if they are in contention for a playoff spot in the Leastern Conference? There couldn’t be a better way for Larry Bird to stick it to that a-hole Isiah than by taking his cast-away on the cheap and flipping it into something.

3) The Miami Heat – Pat Riley is desperate. The Shaq window closing like a guillotine. Hell, I bet he even has the numbers of Jayson Williams and Keon Clark on speed-dial. Stephon would be a gift from heaven. Penny, Starbury, Smush and White Chocolate….if those names don’t say ‘And1 Championship’, then I don’t know what…..aw crap, let me just stop right there.

2) The Los Angeles Lakers – Mitch Kupchak to Kobe Bryant: “Hey, you said that you wanted some All-Star caliber help….now go f*ck yourself.”

1) The Boston Celtics – This might make the most sense. Here’s a hypothetical conversation between Kevin Garnett and Marbury:

KG: What up man? Can’t believe the Knicks cut you kid.

SM: That’s a’ight son, it’s been a tough summer. Funny thing is, Isiah was in that car with me. We tag-teamed both that intern and Anucha. That’s the last time I share anything with that dude.

KG: Uh….(pause)…well anyway, what about coming to play for the Celtics? We could use the depth…and Danny ain’t gonna pay you much. But still, we could recreate the good ol’ days with the T-Wolves, with some more sharing of course. And, you got that shot at a ring.

SM: Aww…really KG?!? (said with child-like enthusiasm) For really real? You think they got a spot for Coney Island’s Finest?

KG: Yea homey…but here’s the deal, you ever seen that movie Full Metal Jacket? No? Well, let me put it this way, if you go all Private Pyle on us, we gonna strap you to a bed and beat you with bars of soap in socks until you’re peeing out yo ass. Or, if you like vague 1983, Sean Penn, BadBoys movie references, it’ll be Coke cans instead of soap. Do you smell what I’m stepping in?

SM: (walks over and gives KG a big hug)

Hey, it could happen. I’m just sayin’

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