Working Out The Wizards Web

flickr/wizardsdotcom

Here's the ranks:

1) You must know that Bullets Forever has gone through a pretty kick-ass revamp. Stop waiting and go join the community. By the way, that's where the Game 82 blog vs. the Orlando Magic will be tonight.

2) Wow, it's been a whole five years since Michael Jordan played his last game as a Wizard. The crew at We Rite Goode has an excellent run-down.

3) Gilbert Arenas may still be spurning the media, but we now know that a "break" from blogging means about 4 days. Highlights of the latest include:

• Gil thanking the young Wiz kids for their level-headedness.
• Arena's attempts of 'reverse-psychology' with NBA Exec. VP of B-ball Ops., Stu Jackson
• Gilbert is taking a chill on being a hype-man for the Cleveland series, conceding the talking to our friend the Lock Smith.
• Of course, Gil calls out Tom Knott by name again.
• But I'm not sure if Arenas is calling out George Bush....or giving street cred to an oil-war gangsta.

4) There's been millions, if not billions, of teams in the history of civilization. Evidently, Charles Barkley has done his homework and has called the Wizards the dumbest of them all.

5) Looks like DeShawn Stevenson will start against Orlando tonight, keeping the streak in tact at 250. Gilbert and Caron might get a little run too....just to keep warm.

6) Since DeShawn left the Verizon after the Indy game without talking to reporters, Mike Jones thinks Stevenson will be yapping after the Orlando game tonight.

7) The DC Pro Sports Report has a great run-down of the feud and Cavs-Wiz playoffs 3.0 from both sides for the coin.

1. LeBron? Check.
2. Stevenson? Check.
3. Soulja Boy? A Maybe.
4. Jay-Z? Don't stop to holla.
5. Usher? Who gives a shit.
6. Destiny's Child? Been there, done that.
7. It seems only natural that Cam'ron get in on this process since he had Jay-Z's wifey, Beyonce, singing about "slangin' some crack."
   

8) Wherever you are, watch out for the elbow of Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

9) The Top 10 Ways to Foul LeBron James.

10) On a related note, here are the Top 10 Signs that LeBron James and the Cavs are getting some calls.

11) The video of the clap to Jamison's jimmy in the Pacers game. Take a gander at Jamison's eyes when he tries to get up....I'm not sure he knows where he is.

12) After all, It's All Fun and Games.

Wizards sweep Florida, Look to one night homestand with Detroit

The quick and easy run-down:

Orlando Magic
Big win.

The ranks:

1. Jamison's 31 and 11
   
2. Brendan Haywood's defense
   
3. Songaila's war with Super Buddy Jesus
   
4. Dominic McGuire's alley-oop from Caron in the middle of the 2nd
   
5. Antonio Daniels' sweet spin and finger-roll late in the 3rd
6. Hedo Turkoglu missing 2 free-throws in the final minute

The live blog will give you the full story.

Bullets Forever opened the Hollinger hating door again.

What they said:

Third Quarter Collapse thinks Dwight Howard is getting the Shaq treatment: "To be frank, it's ridiculous how much Dwight's defenders get away with defensively. The difference between what they're allowed to do and what Dwight's allowed to do is astonishing."

Wizards Insider gives us this quote from an excuse-making Dwight Howard: "I think it's the flopping," Howard said. "Some of the things, I understand. People can beat up on me, and nothing happens. But when I touch somebody, I get calls. I try to talk to the refs but it doesn't seem to do any good. I really can't focus on that. It's only one game.

Washington Post [Focusing on the Present, Wizards End Up With a Gift]
ESPN.com box score

Miami Heat
Didn't catch the game (NCAA tournament took precedence), but here's the web highlights:

Washington Post:

At one point during the fourth quarter, Miami had five players on the court who were in the NBA's Development League earlier this month. The Wizards scored the game's first six points and never trailed, winning their season-high fourth straight road game.
-------
"It's time to step on them," said Daniels, who finished with nine points, seven assists and five rebounds. "Right now. Let's step on them."

Wizards Insider:

Rookie Nick Young was a late scratch with a bruised left thigh, an injury he suffered during last Thursday's win over Cleveland.
-------
Sat next to a scout from a Western Conference team who had some very nice things to say about Eddie Jordan as a coach.
"He's one of the best in the business at getting his guys to run and execute that system. I mean, they are very good. A lot of teams try to emulate what they do but they can't do it. I think he's doing a great job. They are one of the most organized teams in the league at both ends of the floor."

"But," I replied. "Some of the folks who read my blog seem to think that Jordan's a lousy coach."

Scout: "Then they are uninformed and don't know a lick about basketball. I do this for a living and I'll tell you: he's one of the best in the business."

Thank you Ivan for asking the scout that question about the bloggers. Journalists (and bloggers) are stereotypically cynical, but commenters, those on Wizards Insider mostly apply, can be pessimistic insurgents. I'm seriously turned off at the amount of animosity towards and lack of credit given to Eddie Jordan.

Washington Times Wizards Outlet - Caron Butler did not take San Diego beating UConn too well:

"Well, bad thing is, I gotta take it out on somebody," said Butler, who went on to score 25 points on 9-for-11 shooting against the team that drafted him 10th overall out of UConn in 2002.

I'll leave you with the photoshop I did a while ago -- idea thanks to the soul selling of the Miami Heat. Would I do it for a championship with years of mediocrity to downright terrible to follow? Perhaps so my friend.


The preview of the prime-time Pistons game is forthcoming.

Wizards Live Game Blog: at Orlando Magic: Game 67

No, this is not Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy. This is:

Just to set the record is straight, okay? The other guy? Oh c'mon, acting like you've never seen Ron Jeremy in a Mario outfit.

ON TAP:
A HUGE Wizards Insider post tonight.

1st: Gilbert gives some straight talk -- the East should be scared of the Wizards [essentially].

We're not scared of any team," Arenas said. "There's no team that actually frightens us out there. When you have three guys that can score 20, we're more frightening because no one has actually seen us as a whole group yet. Everyone has seen spurts of our team but they don't have a scouting report. If they have a scouting report, it's from last year so, we're kind of the favorite going in of you look at it from that aspect.

2nd: DeShawn Stevenson and LeBron James have a high school myspace feud over who has more swag.

Apparently, James said something about DeShawn to former Cav Drew Gooden, who recently related that information to DeShawn. He didn't appreciate it.
"We're all in the same profession," Stevenson said. "We don't need to talk bad about one another. So, that's how it happened. I was ticked off and that's why I said something to him at tip-off. So, it goes back further than people think."

Uhh.....dizzamn? The gloves are off. This is a rivalry.

Birthday Boys: Antonio Daniels and Hedo Turkoglu

Oh yea, March Madness is here and I'm entering the Bullets Forever group on Yahoo, among too many others to count. The most interesting Wizards tid-bits from the pre-game show:

• To make the Final 4, DeShawn Stevenson is picking UNC because he likes Roy Williams, wonder why?
• DeShawn Stevenson is also picking Kansas because they were his original commitment out of high school before jumping to the league. Gotcha.
• Brendan Haywood is picking......Kansas? Interesting.....I bet he's got loot on that pick. If UNC wins, he'll be happy of course. But the Jayhawks win, that's straight cash homey.
• Official Wizards Picks
  

To the game...

Jamison insisted on the ol' basket check before the game. Did he really think one of the baskets was crooked during shoot-around? Maybe. Is this some type of veteran's gamesmanship AJ is doing to get in Orlando's head? I'd like to convince myself so.

Quarter One

11:00 - Stevenson breaks the ice for both teams with a trey.....I'm also hoping for an "against his old team" game from the Lock Smith.

8:42 - Antawn nails a 3, both buckets (I know, only 2, right?) have been good shots coming in the offense. Thankfully, Magic are also cold. 6-4 Wizards.

8:04 - Next to turnovers and missed FTs, I really hate when players jump to pass. Especially a big man. Especially Andray Blatche.

7:25 - Uh oh, Rashard Lewis gets a 3 from the corner....the Wizards lost him in the early offense. 7-0 Magic run, 11-6 lead.

Wizards Curfew: 1 am......much has been made about this, but here's the rub: Wiz will fly to Miami after the game where there will be no curfew. Lock Smith Unlatched on South Beach!

4:48 - Does anyone ever remember Hedo Turkoglu going to the basket with this much authority?

Phil Chenier and Steve Buckhantz are "amazed" because Seattle only got a 2nd round draft pick in the Rashard Lewis "trade" with Orlando. I'm sorry, but when discussing the merits of a trade and the players and/or goods exchanged, Sign-And-Trades when the player really could have just signed, do not count.

The playoffs with one big NBA conference, the Wizards are headed to BeanTown. [True Hoop]

2:00 - Two offensive rebounds on one possession turns into points for Orlando....and Dwight "Buddy Jesus" Howard is out of the game with 2 fouls.

And that is the end of the 1st quarter....the Big Shooters, Hedo and Rashard, have a combined 16 points. Orlando has 5 more rebounds, 3 more assists, 6 more fast break points and is +5% on FGs with a 26-20 lead. Honestly, it could've been worse as they were up 24-14.

Quarter Two

Good to see Pecherov get some 2nd quarter action.

11:14 - McGuire too....nice D on Turk, exactly what the Wiz need. D-Song, Mason Jr. and Nick Young are on the court as well.

One of the Orlando cheerleaders was wearing one of those Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation Telemarketer head set mics. Why? Does the thing pipe into the arena sound system when she leads cheers? Is she coordinating covert movements around the arena and outfit changes into ear pieces.

7:33 - Aaaaalley OOOOP! Dominic McGuire running the court, the Magic lose sight of him, probably because he's a rookie, he gives the signal and gets the long lob pass from Caron on the break for the dunk.

Slow start to the 2nd, Magic hold a 28-24 lead and take a timeout. Orlando is 1-8 in the 2nd.

6:48 - So how does it happen that a guy from Turkey says, "E'nuff o' dat" and starts raining buckets all while smoking a cigarette? 15 for Hedo, a 34-24 lead for Orlando.

5:19 - Songaila had to guard Dwight Howard on a couple possessions. The result is two fouls and mysterious blood on Howard's jersey.....Haywood checks in.

2:30 - Wizards go on a 6-0...until a Turkoglu three. A Bogans three puts it back at 10. Eddie calls a timeout.

1:52 - Haywood sets Dwight Howard up perfectly as he is square on D and able to draw a charge, the 3rd foul on Howard...he goes to the bench.

The first half rounds up with the Magic up 43-36......Stat It Up:

• Team combined for 46 points in 1st, only 33 in 2nd
• Hence, teams are a combined 37% from the field
• Lotta rebounds: Orlando has a 26-19 lead -- but each team has 4 offensive rebounds
• Hedo the Turk had 18 points, Howard has 1 point but 10 boards (only 15 minutes of action)
• Jamison has 10, Stevenson has 7, Songaila has 6 off the bench
• Magic have 7 threes to 3 for Washington
• Orlando has 8 turnovers to 4 for the Wizards
• "Tonight, they [the Magic] put the killing blow to Washington, unless Haywood the Terrible returns and the Lock Smith can lift them up." [Hardwood P.]
• Terrible Todd has 2 points and 4 rebounds in 14 minutes....but he has done a fair job in negating Dwight Howard on offense.
  

Quarter Three

10:24 - Don't let that Monster out! Howard backs off Haywood.....caught him sleeping. Haywood nails the 14 foot jumper. 7-0 run to start the 3rd, game tied at 43.

9:30 - Jameer Nelson goes on his own 5 point run, 48-43.

8:55 - DeShawn is starting to hibachi on both ends. A 3, then he gets a steal and an easy two hand dunk.

Down the court, Stevenson gets his hand in again to knock the ball away, but Butler turns it over....couldn't handle the pass.

8:00 - Lock Smith airballs a heat check 3, Todd Haywood cleans up the mess. Maybe Hardwood P. was right....

6:35 - Now it's the Wizards turn to get two offensive rebounds....resulting in a Howard goaltend on Butler. 53-52 Wiz.

5:21 - Wow...just a lot of ball movement for the Wiz...they are pretty fun to watch now. AJ baseline jumper, 19-9 run - 55-52 Wizards. Jamison lefty runner, 57-52.

1:07 - Antonio Daniels with an amazing side step spin and finger roll to the hoop - A b-day bucket. 63-60 Wiz.

0:47 - The Gobbler always has an answer. Tied at 63.

0:33 - Then again, so does Jamison - a 3 gives him 25 points.

0:14 - He didn't make the team, but Turkoglu is getting all-star calls??? He pump fakes a three then falls forward into his shooting motion. Jamison turns past and barely brushes his jersey...hold....hooooold....turkoglu misses...hold.......and then they blow the whistle. 3 FTs give Turkoglu 31 for the game.

Damn good 3rd for the Wizards, outscored Orlando 31-22 and took a 67-65 lead.

Quarter Four

11:02 - Blatche got a slam? He's been non-existent in this game. Doesn't seem right, but he's played just 29 seconds so far.

9:50 - Whatever you think of Darius Songaila, you must respect that dude for going to war against Dwight Howard....speaking of, Howard makes a move on D-Song who stays between Dwight and the basket (albeit his back was turned).....Blatche came with the help D and threw his shit.

Andray then goes down, draws foul #5 on Howard and makes 2 FTs. Haywood checks in to play along AB, Songaila, Stevenson and Mason. I like the big lineup.

9:00 - Van Guns has enough after witnessing another B. Todd jumper. Timeout Magic. 73-67 Wizards.

2 minutes goes by as does a 5-0 Magic run.

6:51 - A Jamison 3....followed by a Bogans 3. No one else is doing much. Nelson and Lewis miss 3s - the Wiz hold onto a 78-75 lead with 5 minutes left.

Not for the faint of heart: Stevenson bobble - loose ball, Daniels recovery, 4 seconds on the shot clock, AD drive and kick back to DeShawn, long 3 miss, Caron keeps it alive, Daniels recovery to the basket..GOOD, And 1....missed FT. 80-78 Wiz.

2:51 - Jamison runner, foul, Howard goaltend and FT. Wiz take lead 83-78.

This Orlando crowd seems MUCH worse than the tepid Verizon Center. This is a good game. Hedo Homer has 37 points. How can they not be into this game? Lotta empties in O-Town.

Damn, they just announced that the Heat scored 54 and the Raptors scored 96 tonight. This is sad...well, that's what happens when you sell your soul to the devil.

1:09 - Mason bricks a 3 off the glass that doesn't hit rim.....oh my dear lord get him out! Doing that with a minute left?

0:58 - Hedo makes 1 of 2 FTs - Bogans 3 - tie game at 85.

0:41 - I was skeptical when he shot it.....but when that ball rolled a half way around the inner rim and dropped down, I knew to always bet on Tuff Juice when he straps 'em up. 87-85 Wizards. Magic timeout, Butler subs out on D.

0:33 - Turkoglu goes down the lane almost unimpeded and Haywood is forced to foul - missed another FT, made the 2nd. A birthday career high, but 9-13 from the line..... that last miss will hurt.

0:12 - Too. Much. Butler drive against Hedo, but he can only take it up with his right hand....and thus is unable to keep the ball away from Dwight Howard who gets the block...mad scramble to the rock and a 24 second violation right before AJ and Bogans get tied up. Magic ball with 9 seconds left. Wizards up 87-86.

Buckhantz goes cardiac as the Magic get semi-close to a 5 second call, get it inbounds, but Stevenson slaps it out of bounds away from Hedo who was in a tough situation on the sideline. 4.2 left.

No Celtics game, no Celtics game, no Celtics game........

...Turkoglu drives....gets past a couple Wizards....finds an open look but a very tough shot as he was shooting with his right hand from the left side and off-balanced.....MISS!!

WIZARDS WIN 87-86!! Great game...the bench is excited, I'm excited. ESPN.com box score is excited.

Post Game Party: South Beach

south beach photo from funky bug
ron jeremy photo from marciikeler
flickr van gundy photo from dbking

Washington Wizards Hit The Sunshine Circuit, But What About Gilbert?

Well, the Wizards won't be seeing what's in these bags of tricks.

flickr photo from Cougar-Studio.com

Why? Because Eddie Jordan has set a curfew for his Wizards team on their 2-game Florida road trip. Curious as to why Eddie would do this, as the Washington Post tells, Jordan has never believed in curfews. Is this a reactionary or preemptive move? In any case, I am in agreement because the idea can't hurt.

".....a business trip, not a Florida pleasure trip." -Coach EJ

Moving on to the Atlanta Hawks loss.

Bad Wizards defense.....what more can I say? At least someone was happy to get free donuts as a result of the Hawks win. Bibby is getting props too.

Bulletin Board Material? Brendan Haywood didn't have a terrible game against Atlanta as he scored 16 points on 7-10 shooting with 9 rebounds in 32 minutes. Sekou Smith of the AJC, however, didn't think much of the 2nd half efforts of one B. Todd Haywood: "Al Horford was a man among boys in the second half, putting the clamps on Brendan Haywood after the Wizards center got off to a rousing start in the first half."

Enough of that.....the game should be a distant memory anyway.

O-Town Magic

The Wiz first played the Magic in their DC home opener of this season....boy was that game a major disappointment. In my blog of Wizards game #3, I used words like "uninspired" and "disconnected" to describe the Wizards play in the 4th quarter. The opening night crowd in the Verizon wasn't any help....."tepid" was fan word of the night. Hedo Turkoglu dropped 25 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds leading the Orlando Magic to a 94-82 win over Washington.

Game #2 against the Magic, which was actually game 60 on the season, occurred just about 2 weeks ago......a more recent distaste in my mouth as it was a game the Wizards really needed, but they elected to get blown out 122-92 instead. Orlando got off to a strong start and never looked back as they scored 34 points in the first quarter. In the opening period, the Magic had the same amount of points in the paint (20) as the Wizards had in total.

This 2nd quarter excerpt sums up the game: 0:47 – The worse "Can’t Feel My Face" I’ve ever seem from DeShawn. He hits a 3 pointer, and it appears as if the half-hearted effort is simply out of habit; I don't think his hand actually crossed the perimeter of his face at any point.

Agent Wishy-Washy

Gilbert Arenas' knee, as usual, is the talk of the town. From the Times to the Post, everyone is throwing their hands up at trying to decipher the cryptology of Gilbertology.

If you want the full run-down, go read the Pradamaster on Bullets Forever.

My take: We definitely don't want to throw Gilbert into the mix prematurely. If he doesn't feel 100% confident in himself, after going through multiple practices, then he should just chill for a while. The problem is, Gilbert talks too much and we listen too much. I really don't have a problem will Gil's verbiage, he's an entertaining cat. But the issue is that what comes out of his mouth changes with the wind and thus, too much energy is spent trying to either interpret what he's saying or figure out what he's thinking.

So for me, "just play already" is really a "shut up and play" - It's already been suggested by team doctors and Gilbert himself that when (and if) he comes back, he will not be the "same old Gilbert" right away. Rather, he will focus less on wheeling through traffic and more on being an Wal-Mart-like distribution hub - even more of a reason for Gil to test himself in a real game; the risk will seemingly be more minimized. And guess what? That's what this Wizards team needs anyway!

In the end, perhaps Gilbert's hesitancy is not the result of lacking confidence in his knee, but more because he is not sure that he can abstain from his aggressive offensive ways. Yes, defense and ball-handling are not glorious assignments. But that doesn't mean Arenas won't be the go-to guy when the clock is winding down and the game is on the line.

Do what you gotta do Gilbert....a great motto is "better be safe than sorry"....but this quote by some dude named Stephen Kaggwa is good too: "Try and fail, but don't fail to try."

The Wizards Need This One Against The Magic

...and how.

• First of all, a win tonight would allow the Washington Wizards to climb back to 5-hunny. The loss to the San Antonio Spurs back on February 6th put the Wiz at the even mark, and they haven't been at the water line since.
• This fact is pointed out on Wizards Insider, along with the fact that the Magic played a tough game against the Toronto Raptors last night. But does catching a team on the second night of a back-to-back really matter at this point of the season? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't.....but.....
• What matters more to me is that the Wizards have had the chance to rest on Monday and Tuesday.

Brendan Todd versus Dwight David

In their first matchup of the season, game 3 (the DC home opener) when the Wiz were still funkin' around, Haywood pulled down 16 rebounds along with 10 points, 5 blocks, and 5 personal fouls. Young Dwight had 15 boards, 17 points, 3 blocks and 4 fouls. But Turkey-Gloo could not be stopped as he dropped 25 on the Wiz, leading the Magic to a 94-82 victory, as the Wizards played a "disconnected" 4th quarter.

BTH held his own...and actually negated....the efforts of Dwight D. Howard on that night; he needs to do the same tonight.

And ironically, that's the only time the Washington Wizards have faced their division rival Orlando Magic this season. Tonight's game blog will be on Bullets Forever, a link is forthcoming (which is here - the Live Wizards Game 60 Blog on Bullets Forever). That being said, I leave you and Dwight Howard with this picture of your friend, my friend, our friend.....Buddy Jesus.

Game 3: Wizards Game Blog - Orlando Magic in Town

1st QUARTER

Gilbert comes out with a compression sock on his left leg. I'm assuming that it has something to do with his knee, think I see a brace too.

Haywood is man-ing up against Howard early...makes first contact a couple times on both ends of the floor. This could be the turning point for his career. He's got a very Wizards-friendly contract right now... two years, $11.5 mil after this year. Can he keep this up for that fat reward down the road?

No more chemistry excuses. This is basically the same team from last year. The rapport should be built by now.

Very nice new scoreboard...gives the entire arena a crisp look. Of course, it is having opening night jitters too, can't keep the player stats right.

I'm disappointed with the crowd. Very tepid¹. A lot of empty seats.

Really, how is it that Brendan Todd Haywood is the only one working?

Gil gets the ball again with the clock winding down....and he surprises everyone with dribble penetration and a pass to Roger Mason on the wing, who nails the jumper. Nice move on GA's part to boost the kid's confidence. Down 1 after 1.

2nd QUARTER

D-Mac checks in the game and seems to be a little nervous. He makes Hedo Turkoglu look like an All-Star. D-Mac got taken to the basket twice, one of which was a hard dunk. Where's the confidence he showed in the preseason?

I can't exactly tell, but I thought I just heard the 'MVP' chant coming from the other end of the arena while Brendan Haywood was shooting free-throws. Of course, he missed both...would've put the Wizards up 7.

....continued scoreboard stat trouble.

Another Turkey-Gloo shot? Hedo hits a 3, that makes 7 for him in the quarter with 5:45 left. A pattern is developing.

Caron starts to warm up...he sure has the mid-range game down. Just hope he doesn't get pigeon-holed there. I'd like to see Tuff Juice take it inside a little more.

Time for the Chipotle Burrito Toss....I really wish they would use the sling-shot for this; handing the burritos to people? Really? Better yet, can you imagine if they just fired them from the t-shirt gun?

After a semi-promising start to the 2nd quarter, Wiz go to the half down 8, 50-24.

People-watching is fun at Wizards games...especially those who like to be seen walking court side. Early in the half, I noticed this cat...neon green shirt, what looks to be a cream blue-jean outfit, and a sandy-blond mullet. I told my friend, "that guy's gotta be Eastern Euro."

And what do you know, this guy was boys with Alexander Ovechkin who was sitting three rows in. My buddy was a little amazed that perhaps the best young hockey player in the NHL (yes, evidently a better all-around player than Sid 'the kid' Crosby) was just strolling around the concourse, unnoticed, can of Skoal in hand.

3rd QUARTER

Gilbert is that much stronger than Jameer Nelson. I'm beginning to wonder why he hasn't tried to back him down more....for one of those fade-away baseline jumpers he hits.

Turkey-Glue running jumper...another pig food slop game for the Bullets.

He may have off nights, but Caron Butler doesn't know the meaning of the word 'quit'...nice 3rd quarter from him gives hope.

Andray checks in for Jamison with about 4 minutes left in the 3rd. Is this his first time in the game? It is, very curious. I see he's gotten rid of the Mohawk though.

Gilbert scored the first six points in the game for the Wizards, he didn't score again until 49 seconds were left in the 3rd. It's not like the Magic are this great defensive team, he is containing himself.

Wiz end the 3rd up 3...showing nice resilience.

4th QUARTER

Songaila is really bad at on-the-ball defense...but he can sure pass. I give him this, at this point, he is a more reliable player than Andray Blatche.

What's up with Stan Van Gundy's dark grey suit? Well...not so much the suit, but that mock turtle-neck under it, (which seems like the same color as his suit), just makes him look like a used watch salesman. Guess it runs in the family, because Jeff Van Gundy looks like he would run a store that sells fake fur coats and spare radio parts.

You can clearly tell that Gilbert is a step slow. He seems like he's relying more on his physical strength in getting to the basket, rather than his quickness. Just noticed that he lost the compression sock he wore to start the game.

The 4th has been rather uneventful. I'm not sure what type of vibe I get from the Wizards...disconnected?

More of the same from the Magic and Hedo. Doesn't look good for the Wiz down 9 with 2:43 left in the game.

I wish I attended NBA games waaay back in the day. Today, it's just hard to get a feel for the game, unless you are court side perhaps, with all of the distractions.....[glow-in-the-dark thunder clappers, Big Tigger on the digi 1 & 2, cheerleaders, master of ceremonies, spirit fingers squad, blasting music, G-Wiz, G-Man, shirt-gun, etc., etc.....]

And the Magic just easily close out the game. Well, I'm glad I don't live in Vegas. That was ugly, uninspired basketball. I'm sure many are pushing that famed panic button. I don't even want to read the comments on Wizards Insider.

I saw a piece on Comcast where Eddie Jordan was talking about training camp, the preseason. He was basically saying that he didn't have to yell a lot. The players knew the system, what time it was, the vets were going to take care of business...yada yada yada. At times, Eddie is stoically quiet..perhaps a man of limited words. And not like I have a problem with this. But what happens now?

A fire obviously needs to be lit under some asses. But Gilbert is too goofy to be a leader, Caron shows more of a 'lead by example' attitude with his toughness, and Jamison seems to be a great locker-room character, but not the type to get pyro on people. So who gets this going? Where's our Garnett? Shouldn't this come from Eddie? I certainly know what Greg Popovich would do. Alas, this IS the NBA....and massaging player egos is always an unfortunate concern.

Grow up Wizards.

"Gilbeeart, I challaunge yuw tu a blog-ing deul."
- The Hedo Monster

The image above actually comes from nba.com, but I stumbled across a pretty cool site when I initially found it -- check it out http://www.thehypeguy.com/


¹ tepid crowd: coined by the very same friend, Chris - who attended the Magic game with me, during the Wizard-Cavs playoff series two years ago - 2006 Playoffs, Round 1, Game 3.
Tepid, meaning slightly warm or in this case, unenthusiastic, was a fitting description for the "playoff" crowd back then....but the Verizon Center on opening night was even more tepid...if that's possible.

Wizards PreGame #3: Agent Zero vs. Man-Child Thunder

I'm confident that the Wizards will take care of business at home tonight. Sheridan favors the Wiz by 2 points...barely, what do NBA teams get for home court advantage these days? The over/under is 199.5 - Take the over. Prediction: Wizards 113 - Magic 98

Game Keys:

1. Haywood's true test, a match-up against Dwight Howard. D-How is going to get his, but Brendan must keep him off the O-boards. They can't afford to slow down the game and give the Magic second chances.


2. 3-Pointers - not ideal that the team needs to shoot their way out of a slump in the 3rd game of the season, but that's how it's gotta be - I'm sure La Bomba would've helped, I still think we got hosed on that trade....(then again, I'm not so sure after looking at this picture - popped collar jean jacket? Really?)


3. Fast Start - after a slow 1st quarter for both teams last night (Celts were up 21-18), the Wizards were outscored 22-8 in the first 7 minutes of the 2nd quarter. Getting what will be a restless home crowd into the game early could be the most important factor.

"I'm comin' for ya Gilbert!!" -The Smoochie-King

photo credit: http://www.alexrudloff.com/