Live Game 61 Blog: Washington Wizards @ Toronto Raptors

Still wondering about the injuries of Gilbert or Caron? DC Pro Sports Report has your back.

Caron's hip deal is a funny thing....even he doesn't know when he's better. The possibility of an aggravation, this being an odd injury; I can't imagine what's going through his mind. All I can say is that I feel for ya Tuff Juice. Take as much time as you want as I can only imagine what it's like trying to gain confidence with hip issues.

Gilbert.....pretty much the same to you. Knee injuries are far more common than those of the hip. So, you can rest a little more assured knowing that you're not alone. Hey, even I am with you. I had microfracture surgery in late December '07, and blogged about my experience once, then twice....but never followed up (unfortunately, similar to my dedication to physical therapy). One day.

Point is, Arenas is going through the confidence thing just as Caron. Whatcha gonna do?

Back to the current Wizards: It's snowing in Toronto. The Pradamaster is a busy guy. DC Pro Sports goes into enemy territory. And I had my preview, so you're covered.

So let's start the show....

Oh yea, the DCist is overhearing things in DC. I wonder what I'm going to hear in the upper level or "The Hill" at the Wizards-Bobcats game tomorrow night......

1st Quarter

As Steve Buck tells us to look out for Flying Treys in the Air Canada Center, I wonder if the Wizards can keep up in a shooting contest.

By the way, the company line from Steve and Phil about the Magic game was in regard to all the valuable time given to players such Nick Young and Oleksiy Pecherov.

Hell! The Wiz are down to 10 healthy players, the young players are getting "valuable time" anyway.....I'd rather them get sed valuable time in close games as opposed to meaningless blowouts where douchenozzles such as JJ Redick are running around the court.

11:00 - Haywood starts a little slow down low with a turnover and a miss.....Jamario Moon is throwing bamas off of him on rebounds.

9:20 - BTH checks in with a dunk and a "no don't shoot it" until he makes it fade-away spinning jumper.....good to see the Wiz going inside on the first 5 offensive possessions (D-Song just got an inside bucket nicely set up by Daniels).

8:40 - Well, it's already better than last game as Sam Mitchell calls a timeout...his team down 10-2. Safe to say that any team in the world would call a timeout after allowing an Antonio Daniels steal and uncontested dunk and then a Darius Songaila o-bound and smooth spinning hook shot.

6:30 - Stevenson shoots an air-ball 3 with the shot clock running down.....Eddie Jordan gives a mild (just smelled a small dog's fart) stink-face. The Italian Spazz hits two straight 3s. 10-8 Wiz.

The Raptors are trying to isolate pretty much anyone against D-Song.

2:25 - Nice give up by Stevenson.....after missing 2 3s already.....Jamison gets an o-bound off the 2nd miss, gives it back to Lock Smith open at the 3 point line....DeShawn doesn't take the shot, he gives the ball back to AJ for the long made 2 after he sneaked in the corner.

Good first quarter for the Wiz. Overall, they did well in establishing themselves inside totaling 10 of their 29 in the paint - along with 8 mid-range points. The Wiz went 2-6 from 3, one miss coming on a last second half court attempt by DeShawn. Toronto could not get into an offensive flow as they shot 33%, they only have 18. 11 point Wizard lead after one.

2nd Quarter

11:20 - Jamison just got his 8th rebound.

Steve Buckhantz tells us that he will keep viewers informed about the Sixer-Sonic game, Philly only being a game and a half behind the Wizards for 6th place in the east. Are we really ready to do this with a quarter of the season left? Start watching what other teams are doing?

9:05 - Meanwhile.....ever since I got back from Argentina, Argentines have been playing well against the Wiz. First, the infamous Nocioni dunk....and now, the Wiz turn the ball over three straight times (4 already in the quarter), 2 of which were consecutive steals by Carlos Delfino. He's got 7 points and 2 assists to go along with that. 31-27 Wizards.

Giving a team, struggling at shooting, easy points off turnovers is a sure-fire way to let them back in the game.

8:35 - Great, the Italian Spazz is hitting stumbling reverse lay-ups. Phil calls him "agile"

8:20 - More careless turnovers by the Wiz....asking for it with Nick Young and Roger Mason at guards, along with D-Mac, Andray and D-Song in the game.

7:30 - Delfino is going off.....he's got 11 points, 9 in the first 4.5 minutes of the 2nd. 13-4 run for Toronto. The Wiz are not taking care of the ball.....very frustrating.

7:17 - Nick Young gets the second best dunk of his career (here is his first).....some dude named Primoz had his arms flailing near the Bean Burrito.

5:50 - Roger Mason is heating up, 2 straight buckets.....somebody has to combat Carlos. 41-35 Wiz.

5:30 - Delfino has McGuire on skates....but he misses the Ginobili-esque lay-up attempt.

5:16 - ....speaking of Primoz, he picked up a tech during the commercial break. Not sure what he was spittin' mad about.

4:52 - Mason with another three (12 points).....c'mon, how can you not like Rog?

4:05 - I guess I need to stop calling that Italian guy a Spazz. He's looking good with 15 points and looking like a mature Yi Jianlian.

2:53 - Again? Seriously? Bargnani hits another 3. I'd appreciate someone bodying him up.......you know he's fugazi when it comes to being tough....it's part of the Big Euros Who Can Shoot Threes Bible.

I'm not sure why....and it really doesn't matter, does it? But that "Near, Far" Celine Dion song is playing in Air Canada. I think I will order this shirt soon. Although, aren't hats a good thing?

1:23 - Jamison is having another one of those 1-9 starts.....c'mon man, why make it difficult on yourself?

0:01.3 - Daniels sets AJ up with his 2nd FG on a nice drive and dish. In doing so, AJ reaches around and grabs his own back. I forgot that he was playing with a sore back.

Well, that's the half - Washington is up 8, 53-45.

• The leading Wiz scorers: Songaila (14), Mason (12), Haywood (10).
• Bargnani has 18 while Delfino has 11.
• Wiz at 55% FG are shooting 15% points better than Toronto.
• The Wiz have 8 turnovers, too many. 3 from Haywood, 3 from Toronto.
• The Wiz have a big 25-14 rebounding edge and the assist edge at 12-9.

3rd Quarter

11:19 - Antawn hits a 3....and then grimaces. 56-45 Wiz. A backiotomy is not what this team needs.

A couple Wiz turnovers, a couple more Toronto points. 58-51 Wiz with 8:45 left.

8:23 - Daniels gets his second dunk of the game on a fast break. D-Song got a nice loose ball recovery and sweet assist. The Lithuanian Swag definitely made the road trip.....as did the two turnovers he's had in the last couple minutes. Still, 14 and 5 at this point of the game, I'll take it. 60-51 Wiz.

6:50 - Calderon is a Spazz too.....a good one at that. Two straight by him makes it 62-57 Wiz.

Can we something else besides the term, "Reach-around foul"?

5:51 - Haywood rejects Calderon's junk......sending him to the floor in a Euro flop, crumbling like a Jenga tower.

5:47 - Bag-Nanny proceeds to hit a 3 to cut the once 11 point Wizard lead to 2. 62-60.

5:24 - Calderon comes down and gets in the lane again... uh oh Roger Mason......basket, And 1. Raptors up 1.

4:41 - Calderon comes down and gets in the lane again... uh oh Roger Mason......miss, Moon recovers the rock and dunks. Raptors up 3...and yes, I got lazy with the copy and paste, or is it a statement on the Calderon in the paint pattern?

All this gets the Wizards quite discombobulated on offense.....credit to Nick Young for jacking up a couple bad shots, Wiz are 2 for 8 this quarter.

3:30 - Good Lord....no one on the Wizards knows how to stop the ball......Calderon. That's not coaching folks, that's just players not getting out there and playing the game.

2:38 - 6 misses in a row for the Wiz in the midst of a 16-0 Raptors run. Another timeout attempts to get things settled down 69-62.

2:20 - Andray "Where Ya Been?" Blatche backs down against the weak Raptors and hits a baby hook. 69-64 Toronto

When Roger Mason is cold, why do all of his shots seem like bad shots?

1:17 - The Inside Job is working as AJ gets a baby hook in the paint. Wiz down 72-66.

0:38 - Blatche shows his passing skills....albeit the back door cut by Nick Young was a little sloppy. Big hoop nonetheless. 72-68 Raptors.

Finally, the deplorable 3rd ends with the Wizards down 74-68. A 15 point quarter for the Wizards, a 29 point quarter for the Raptors.....the Wiz scored 9 of the first 17 points of the period.

4th Quarter

16 team turnovers for the Washington Wizards in the game so far.....leading to 22 Raptor points. And you know how much I abhor turnovers.

Mason has a much easier time keeping up with Ford as he is not really a scoring threat.

10:31 - The young kids get running and gunning and tie the game at 74.

10:04 - Unsatisfied with narrowly avoiding another turnover, Eddie Jordan calls a timeout to calm this team down.

9:52 - Of course, Nick Young buries a 3 with the shot clock running down.....gotta like how he has that confidence. And all of a sudden, he has 9 points on 4-8 shooting.

8:14 - Young the Hopper hits another 3....now this is what I call "valuable" playing time; helping your team come back and take a lead. 80-76 Wizards.

7:09 - Wow....what a slam by Young, receiving a back door pass from D-Song. Wow again, he put that on two Raptors. Wiz up 84-78.

5:46 - The obligatory heat check fade-away from the corner/wing doesn't go for Nick. An undisciplined forced shot....gotta live with that I suppose. He's been pretty damn hot, just wish he could've attempted to continue in a composed manner.

4:46 - Just as I was about to type that the Wizards were making it tough on Calderon (keeping him contained, if you will).....the Wiz get caught sleeping on Calderon and Nick Young allows him to hit a three. Big shot. Tie game. 84 all.

4:34 - Stevenson, continuing his terrible offensive game (1-8, 5 points) gets a charge called on him.

4:00 - The Raptors (Calderon) go down and score, but AJ answers. Tied at 86.

3:47 - Thank god Bargnani misses a 3....but Andray just watches RAAA-sho get an offensive rebound, put-back, And 1. Raptors up 3.

3:10 - Nick Young miss....forced. Roger Mason steal...scouting report.....Jamison and his back hustle for fast-break points. 89-88 Toronto.

2:41 - With the ball back and the crowd getting louder...Roger Mason comes through BIG with a 3. Redemption like that is going to get you the game ball son. Wiz up 2, 91-89.

1:59 - DeShawn, DeShawn.....just give up trying to do anything this game. Traveling on the Lock Smith, too much WD-40. 19th team turnover, 4 of those claimed by Stevenson.

1:38 - Whew....I've had hold my breath a lot on a couple open Raptor 3 misses...Delfino with the latest.

1:22 - Big scoop shot lay-up by Jamison...and he got fouled, no call. Poor back. Wizards up 93-89.

0:58 - Yessir, yessir....give him the game ball. Roger MasonJr. with a 3 pointer.....no daggers yet though. 96-91 Wiz.

0:43 - ....because of a Raptor offensive rebound off a Bargnani 3 miss gets to that damn Anthony Parker in the corner for a triple. 96-94 Raptors.

This has become a pretty exciting game between two playoff teams (ok, Eastern Conference playoff teams who would not even make it out West -- and without their superstars) who are fighting for the game in an entertaining manner. The players from both sides are feeding off it's importance.

43.3 left, 24 on the shot clock for DC -- good play off the inbounds for the 2 for 1?

Nope, a Wizards turnover. No Wizard really fought to get open and Mason had to make a dangerous pass which got picked off by Moon. He gets fouled and knocks down both FTs. Tied at 96, 41.4 left.

No 2 for 1 now.

0:21 - AJ miss....no other Wizard is around, except for DeShawn Stevenson who crashes the boards and GETS the putback! Thanks Mike Wise. Wiz up 98-96.

Oh man....they keep showing those old replays I talked about earlier.

0:13 - Foul on Jamison?? Got Bargnani on the wrist?? Please. They don't call that foul on a number of NBA superstars. Why not AJ too?

Out of timeouts....Raptor pressure.....13 seconds left....get it to Stevenson.....Raptors take their foul to give around half court.

0:10 - Out of bounds....Nick Young gets the ball....gives it to Stevenson (don't like that, go with the hot hand).....ball back to Nick Young (good)....he misses a 3 at the buzzer trying to break Delfino down.

I can't complain about the shot, or who took it....but Nick Young just isn't ready.

I hate overtime games....you know, the ones where you already feel like your team is hanging by a thread.

O-Ver-TIME

4:00 - You think the Wiz do good to limit Calderon penetration with AJ guarding him...while protecting the 3 point line. This only leaves the lane open for a Delfino drive. AJ answers on the other end with a tough shot. Calderon retorts with an easy jumper. 102-100 Toronto.

3:31 - Jamison the Warrior gets clobbered a couple times, the injustice happens when a foul on the floor, and not shooting, gets called.

3:28 - Stevenson ties the game on 2 big FTs. The Wiz are only 14-15 from the line. Good %, but not a lot taken.

2:57 - Not the time for the "experienced" D-Song to pick up his 5th turnover....a direct chest pass to Calderon. Toronto fast-break makes it 104-102 in their favor.

2:15 - Back with the ball...easy Calderon penetration on Stevenson....lob to Moon doesn't go. D-Song gets called for a foul on the floor. I don't know how D-Song gets called for the foul when Moon tried to go over him to get the ball.

1:43 - Tired of watching....AJ takes over with a big bucket. Gotta keep going to him while the back is warm. Game tied at 104.

1:12 - Jamison misses....thinks there shoulda been a call. Blatche gets the rebound and is fouled on the follow (at this point, I notice that Haywood is conspicuously absent from the game). Breath release....Andray makes both FTs, Wiz up 106-104.

0:58 - AJ has the vet hands too....stripping Delfino on an attempt....Raptors get the ball back and Bargnani scores off an inbounds play. Tie game.

Young, scaring me, drives and throws a pass...jumping in the air...to Blatche, who barely catches it, but manages to find a cutting Jamison. Passer to Hoop-er, the result is 2 AJ FTs and a 108-106 Wizards lead with 40 seconds left.

0:30 - Parker misses a 2 off a curl....and Jamison, of course, gets his 16th rebound, gets fouled, and makes both putting the Wizards up 4 with 30 seconds left. Not sure why the Raptors felt they needed to foul. Nonetheless, the game ball is about to transfer to Antawn Jamison.

The craziest sequence to end a game....Calderon misses a 3, gets his own rebound, he misses another 3 (I think), Moon misses a 3, McGuire gets the rebound, turns it over falling out of bounds, Delfino (or Calderon) gets the rock, tries for a 2, gets blocked by Andray, Calderon gets the ball back and barely musters up a 3 point miss at the buzzer. And I could still be totally wrong about what happened, but......Wiz Win! 110-106!

WoW....let me catch my breath.....BIG win and a BIG defensive stop at the end of the game that was just as intense as a game winning shot, aside from the Raptors having 4 (or so) chances at the hoop. The point being, DC got the stop.

Boy, this one feels good. Really good. Oh yea, score board watchers....Philly won in a rout. The win moved from Big to Huge.

[Box Score]

The new slogan for the season should be:
"Washington Wizards 2008: No one is coming to save us."

Wizards Ready for the Raptors, Or Are They?

Yes, it was not pretty the last time DC took a visit to Toronto. Game 44 against the Raptors was the worst loss of the season for the Wizards....to date. 122-83 was the final. The Raps were up 10-0 in the game before I knew it; from there, they didn't look back, aided by a 21-5 2nd quarter run.

In the previous Wizards game (#43) against the Raptors, which happened to be at home in DC the night before the above game, we were treated to this quote by Steve Buckhantz, except much louder: "Noooo!!!! It's not possible!!!!!"

Why? Well, just watch below:



Hey, at least the Wiz won that one, thus, preventing horrible, horrible nightmares about the Raptors for the rest of my life. This clip expands on the reasoning.

Before that, the Wiz beat a Chris Bosh-less Raptors in game 17.

The good news tonight? Chris Bosh isn't expected back any time soon.

And hopefully, the Wiz upping their record against Toronto this season to 3-1 will piss off this Canadian blogger....as I had a big problem with him after match-up #2 between these two teams.

I enjoyed the Mike Wise column about the Lock Smith DeShawn Stevenson in today's Washington Post. It made me happy to have Stevenson on the team and proud that his maturity has progressed. Although, he still has some evident hills to climb.


In other news....Caron Butler is still being careful with his hip like an old lady trying to take a shower in Florida. Nothing ground-breaking in this Washington Post story by Ivan Carter.

The perpetual pessimistic Tom Knott writes a surprisingly optimistic column in the Washington Times, "Agent Shows Zero Signs of Departing." Welcome to the bandwagon Tom, as pretty much everyone else thinks Gilbert will remain a Wizard (it's a numbers thing). Where does the line start again?

Here's to making my Friday with a win - see you around the live blog.

Live Game 44 Blog: Washington Wizards @ Toronto Raptors

If you missed it.....I had a mini-game preview for tonight's game. Mostly, it's about recent comments by another blogger in regard to my Washington Wizards.

Let's start the show.

1st Quarter

10:30 - The Raptors hit their first three shots to go up 6-0 before Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier can finish their 'Keys to the Game' for both teams.

10:05 - Check that, 4-4....timeout Eddie Jordan, 8-0 Raptors. The Wiz have attempted to go inside to Haywood a couple times, but the Raptors have come out aggressive on D, collapsing on the post.

9:37 - 10-0, after the timeout, a Jamison TO and a Moon putback off a Blatche block on Parker. The Wizards needed to come out swinging....they needed to punch the Raptors in the mouth first. They didn't. So far, the Wiz have committed 2 turnovers.

8:40 - Stevenson finally breaks the ice with a triple. He's been streaky lately, I hope he picks his spots tonight. 12-3 Toronto.

6:56 - Lucky Lock Smith - he tried to drive through traffic, lost the ball...but somehow got it back for the layup. 14-7 Raps.

6:16 - Calderon ends a 9-2 Wizard run with a 3. Antonio Daniels, afraid of a drive I suppose...simply left too much room between him and Jose.

5:49 - The Wiz start to apply some back court pressure....but Toronto easily distributes the ball up the court, finding Parker for a three in the corner. 20-11 Toronto.

The Wiz really need to pound it, pound it, pound it inside against this team..

4:48 - Offensive foul on Haywood. Horrible call. I wonder what Dinosty thinks of this: first, Bosh flopped and tried to get a call before Haywood even got the ball. And then, once BTH got the feed (while Bosh was flopping on the floor), he had no room to turn around before Jamario Moon was flopping right under him. This time, the ref blew the whistle.....guess he'd rather not be booed by the Canadians instead of making the correct call, or no-call. That's BTH's 2nd and he must sit.

D-Mac gets some more run tonight because he EARNED it. Take notice.

4:13 - Well...DeShawn is not settling for outside shots. Earlier, he set up Blatche for a nice fast-break dunk. And just now, he drove the lane and drew foul #2 on Chris Bosh. Makes 1, 20-14 Toronto.

3:36 - AD screwed up. Somehow, Delfino got switched off on Andray Blatche diving down the lane. AD had the ball up top with 10 seconds left on the shot-clock, enough time. He should have swung the ball to Mason on the left, who had the angle to get the ball to AB. Instead, Antonio tried to break his man off the dribble and ended up missing a jumper.
0:52 - Ha Ha! Jamison got Moon with the swift slip...you know, the one where he shoots somewhat of an underhanded scoop under the defender's arm and draws a foul...not appreciated by Sam Mitchell. AJ makes both FTs. 26-21 Raptors.

0:14 - Another AJ bucket, after an 0-4 start, he's scored 7 straight points for Washington.

Well, after a slow, DJ Screwed 1st quarter for the Wiz where they were down 12-zip, Washington were able to pick it up and outscored Toronto 23-16 the rest of the way. 28-23 Toronto.
2nd Quarter

10:48 - Stella Got Her Three Back - Roger Mason with a triple. 30-26 Toronto.

I must admit, this quote from Dinosty was kinda funny: "Roger Mason* WILL look like an rejected extra from “How Stella Got Her Groove Back”. Every. Single. Night."

This reminds me of last night when every time I typed the score, it was followed by 'Toronto' or 'Raptors'

10:00 - A second ago, AJ turned the ball over when he got doubled, and then AD just tried to pass to a cutting white guy, I think Oleksiy...but the pass was behind him. Another TO. 4 in the game so far for the Wiz....only 1 for Toronto.

9:49 - Stella Part Deux - Roger Mason with another trey.

8:44 - Next up for D-Mac...confidence in his shot. I don't care if he air-balls it like he just did....he needs to at least look like he knows what he's doing when he pops. That shot, and a jumper that he took and missed last night both seemed like he thought about them, instead of letting it come natural.

7:56 - Roger Mason Junior again....the fact that our bench is stepping up really makes this team potentially scary.

...that is until a Mason turnover and some missed shots extend the once 3 point Raptor lead to 10, 42-32 Toronto.....with both Haywood and Bosh on the bench with 2 fouls each ....the Wizards defense is hapless, their offense is non-existent and the Raptors are just plain on fire. They've made 8 out of their last 9 FGs.

3:43 - Finally, after a 21-5 Toronto run, Eddie Jordan calls a timeout. 53-34 Toronto.

3:26 - And Roger Mason has 4 three pointers in the 2nd.

2:53 - Haywood comes in and immediately picks up his 3rd foul. Nothing is working for Washington. Eddie might as well leave him in.

The Raptors have 24 points off the bench. Roger Mason has the Wizards' bench covered at 12 with his 4 3s.

Bargnani is a spazz.

That's what I get.....dammit! RAAA-SHOW Nest-era-vich just got a dunk. And the quarter just ends. Toronto is up 20 at the half. 61-41.

Ok then....

1. 8 Wizard turnovers - CHECK
2. 37.8% from the field - CHECK
3. Raptors shooting 53.3% - CHECK
4. Wiz with 8 assists and 1 steal - HUH?
5. Raptors with 14 assists and 4 steals - OH YEA, RIGHT. CHECK.

I'm about to watch some Mississippi State Bulldogs and Arkansas Razorbacks on ESPN360 --- which looks straight nice on the Mac.

Not a good start for the Bulldogs. They simply waste too many offensive possessions when "superstars" Jamont Gordon and Charles Rhodes try to force 1-on-1 moves.

I read an article the other day where Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury basically gave Jamont Gordon a pass to do what he wants on offense as long as he plays defense. Rewarding a kid to do something he's supposed to be doing already? Great.

Gordon is such a great athlete. Many are calling him the best player in the SEC. It's just a shame that he seems to be out of control or casual at too many intervals in the game.

And Charles Rhodes...he shows a very smooth offensive game. I really like his range, but I don't think there's been a worse Mississippi State rebounding big man since Robert Jackson...and he was a "halfway" decent rebounder.

3rd Quarter

Wonder what Eddie went with for the half time speech? The "Let's go out there and show some effort" one or the "This is the NBA smart, play smart and the game will take care of itself" one? Maybe both.

The 3rd finally starts with Haywood on the inside....unfortunately, I think Toronto is going to go with a steady diet of Chris Bosh. Yea, he's good.

Jamont Gordon is starting to take over though - 3, dunk, 3....damn, is this going to turn into a Miss. State-Arkansas game blog? Well, Toronto is still up 20, 67-47.

8:40 - Check, make it 22 with a bucket from the Italian Spazz.

I've lost a lot of interest in this Wizards game. Toronto had been shooting the ball very, very well for stretch prior to last night's game (the best 3 point shooting team in the NBA)...there's no reason why that would not continue eventually. And eventually was tonight.

3:47 - Anthony Parker just hit two consecutive 3s, putting the Raptors up 83-55.

3:23 - And an Italian Spazz three. 86-57. When it rains, it pours buckets on wet nets.

This other game isn't going to well either. Miss. State has 11 turnovers in 14 minutes while Arkansas has taken a 29-16 lead.

This Wizards game can't end soon enough. They're just letting the Raptors have open shots. Committing turnovers. Tipping rebounds away from each other.

Steve Buck starts off saying that this game reminds him of the Cleveland game.

0:29 - In between sentences, Jamario Moon gets an easy dunk.

Then, Buck finishes with basically saying that it's time for the Wizards to cut their losses and wash themselves of this game.

Oh, did I mention that it's still the 3rd quarter? Fitting that it ends with the ball in Nick Young's hands. The unaware rookie doesn't check the clock and the horn sounds while he is just dribbling the ball around the court.

I know they are spent. I know Caron is out. I know Gilbert is out. I know those last two games took a lot out of them. But I'd think that the Raptors would be tired too, right?

But is any of that an excuse to not care? To play lazy? To not think?

I would say no, and this is why I am rather irked. 29 point game, 93-64 Toronto.

4th Quarter

Ha....funny Steve Buck. He's actually wondering if the Wizards can stimulate anything with a lineup of Pecherov, Songaila, Young, Mason and McGuire.

But really, with all the injuries, past and present...it definitely doesn't make sense to play AD, AJ or BTH anymore.

D-Mac still wants to play.

10:27 - He gets a steal...pushes the rock and drops it to Nick Young who is running with him.

Aaaaaand not too much after that glimpse.

106-73 with 6:49 left.

Just some young Wizards. Out there. Learning. I can't be embarrassed....and I guess I've gotten over being mad, already. Hey, I'll take the valuable game experience for the kids.

1:03 left....it's bear bones for Steve Buck as he speaks of the Oleksiy Pecherov-Stewie from Family Guy comparisons. Funny that he doesn't mention much about their similar domes, but rather compares Stewie's sense of humor and sarcasm to Pech's. Yea, exactly. When I think of Stewie...it's naturally that a 7 foot Ukrainian would be come to mind. Riiiiiight.

It's a 122-83 game by the way.

And that is that. Don't even want to talk about it. Box Score.

PREVIEW: Washington Wizards @ Toronto Raptors - Part Deux

Well, back to the grind.

I tell you what, the Toronto Raptors almost ripped my heart out last night. I just don't know if I could have taken an OT loss after Milwaukee and especially after last year's Ruffin Ball Toss Gaffe, which has been revisited on pretty much every show that covers sports. What's that you say? You want to re-live Steve Buckhantz's call from that game last year over and over and over again? Well, just click on the link to the odd site found via Bullets Forever.

Anyway....this game is big....hell, they're all big....yada, yada, yada.

Simply put, I don't want to see any complacency with last night's win. If the Wiz lose tonight, they lose....but don't go down without a fight fellas!

We've all heard of so-called "Bulletin Board" material. I suppose that it transfers to the blogger world as well. Our humble Canadian friends at Dinosty had some choice things to say about the Wizards in a post about last night's game.

"Let’s be honest, Andre Blatche won’t look like KG every night, DeShawn Stevenson won’t earn his ludicrous salary every night, but Roger Mason* WILL look like an rejected extra from “How Stella Got Her Groove Back”. Every. Single. Night."

All, perhaps, true. In addition, Chris Bosh's hair looks like a cactus ate a dead kitten full of stale hot dogs and then threw up. Andrea Bargnani's first name is, well, Andrea....which makes him a potential character on a famous Italian television show, "Per Prendere Un Predatore." And finally, RASHO NES-TER-O-VIC (think Stephen A. Smith's annoying voice) is on the Raptors.....and has actually started several games THIS season.

"I think Washington leads the NBA in the all-important “Fans With Bluetooth Headsets” category. They should be very proud."

No argument here. I HATE cell-phone headsets. And yes, DC has too many d-bags sporting them.

"I was tremendously happy when Bosh whacked Andre Blatche in the nuts, marking the first and only time I will ever cheer for a man’s joint to get rattled."

Now that's just wrong. No one should enjoy seeing a guy get hurt, especially in the prostitute seeking peanuts...unless that guy plays for Duke, Notre Dame, the Cowboys, the Knicks, the Lakers, Ole Miss, the Yankees, the Red Sox, or......I know I'm missing a team or two or three. I certainly hope that nothing happens to any of the Raptors tonight, seriously.

"Antawn Jamison is a fantastic basketball player, even if he is a sissy little flopper."

Ok, I got a HUGE problem with this one. This is like the pot calling the kettle black, or better yet, the Canadian calling the Douche-Bag a Hoser. Can the fan of a team full of sissy, soccer-loving Euros really call someone else a flopper? Not to mention that the term "flopper" usually refers to someone on defense. And I cannot recall Antawn Jamison ever flopping European Vacation Style on D. Yea, he has a crafty offensive game which could be misinterpreted as flopping...but AJ an actual flopper? I think not.

Yep, Canadians sure are humble.

See ya at game time.....

Live Game 43 Blog: Washington Wizards vs. Toronto Raptors

The breaking news is that Caron Butler is out tonight with a hip, and perhaps tomorrow night as well.

No one cares and neither should you.

Wizards fans did not care the last time Washington played Toronto in the 17th game of the season, when Chris Bosh was out with a groin.

And I did not give a damn that Michael Redd was out on Sunday.

But how to feel if you're a Wizards fan? If myths such as the "Curse O' Les Boulez" are not said out loud or typed on message boards, then they are most likely thought.

But it is an easy out to get all fatalistic up in this piece. Some on Bullets Forever, myself included, were unsure about this game even before the news about Tuff Juice dropped.

But always wanting to be that guy who focuses on the positives, here is what we should look for in this game:

1. Andray Blatche is getting the starting nod - a chance for this cat to get on his grown-man B.I., but I image that Haywood is going to match up against Chris Bosh. After that, I'd almost put Blatche on Jamario Moon since he's not a shooter. Put AJ on Bargnani....I don't want the Italian drawing either of our big shot-blockers out on the perimeter. DeShawn....check the hell out of Anthony Parker -- NO 3s! Antonio, good luck with Calderon.

2. But it's domino effect from there.....others (notice the plural) will certain have to step up as well. We pretty much know we're going to get the full effort from Jamison. In particular, I'm looking for DeShawn Stevenson and Nick Young to drop 20 each, and for Antonio Daniels to get 10+ assists and commit less than 3 turnovers (he's had 9 of those in the past two games).

Oh yea...gotta clear something else up. In a previous post, I declared that Chris Bosh should not be an All-Star. Now, I am admitting that was a ridiculous mistake. The post was more to tout the all-star merits of both Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, and perhaps just a bit reactionary to Bosh's silly little video, which by the way, I thought was clever. I actually did not mind him marketing himself, especially with a bit of comedy. So, I'm sorry....ok? Now maybe the Wizards will win now that I've reconciled.

It's another one of those, "no one outside this locker room thinks we can win tonight" games -- except it's a home contest for the Wiz.

Well, nothing we can do but......start the show.

1st Quarter

That's right....I remember the Michael Ruffin Gaffe game last year, but I forgot that it was against the Raptors. Phil & Steve call it the Mo' Pete Game....also forgot he was the guy who hit the crazy 3 as time expired to tie the game after Ruffin's premature ball toss.

Blatche comes out aggressive against Bargnani, but not too aggressive....he gets an offensive board, penetrates the lane and dishes...and that eventually leads to a Stevenson 3.

9:05 - Chris Bosh gets a long pass from Calderon off a Wiz turnover and an easy dunk. It's simply inexcusable to lose track of that guy by letting him leak behind the defense. 5-5 game.

Blatche ends up on Bargnani to start, guess he's got too much length for AJ...maybe Andray's arms can bother his shot.

5:52 - Anthony Parker knocks down an easy deuce from the corner, not much of a contest from Lock Smith. 12-7 Raptors.

So far, the Wizards do not look crisp on offense, especially AJ who is 1-5. Stevenson has hit two 3 pointers though, so at the first timeout, it's 12-10 Toronto.

4:28 - Andray with a nice turnaround baseline hook over Bargnani. 14-12 Raps.

3:55 - Calderon just emits confidence. He pounds the ball with purpose. His passes are sharp. He just hit a jumper, 4 points and 3 assists for him.

3:03 - DeShawn with 3 number three, almost halfway to that 20. 16-15 Raptors.

2:04 - Blatche with a little stare down on Bosh and nails an outside jumper in his face (previously, Bosh got AB with a killer pump fake, but could not convert). 17-16 Wiz.

1:28 - AB back on his BI - a twisting up and under gives him 6 points. 19-16 Wiz.

0:37.4 - Yup....you know Bosh is an All-Star, he's getting absolutely ridiculous calls from the ref. AB was on him, he did a good job of holding his ground on Bosh's pump fake. Andray held his arms out and Bosh threw his shooting motion went right into them..whistle blown. The replay shows that even though his arms was out there, AB clearly got all ball.

0:16 - Nick Young hits a nice J before the quarter ends and the Wizards are up 23-20 after 1.

2nd Quarter

Well, that was quick. Wiz are still up 26-24, but Eddie Jordan did not like how that 4 points by Toronto was scored. He calls a timeout a minute into the 2nd.

8:50 - Great D by Nick Young....he anticipated and poked away a floating Calderon pass for a Wiz steal, but AJ gets a charge call on the other end. The game is tied at 28.

Phil Chenier points out that Washington has not shot a FT, and the Raptors have shot 10, only making 6.

8:19 - You know, sometimes I DON'T want to see Nick Young fade away on his jumper.

7:32 - Songaila turns the ball over on a bad drive attempt. I don't want to see that guy trying to put the ball on the floor either.

....And then see D-Song get completely unaware on D, not picking up Humphries on the roll. Open dunk. 34-30 Raptors.

6:17 - Then again, D-Song jumpers are nice.....but at this point, he's giving up more that he gives. 34-32 Raps.

5:18 - Oh no...really? Darius Songaila on Bosh? Why of course D-Song fouled him on the drive....and of course they gave Bosh the 2+ step continuation. 39-34 Toronto.

4:32 - AJ with a floor dive....didn't get a ball, but I respect the hustle.

4:01 - The sight of Antonio Daniels shooting a 3 off the dribble looks like it hurts him and me. Brick.

3:50 - Haywood lost track of Bosh in transition again.....it's getting bad. 10 point Raptor lead, 44-34.

3:10 - Bosh outside jumper....21 points from him. Does that guy have a nickname yet? (and no, CB4 is not a nickname)

2:41 - Andray Blatche continues with his activity....a hustle offensive rebound after a bunch of BTH bumbling. AB sinks the put-back and gets fouled. The 3 point play makes it 46-39 Toronto.

1:10 - Wiz scrap around, get lucky, and go on a 7-0 run. 46-43 Toronto.

Coming out of their own timeout, Raps go on their own 4-0 run before the Lock Smith answers with his 4th three.

50-46 Toronto @ halftime.

Key Stats:

• In addition to those 21 points, Chris Bosh has 8 rebounds, 3 offensive
• Songaila with the worst +/- at -9
• Stevenson with his four 3s is the obvious leader with +5
• Wizards are only 3-5 from the FT line
• Thankfully, Toronto has missed a couple FTs, they're 8-13
• Wiz held the Raps to 2-9 from deep

3rd Quarter

11:38 - Lane penetration by Blatche from up top sets up Haywood for the basket And1. Wiz down 1.

11:21 - Bargnani picks up his 4th personal foul. Straight Euro trash.

10:41 - Bargnani turnover leads to sweet Wiz points in the form of a DeShawn dish to AB. 51-50 DC. That puts 3 Wiz...AJ, AB & Lock Smith...in double-figure scoring. The Raps are still depending on the Chris Bosh show. After his 21, Calderon has 9, then no one else on Toronto has more than 4 points.

9:09 - Three pointer for Andray! #2 on the season. 14 points for AB.

8:34 - Blatche gives an insignificant pump fake, but then takes Bosh right to the hoop with some long strides and a running scoop. 58-50 Wiz.

Offense is only half the story. The Raptors have not scored in 4 minutes.

7:53 - ANOTHER Blatche jumper! Off the dribble after a cross-over on Kris Humphries. 10 point lead.

7:17 - Parker finally breaks the ice with a 3. 60-53 Washington.

The Wiz have made things hard on Bosh thus far in the 3rd.

What is that I hear? The Verizon Center is actually alive and breathing?

6:10 - Blatche has to sit with 4 fouls. 18 points. He missed the last jumper he took, after which Eddie Jordan was yelling, "Don't settle!" Still, I can hear the fantasy league 'add player' buttons clicking now.

Got a text from my friend Adam saying that this is how good teams start a quarter. With a 16-5 run, I just might agree.

4:54 - BTH shows some spark with a jump hook over Bosh. He seems to have faded in and out in this game....but I'll take his 7 points and 7 rebounds, and the 3rd block of the game he just got.

3:30 - Haywood is throwing his body around, gets fouled on an offensive board and he Hopla's both FTs. 66-58 Wizards.

2:32 - Catch and shoot 3. AJ was just waiting for the rock and no one on the Raptors noticed. He's got 14 and 10. 69-58 Wiz.

Calderon is a finger licker. I still don't get cats who feel the need to put their fingers in their mouth during the course of a basketball game. Is that really helping him? Or just a nervous habit?

Uh oh, D- Song just checked in. 27 ticks left in the 3rd.

The 3rd quarter ends and the Wiz hang tight, outscoring Toronto by 10 in the period. 71-65 Wizards.

4th Quarter

3rd quarter report from Steve and Phil: 4 points from Bosh, 22% shooting for the Raptors.

Delfino is on AJ and the Raps are throwing the double at him. The first time, AJ turns the ball over. The 2nd time, he kicks it out, re-posts, then scores And1. 74-65 Wiz.

10:33 - D-Mac O-Board. 5 rebounds for him in about 10 minutes of play.

Songaila, Jamison and McGuire are the Wiz big men....and that's why Kris Humphries is able to score 2 straight baskets to make it 78-70. Mason comes down and hits a 3, but Humphries comes right back and dunks it on the Wizards. 81-72 Washington.

With 8 minutes left in the game, Songaila should have been back on the bench a long time ago. It takes a missed dunk from Dongaila to get Blatche back on the court.

6:08 - Dominic McGuire gets two offensive rebounds and one shot attempt after a Roger Mason miss. He's balling pretty hard. 86-75. Timeout.

5:26 - Jamison is the oldest dude on the court and he is out-hustling every kid out there.

Oh yea, D-Mac just got his 8th rebound of the game, 4th offensive.

4:08 - Roger Mason runner puts it at 88-77 Wizards. And I just realized...absolutely everyone from the Wizards came to play tonight. Young and Pech just have over 10 minutes combined as Eddie has found a lineup that works, in which they are not included....but they each still have a bucket.

A Humphries layup (10 points in the 4th) , a Bosh And1 and 1 Calderon FT quickly cuts the Wiz lead to 5 at 88-83 with 2:15 left.

2:01 - A Stevenson 3 miss. A foul on Calderon because AD is not quick and 2 FTs make it a 3 point game. 8-0 Raptor run.

1:40 - A Jamison 3 miss. Why on earth are they shooting all these long jumpers?

1:17 - Thank you AD. After a stop, he drives and uses his strength on Calderon to get right to the rim. 90-85.

1:10 - Another bad call in favor of Bosh as he led with his forearm. 2 FTs. 90-87 Wiz.

Jamison slips...he got off balance trying to do a little too much, turnover. Humphries is wide open at the other end for a dunk. 90-89 Wiz.

0:33.6 - Gamer shot by AD after the hesitation dribble got Calderon on his heels. 92-89.

Great D by the Wizards. AB really help his ground on Bosh, not going for any fakes. He tries to pass the ball away, gets deflected by Mason, loose ball...Raptors get it, but they are in panic mode and lose the ball to Washington.

With 37, 14, and 5...Bosh has displayed an all-star effort tonight, except on that last play.

Unfortunately, after a timeout and a side out, the ball is inbounded to Blatche for 2 FTs. I got faith in ya kid, just not 100% confidence. He makes the 1st, misses the 2nd. 4 point game.

And what do you know, Jamario Moon, 14-53 from deep on the year, with a +/- of -18 tonight, hits a 3 with 2 seconds left on the clock.

AD is fouled, makes both and the Raps have the ball, side out with 1.2 seconds left. 95-92 Wizards.

And Caron Butler heads to the locker room before the Raps take the ball out. Ok? Not sure if that's a good thing, or not.

OH. MY. GOD.

To quote Steve Buckhantz: "Noooo!!!! It's not possible!!!!!"

Anthony F-ing 2-14 Parker hit a 3, at the buzzer, with 6 Wizard hands and arms in his face. How does a team play after that? Game tied at 95.

Time. Over.

Ok, Caron is back on the bench.

DeShawn started off, what, 4-5 on threes? He's missed all five taken since then. Phil kept talking at the beginning of the game that DeShawn is just continuing his hot shooting from the end of the Milwaukee game, after he started that game 1-9. All I could think was that I hope he didn't have a 2nd half tonight like that Milwaukee first half.

Only 5 points are scored by both teams in the first 3.5 of OT. It's become a pretty physical game. 98-97 Wizards.

1:15 - And Roger Mason's 3, which bounced off the front of the iron, to the high part of the backboard, and then through the net...finally knocked the lid off the rim. 101-97 Wiz.

0:46.9 - Hello? I heard you guys were having trouble with your locks. Let me fix that with a.....DeShawn Stevenson Triple and a Steve Buckhantz DAGGAR!! 104-98.

Are you kidding? Chris Bosh 3 makes it 104-101. BIG possession for the Wiz.

Roger Mason miss.....Jamison TIP! 106-101.

Kapono Triple from the corner.....this is crazy. 106-104. AD makes both FTs and the Wiz are up 4 with 4.9 seconds left.

Don't go anywhere Caron!!!!

And I finally can exhale after Calderon misses a 3. 108-104 Wizards. What a game.

I could cite so many, but all I need is one stat:

Jamison 20 Rebounds

nba.com box score in case you need more

Game 17 Blog: Washington Wizards vs. Toronto Raptors

Chris Bosh will be out for the second straight. I'm not surprised, groin pulls are no joke.

It would be interesting to see Andray Blatche matchup against him though....but a matchup against Bargnani would be intriguing too.

Speaking of...looks like Rasho Nesterovic (after all the hate, I just bet that Stephen A. Smith has a picture of him on his bathroom wall) started in Bosh's place last night, he does again tonight. I like that matchup for Haywood much better than him chasing around Bargnani. Although...if Bosh were playing, I'd bet that Brendan would guard him and Antawn on Andrea.

The main concern? Like Tony Parker, T.J. Ford (not starting lately) is small and quick, just not as durable. Gonna be a real challenge for Antonio Daniels.

Jose Calderon is more passive in trying to get to the basket, although a sneaky S.O.B. nonetheless.

1st Quarter

11:43 - Caron starts out hot again with a 3....he's now 4th in the league in 3 point shooting % (before the game started).

10:20 - Another 3 by Caron from the same spot in the left corner. 6-2 Wizards.

9:41 - Wow...3 STRAIGHT 3s for Caron Butler to start the game. This time, he had Anthony Parker in his face...took a look at him, look at the floor, back at him, lil' jab, and POP! Tuff Juice in your eye son. Left corner again BTW.

Timeout Toronto. 9-3 Wizards.

8:43 - 2 offensive rebounds on same possession for the Raps. The Wiz are leaking out too much on the break again.

6:25 - Haywood offensive foul...3rd straight turnover for the Wiz, the total for the quarter. (Shot clock, Jamison pass, BTH O foul). Parker hits a 2 on the other end to give the Raps an 11-9 lead.

4:37 - Wicked...no, Boston accent Wicked...block by Jamison on Bargnani trying to throw down atwo-handed dunk. And that may just be Antawn's greatest block of his career.

Blatche in for BTH.

3:27 - DeShawn hits a 3....hopefully he will be on this game. Guess we'll have to deal with these inconsistent efforts from him all year. Hey, maybe he can put it together. I'm down on him, most of Wizards Nation is down on him...but that doesn't mean that we aren't behind you Dee-Shawn.

3:07 - Very Nice Borat! Butler gets a steal, saves it over his head while falling out of bounds to AD, and then gets it back for the fast break dunk. Wiz up 19-17.

TJ Ford checks in along with Roger Mason Jr and Dominic McGuire...the kids are getting out the crib early.

1:11 - Very sweet pass from AD, who was able to get penetration, to Blatche in the short corner for the lay-in. Tied at 23...where the 1st quarter ends. 5 assists on the 8 made FGs for the Wiz

2nd Quarter

11:34 - Blatche gets the block on one end....hustles down court...gets the ball in the post...and smooth righty hook for 2.

See ya Tennessee...interception by LSU with 2:42 left in the game. The SEC Championship has been a good match, but I haven't been able to pay attention to the intricacies of the end.

9:43 - Wow...TJ Ford with some quick pen...and a butta finger roll. Swervin' like George Gervin. Raps up 29-25.

8:40 - Butler misses a dunk on one end after a playmaker spin move by AD....props to TJ Ford for bobbling a power-dribble on a wide open layup on the other end...out of bounds, ball back to Wizards.

Timeout, Toronto up 29-27. Oregon - Oregon St. have a good game going on. Tied @ 28 with 8:00 left in the 4th.

8:22 - Crafty move by D-Mac on Andrea....he's getting some decent run this game. I like it Eddie J, throw him into the fire early. Dominic missed with layin, but was able to draw the foul. Misses his first two NBA FTs though.

7:23 - Kapono hits his 2nd 3 in a row, Raptors up 35-27 now. The Wiz CANNOT forget about guys like Kapono. Roger Mason with his own 3 on the other end.

6:27 - Nick Young J off the screen. His confidence improves every game.

4:52 - Butler a deuce...Calderon answers at the other end. 43-37 Raps.

4:20 - The Juice, Tuff style, is Sweet Like Bear Meat......Caron hits a double clutch floater.

2:58 - RMJ for 3, Wiz up by 3...46-43. Roger DC, way to step it on up.

2:07 - Words cannot describe the offensive rebound that Roger Mason just got...as soon as his feet touched the floor, he flipped it over his head to Antawn Jamison who dumped it in the basket. 11-0 run by the Wizards.

0:54 - Moving the ball great. D-Song's man over-played him, he was able to receive the pass, get into the lane, and get the rock to AJ for the bucket. 50-45 Wiz.

0:17 - Roger Mason 3! Career game for the yungin'...half closes out...(DeShawn hit a long shot just after the buzzer)...but the Wiz made a great run, 16-2 says Steve Buck, up 52-45 at the intermission.

Kickin' @ The Half

• Roger Mason Junior has 11 pts., 2 asts., and 3 bounds.
• Both Teams: 20 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 turnovers.
• Difference Maker: Wiz shooting 54.1%, Raps shooting 41.9%
• Earl the Pearls to the rafters....take it away Steve Buckhantz......

Absolutely awesome ceremony for Earl Monroe. I'm so glad they showed his highlights on the big screen to the sounds of James Brown's 'Super Bad' and not some sappy ass music.

Quote by Abe Pollin: "Now only did those defending you not know what they were doing, but you didn't know what the hell you were doing yourself...and that's why you scored."

Congrats Mr. Monroe. I've only been a Wizards/Bullets fan since 1990, so while I may not be aware, along with old enough, to fully know the history of this franchise, I certainly can appreciate it.

Thanks to Abe Pollin also. I know I criticize him, but he has been a good owner for the DC community.

Wait...don't want the ruin the ceremonial props that Earl is giving out...but he has a niece named Tijuana? (I'm assuming it's spelled like the city)....Shame on her parents...SHAME! That is, unless they named her brother 'Donkey Show'...I mean, REA-lly? That's almost worse than another pair of names I heard once....a lady naming her chirren...Tequilla and Margarita. Welcome to America.

3rd Quarter

10:53 - Haywood pulls down his first rebound of the game...he's fallen off a little bit these past couple games.

9:29 - Bargnani has had trouble guarding AJ. Fouls him here. AJ has hit 4 points so far.

8:55 - Another 3 by DeShawn. 7 points for him...I like 'em coming quiet.

7:27 - Raptors deuce layin on the break after an AD miss. VERY Lazy effort by the Wiz. DC up 62-53. After good ball movement, Daniels missed an open shot from the right corner...but the team almost hung their heads afterwards instead of hustling back. Toronto had a 3 on 2 fastbreak.

Good stuff...the Pearl is headed to join Phil C and Steve B on the broadcast.

5:13 - Uh oh...string of bad news since Earl started heading to the table. Anthony Parker 3....Jamison goes down on the other end, gets up, and starts to limp around, Bad....Parker hits another 3 and cuts the Wiz lead to 1. 64-63. Timeout, looks like AJ hurt his ankle, he's out of the game.

3:57 - Step back J by Stevenson....evidently something is wrong with his head because he's doing crazy things with his hand around his face.

Funny Stuff...Earl Monroe says they used to call him Thomas Edison because he would just invent stuff heading down the court.

3:00 - Butler baseline dunk, 70-65 Wiz. Takeover Juice, takeover.
2:29 - Speaking of....T Juice sweet layin next time down the court, 72-67. Nice pass and cut game with Andray Blatche. I tell you what, Andray can pass like Chris Webber..maybe even better.

1:52 - Nick Young J...guess you can't measure the confidence of a charismatic young man, can you Hollinger?

Steve Buck informs us that Jamison has gone into the locker room.

0:29 - Dammit, another 3 by Carlos Delfino. Tie game @ 75. I always knew that cat had a little something from his days with the Pistons. Dudes from Argentina...they'll get ya.

Butler 3 closes out the quarter. Wiz up 78-75. 22 points for T-Juice. 4-6 from Three (Phil says 4-5). 9-15 from the field. What a great feeling to watch the development of this guy. He's been incarcerated. He's cried on Oprah. He's a stone-cold NBA Killa.

4th Quarter

Achilles heel alert. Thanks for the stats Steve Buck. 12 turnovers for the Wiz, the Raptors have scored 20+ off those turnovers.
11:11 - Roger Mason checks back in and just keeps on keeping on. Nice layin for his 12th and 13th points. Wiz up 80-75.

Phil C. is surprised that Milwaukee traded TJ Ford to Toronto for Charlie Villaneuva....everyone, the media, has been chirping.."you never trade big for small, but this worked out." Ok, so stop saying that you never trade big for small then.

10:10 - Bout time AJ started in...3 for him....actually, he's had a quiet 24 in this game. But as Buck says, he struggled earlier and has hit his last 9, I think?

Stats up and it's true, AJ started out 1/5 in the first 6 minutes of the game and has been 9/9 since.

Right now, the Wizards are shooting 59.3% and the Raptors are shooting 43.2%. Wow, how are they only up 88-81? Well...let me go back to the box score: And honestly, it's an even game...save for the 9 Raptors offensive rebounds and the Wizards being +3 on turnovers. And those are the reasons as to why Washington is not up by 17 instead of 7.

Wow, I know Kapono was hitting, but I was not aware that he had 18.

6:35 - Jamario Moon dunk ends the scoring drought. 88-83 Wiz.

Damn, two turnovers in a row...AJ charge and Daniels bad pass. That makes 14 for the game. Don't let 'em back in DC!!

5:36 - Calderon drive and lob to the Moon, Alice....dunkage. AD, on the other end drives for the layup And 1...5th foul by the Moon. Hey, if the moon were made of cheese, would you eat the moon? Harry Carey/Will Ferrell SNL reference for the record.

4:35 - Caron draws the foul on Kapono. What a vet move to swing through the reaching arm of Kapono. 92-85 Wizards.

I'm esstatic every time I hear that the Wiz got Caron Butler for Kwame Brown and LaRon Profit. (not mentioning Chucky Atkins)

And you know what?....things happen, it is what it is, fate is a muther...yea, all those sayings. But I'm ready to change my tune. I'm GLAD that Michael Jordan drafted Kwame Brown. If that had never happened, then Grunfeld would have never traded for Caron. And the Wizards never would have gotten The Gamer. The Tuff Juice. Caron Butler.

In fact, I should be praising the whole Lakers organization. When they were winning the championships, I was a Laker hater...I'll admit it. I still don't like 'em, even in this vulnerable state. And I still don't like Kobe, but he brought that upon himself. But think, the Lakers demise dominoed to the turnaround for the Washington Wizards.

Yea, DC still has yet to show themselves as a contender, but the franchise has turned around. Lakers traded Shaq to Miami, ensuring that they would not win another championship this generation. They then trade Caron Butler for the biggest bust of a #1 draft pick ever. Well...okay, maybe not the biggest. Nervous Pervous was pretty bad...although I loved him with the Wizards/Bullets..and there's someone else that I'm forgetting.

Back to the point. Thank you LA. Thank you very much. To quote Randy Newman, "I Love LA"...(but still hate their basketball team).

Wow, the Wizards are still showing Dallas Cowboy players and logos on the big screen to get the crowd boo0ng.

3:56 - How do you like that?!?! Bucket by Roger Mason with the shot clock winding down...Wizards up 94-87. RMJ season high, 6-11 shooting..15 season high points.

Both Anthony Parker and Roger Mason played in Israel. Do you hear that Timmy Bowers? Get your hustle swag on and make it to the league.

2:26 - Drive by Calderon...goal tending by Blatche. Raps are hanging, hanging around. 96-89 Wiz. 9 assists, 1 turnover for Jose Calderon.

1:53 - JESUS! Delfino dunk down the lane. Hello???

1:27 - Jamison gamer o-board...and tough put back.

1:15 - Butler steal. Thata way to take charge VETS!!

0:44 - Ouch, Kapono 3. 98-94 wiz. Sam Mitchell is telling them not to foul...miss by Stevenson...ball kept alive...Jamison rebound!! He needs a new nickname....How about E=24/7...E being effort. I smell a photoshop.

0:17 - Butler makes one of two FTs. Wiz up 99-94.

The 'Wrap It Up' Box. Wiz make a 3 tough on Kapono. He misses. Caron with the rebound. Foul. Caron drops 28 & 29. .....3 by Anthony Parker with 2 seconds left. Game over Flip.

Wizards win 101-97. This win was a rock. I'm out.