[Editor's Note: For all of you sneaker heads out there, Adam Douglas, Truth About It.net photographer, got some shots of what the Wizards and Warriors were sporting last Tuesday night. Also check out Adam's previous edition of NBA Kicks, Wizards vs. Bulls.]

{Stephen Curry}

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{Andray Blatche vs. Gene Banks}

{Don Nelson … heartburn or tummy want scotch?}

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[Editor's Note: Andy Orfalea is a Wizards fan all the way out in California, but attended school back East where he majored in English at Boston College. He attended Friday night's Wizards game in Golden State, his account is below.]

I knew it. I knew the Wizards just needed my presence to turn this thing around. Watching from the top level at the Oracle, I didn’t like what I saw upon entering. Andray Blatche was f&%$ing around in warmups, something I’ve noticed about him since he was drafted. Javale Mcgee was chucking the bull off the backboard, Gilbert was throwing up brick after brick. As usual, the only two Wizards who appeared aware of their current six game losing streak were Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. After Blatche botched a left hander in lay-up lines, Caron walked up and smacked him in the head. The leaders of the team won this game tonight. After the opening tip, the team played hard and with a sense of urgency. Two things that are all they really need.

Playing hard is something I attribute to one big man in the middle. Brendan Haywood has amazingly worked himself into a position where I was actually calling for him at the end of the game. Blatche was playing down the stretch and when the Warriors cut it to three, Flip finally decided this was an important game and inserted Haywood. B-Hay, the most recent blogosphere victim, provided much needed inside toughness for the Wizards. Almost before the fireworks of others, I really have to give him his props.

Now, an important point in recapping the game. Let me describe a little scene after the game in the halls of the Oracle. I walked out of our section with my Caron Butler Wizards #3 jersey, clapping it up. I also had my Redskins hat on, keep in mind they somehow beat the Raiders on Sunday. Anyways, as I clapped it up a Warriors fan said, “Hey man you got a lot of nerve wearing all that Washington sh*t.” I didn’t say anything back because I was so joyed over the victory, but it did pop into my mind to say “Hey man, you have a lot of nerve wearing that Warriors gear because that’s one of the worst teams I’ve ever seen play.”

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I guess the pressure of a $111 million contract can hang over one’s head when they are injured or aren’t performing well. Must be nice … most would love to be called “Mister $111 Million.”

The idea of contract money being a burden to Arenas seems silly to the common man, and such silliness unfortunately led to Gil putting undue pressure on himself. Can anyone blame him for signing? Can anyone blame him for being injured? Not at all. But I suppose it’s a valid concern when blowhards like Tony Kornheiser spit their ignorant rhetoric. Kornheiser doesn’t go to Wizards games (maybe he watches him), and he doesn’t talk to Gilbert Arenas.

Not to turn Arenas’ 45 into a rant against Kornheiser and those alike. They are entitled to their opinion. But when their imbalanced analysis lacks compassion, patience and reason, it’s hard to take their thoughts on the matter seriously … and that’s why I don’t.

I’ve been hard on/disappointed with Arenas myself in the past. And the patience of Wizards’ fans has been tested for years. But what’s a little more in this holiday season? Gilbert Arenas is not a bad actor and he doesn’t want to let people down … not reasons to pepper him with “worst person in the world” comments as if he were Latrell Sprewell.

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Milestones: MLK day, Inauguration eve, JaVale McGee is 21, Michael Adams celebrates a B-Day as well, Wiz playing the team against which Ed Tapscott got his first win and Captain Jack does not care.

Q1

11:00:
The Good Thing: Wizards don’t have too much of a reason to collapse into the paint on Biedrins
Bad Thing: Blatche is sometimes allergic to blocking out…Biedrins gets a board and then Azubuike gets 2nd chance three. 5-2 G-State.

Not sure what Caron Butler going behind the screen on a shooter like Jamal Crawford has to do with him having to play the two-spot.

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Win #1 is in the books for Eddie Tapscott…..thank god. Sure I’m disappointed that Eddie Jordan had to go, but at the same time….I suppose Eddie Jordan had to go. No sense in doing anything other than fully supporting the man in place, whether it be for the long haul or the short term.

But a win is what Tapscott really needed, almost more so than the team. He needed to get the monkey off his back so that nerves could be calmed. The pressure on the Wizards’ coach to win simply did not dissolve with Eddie Jordan’s departure, rather, it was transferred to his successor.

Now, surely a lot of people are giddy over last night’s win…and I fully realize that things could have gone entirely different. But we can’t judge the history of this battle until we get further along in the war. Did all the energy and effort suddenly appear because of Tapscott’s presence, or Eddie Jordan’s absence? Was it the ineptitude of the opposition? Or was it a ‘We got our coach fired, is it now time to be fed up with this sh*t?’ Q&A session with the team in the mirror?

I personally can’t get psyched-up about a single victory. I’ll go with Jim Zorn on this one and try to stay medium. Naturally, such a win sparks two immediate questions: Why couldn’t the Wizards/Andray Blatche do this before?, and, Can the team, not just Andray Blatche, build on this in the immediate future? Stay tuned to find out.
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