McGee vs. Duncan in the Phone Booth? Not going to happen. [photo: K. Weidie]
Crafty spin moves by Dirk in D.C.? Don’t count on it. [photo: K. Weidie]
The Monday after Thanksgiving, just two days after David Stern and Billy Hunter posed together in the middle of the night indicating that a handshake deal was bringing back in the NBA, I found myself face-to-face with a co-worker. Prior to that deal, this co-worker would pick my brain daily, seeing if I knew when the NBA would resume. I’d refer him to ESPN True Hoop for daily coverage, and I’d do my best to tell him to stay optimistic, but I ultimately I was just as clueless.
Speaking with this co-worker on that Monday morning, the conversation went from the lockout to who the Washington Wizards would play. Being a fan of the Dallas Mavericks, he was excited at the prospect of seeing the NBA champions in Washington on January 10th (per the old schedule). I tried to tell him that the old schedule — even the games from January on — meant nothing with the slate shrinking to 66 games, but he was convinced he would still be able to see his Mavs.
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The abbreviated 66-game schedule of the Washington Wizards was released on Tuesday evening (also listed at the bottom of this post). They start with the New Jersey Nets at home on December 26 and end at home against the Miami Heat on April 26. The four months in-between packs in a lot of action, and even more questions. Beckley Mason, John Townsend and Kyle Weidie answer three of them.
Q1: What stretch of games will pose the toughest challenge for the Wizards?
MASON: The March 13-21 road swing looks brutal. San Antonio, Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Memphis, New Jersey… Mercy! Each team, besides perhaps New Jersey and New Orleans if they deal Chris Paul, should have a winning record. Given how weak the Wizards were on the road last year, it’s tough to imagine the Wizards emerging from that gauntlet with even their luggage intact.
TOWNSEND: The February road trip will be a challenge, an obvious choice given the Wizards won just three games away from home last season; though it might be worth noting that the 2010-11 Wizards won their first road game in February, a 115-110 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. The Wizards are scheduled to play five road games in eight days: beginning in Detroit on February 12, followed by a back-to-back in Portland and Los Angeles (Clippers), and capped off with games in Utah and Phoenix.
WEIDIE: Three straight games, lots of miles. Flight to Portland after a Sunday evening game in Detroit against the Pistons: 2,400 miles. Flight to Los Angeles from Portland after a game against the Blazers on Tuesday (Valentine’s Day on the road = lonely): 1,000 miles. After a matchup against Blake Griffin and the Clippers in LA on Wednesday, the Wizards still have two games left on a West Coast swing (Utah and Phoenix).
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docfunk | August 31, 2009 | 12:19 am
It’s never too early to look at the schedule and start guessing what might happen as a team known for its “relaxed” locker room tries to get serious enough to win a title. DocFunk provides us with the hypothetical antics of the Wizards, and the NBA…
October
10/27 at Dallas: Gilbert Arenas arrives in a sparkling chariot. He is carried on to the court by his teammates where he shares a flawless 12-step handshake with President Obama (who made the trip). At which point, a teary-eyed Mark Cuban calls Arenas a thug and runs down the tunnel, spilling his ice cream cone in the process. You are probably going to want to see this.
10/30 at Atlanta: So hey, Zaza. You get my call? Over the summer. Oh, okay… I mean we left like seven voice mails… Nah, its cool… jerk.
10/31 vs New Jersey: In celebration of Halloween, JaVale McGee brings his Wolverine claws. Not to be outdone, the Nets’ Sean Williams brings a sawed-off shotgun. Read more »
