SB Nation - DeShawn Stevenson

Wizards lose to Pacers: Final wrap (quickly) and more bemoaning our lack of role players

Mike Prada — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:48:25 -0000

More photos » by Ned Dishman - NBAE/Getty Images

Sitting up in the nosebleeds, where you can see the whole court, kind of gives you a new perspective on the team. I figured the team's problem was that nobody did the little things and nobody had any attention to detail, but watching this game, that truth was just staggering.

So many missed defensive rotations. So many dumb turnovers killing any positive momentum we created. So many poor shots. So many times where guys just don't run hard through their cuts. So many weak screens, or times when people slip the screen unnecessarily because they want to get the pass and shoot.

Then, there was the end of the game. Kyle beautifully broke down the staggering lack of detail on the final play of the game, one that cost them the win, but it was the possessions before as well. When the Wizards should have been clamping down on defense to put the game away, they were allowing Earl Watson and Tyler Hansbrough to complete lob passes for dunks. Simply unacceptable.

I'm firmly convinced this is a roster construction problem. Right now, everyone wants to be the guy who saves this team. There are only two guys on the team who truly don't care what kind of role they play in the team's success -- Brendan Haywood and Mike Miller, who is injured because the Wizards decided to run him out when he was clearly injured instead of making sure he was okay. Everyone else wants credit. They won't say it, but they play like it. On an NBA team, only so many people can be the shot-makers. You need guys who have no egos to blend in with the ones who do.

An addition-for-subtraction trade needs to happen pronto. It could be anyone. The ones who remain just need that wakeup call, that message that nobody is safe from getting dealt.

Four Factors (Bold=very good | Italics=very bad)

Team	Pace	Off Eff	eFG%	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
Indiana	96	118.8	47.8	31.1	34	14.6
Washington		117.7	59.8	18.3	34.2	17.7

Snap Reaction: It's nice that we shot well, but how the heck do you let Indiana get to the free-throw line that much? Who do they have that can draw fouls? Ridiculous.

Lineup Details, via Popcorn Machine

Highest individual plus/minus: Nick Young (+14 in 14:00)
Lowest individual plus/minus: Randy Foye (-12 in 7:12)
Best five-man unit: Gilbert Arenas/Nick Young/Caron Butler/Antawn Jamison/Andray Blatche (+9 in the third quarter)
Worst five-man unit: Gilbert Arenas/DeShawn Stevenson/Caron Butler/Antawn Jamison/Brendan Haywood (-6 in the second quarter)

Snap Reaction: It's becoming clear that Nick Young is winning the Young/Randy Foye death match we all anticipated coming into the season (okay, just me). So why does Young only play 14 minutes? That's right, DeShawn Stevenson took the rest of the shooting guard minutes. How Young doesn't have a regular rotation spot is beyond me. Also, why doesn't Dominic McGuire get all of Stevenson's minutes?

Keys to the Palace

JakeTheSnake — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:52:13 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

Scott Skiles shows his outrage after being given a Red Lock of Shame.

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Last week, we got an e-mail from user ledellforlife asking if we could do a weekly segment in the same vein as Japers' Rink's Capital Ups and Downs. After some brainstorming and tinkering, we are proud to unveil the first installment.

Most of you probably know that the title refers to Ed Tapscott's famous response to why Nick Young wasn't getting playing time last season. In case you don't remember, here's the quote:

"Someone asked me the other day if I have a dog house. I said, 'No I don't have a dog house, I have a Palace of Good Play.' I'm looking for someone who's playing well so I can put them in that palace."

Each week, we'll be handing out golden keys to the players whose good play has earned them the right to stay in the Palace of Good Play. Each player who makes it inside the Palace will be rewarded with the Gold Key to the Palace of Good Play.

Likewise, those who do not play well enough to enter the Palace of Good Play will receiver their own logo. Their scarlet letter will come in the form of the Red Lock of Shame.

After the jump, we'll take a look at each player on the roster to see who gets to stay in the Palace, and who will be forced to sleep in the cold.

Gilbert Arenas

#0 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 25 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds in 41 minutes
vs. Indiana: 22 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds in 35 minutes

It's hard to deny entrance to the palace for someone who recorded a triple-double and played a solid week of basketball, but those free throws are going to stick out in people's minds until he can prove that he can hit clutch shots again.

Final Verdict

Andray Blatche

#7 / Forward / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists in 26 minutes
vs. Indiana: 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 assists in 19 minutes

There were questions about how Andray Blatche would adjust after Antawn Jamison returned. So far, he's done a magnifcent job of showing that he can still be productive in a more limited role. Maybe it would have been premature to do so earlier this season, but I think we can finally give kudos to Blatche for finally turning the corner.

Final Verdict

Earl Boykins

#12 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 2 points, 3 assists in 12 minutes
vs. Indiana: 14 points, 2 assists in 19 minutes

After playing the shortest amount of time he has played all season against the Celtics, Boykins saw his playing time rebound to the norm against Indiana. Fortunately for Earl, it looks like his diminished PT was just an abberation and he will continue to be a key reserve for the team moving forward. Unfortunately, his playing time was the only rebound he collected all of last week.

Final Verdict

Caron Butler

#3 / Forward / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists in 41 minutes
vs. Indiana: 23 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists in 38 minutes

Saturday night's game against Indiana was the first game this season where Caron took over 15 shots and hit over half of them. Although they lost on Saturday, it is the most comfortable the Big 3 have looked playing together all season long. Caron holds the key to getting the Big 3, and in turn, the rest of the team in sync, but I'm not ready to give him the key to the palace just yet.

Final Verdict

Javaris Crittenton

#8 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: DNP - Injured
vs. Indiana: DNP - Injured

One has to wonder if the presence of Earl Boykins hasn't totally eliminated Javaris Crittenton from the picture. Nick Young has been in and out of the doghouse all season long and the team picked up his option, unlike Crittenton. If he can't find a way to contribute early on, don't be surprised to see those DNP - Injureds to into DNP - Coach's Decisions once he comes back.

Final Verdict

Randy Foye

#15 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 6 points, 3 rebounds in 13 minutes
vs. Indiana: 0 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound in 7 minutes

You have to wonder if Randy Foye feels a little bit like Wally Pipp, watching as the player who was supposed to just be an injury replacement end up taking most of his playing time. Then again, when you hurry up an off-balance three pointer with 8 seconds left because you didn't realize how much time you had left, it's hard to pass blame off on someone else.

Final Verdict

Brendan Haywood

#33 / Center / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 17 points, 8 rebounds in 35 minutes
vs. Indiana: 6 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assists in 35 minutes

It's a good thing that Haywood's play speaks for itself, because his blog was not doing a very good job. While insightful at times, his controversial takes on some issues (most notably the Tiger Woods fiasco) got him in some hot water and he has decided to pull a Gilbert Arenas and retire from the blogging game.

Final Verdict

Mike James

#13 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: DNP -Injured
vs. Indiana: DNP - Injured

He might be injured, and he might be on the trading block, but he's still a bbbeeeeeaaaaasssssttttt.

Final Verdict

Antawn Jamison

#4 / Forward / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 16 points, 8 rebounds in 35 minutes
vs. Indiana: 20 points, 7 rebounds in 45 minutes

Antawn Jamison is more consistent than you are, he's tougher too.

Final Verdict

JaVale McGee

#34 / Center / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 0 points, 0 rebounds in 3 minutes
vs. Indiana: 0 points, 0 rebounds in less than a minute

JaVale McGee made sure the void for a blogging presence from a Wizards center did not last for long. In his latest entry, he told readers:

So really really the point of this blog secretly is to dare anyone with a Ps3 to a challenge on Call of Duty Modern Warefare 2.

I seriously think i'm one of the best in that game, let alone the NBA.

This should be interesting.

Final Verdict

Dominic McGuire

#5 / Forward / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: DNP - Coach's Decision
vs. Indiana: 4 rebounds, 1 assist in 6 minutes

After receiving a nice palm to the face on Thursday, Taser responded with a solid performance in limited minutes against Indiana. We'll see if his solid rebounding and positive +/- are enough to get him some more burn in the future.

Final Verdict

Mike Miller

#6 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: DNP - Injured
vs. Indiana: DNP - Injured

Odds are, if Mike was playing he would have a key to the palace, but I just can't give him a key for looking nice in a suit. Maybe if he got a haircut I would reconsider.

Final Verdict

Fabricio Oberto

#21 / Forward / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 1 assist, 3 fouls in under 2 minutes
vs. Indiana: DNP - Coach's Decision

Remember when this guy was starting games this season?

Final Verdict

DeShawn Stevenson

#2 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 5 points, 0 assists in 15 minutes
vs. Indiana: 2 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds in 19 minutes

Starting DeShawn Stevenson might bethe key to creating a balance between Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler. In the two games Stevenson has started, Gilbert has averaged 21.5 points per game and Caron has averaged 21. Then again, the Wizards have lost both games he has started, so maybe it isn't worth exploring any further.

Final Verdict

Nick Young

#1 / Guard / Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: 4 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound in 11 minutes
vs. Indiana: 1- points, 2 rebounds in 13 minutes

Flip has been tough with Nick Young this season. He has put him in the doghouse a few times for poor play, but he has also been fair in giving him chances to work his way out. His recent stretch of strong play makes it appear that the hard work is paying off.

Final Verdict

Flip Saunders

Coach - Washington Wizards

This Week

vs. Boston: Lost to Boston 104-102
vs. Indiana:

The start of the year hasn't gone the way Flip would have wanted or expected, but there are still some bad habits that he has to break the team of before they can truly move forward. The good news is that he is doing a good job of starting to break the team of their worst bad habit, sloppy defense.

Final Verdict

Briefing: Hey, good job! Ow!

JakeTheSnake — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:52:13 -0000

Twitpic via @courtside by way of @jeskeets.

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Game Hub | Boxscore

On a night where the Wizards could have very easily packed it in and accepted the blowout that most of us thought they would receive, the gave a strong enough effort (more assists than turnovers, 5 players with double-digit scoring games, limiting Paul Pierce and Rasheed Wallace to a combined 16 points) to earn an emphatic high five. But in the narrow loss they did just enough things wrong (missed free throws grabbing a total of zero (!) rebounds in the 2nd quarter) for that high five to end up feeling like a slap in the face.

Gilbert Arenas Can't Buy a Free-Throw - Tom Lorenzo, Fantasy FanHouse

Note to Gilbert Arenas: you have to make your free throws. He shot just 1-of-6 from the line on the night, with two key bricks in the final 26 seconds of the game that helped seal the loss for the Wizards. Aside from a poor showing at the line, Arenas turned in a fairly standard line -- 24 points on 11-of-23 shooting, eight assists, zero steals and four turnovers. Though my favorite stat of the night had to be the zero rebounds that the Wizards pulled down in the second quarter. Zero. Think about that one.

Wizards toe the mark, then retreat again, in loss to Celtics, 104-102 - Craig Stouffer, Washington Examiner

"The positive is that we’re in games," said Wizards head coach Flip Saunders, whose team has lost three games in a row that have been decided in the fourth quarter. "We’re not getting blown out. We’re in games. We had a situation where we were down two. We had our best player with the ball at the free throw line. He was expected to make those and didn’t." Arenas (25 points, 8 assists) retreated to the practice court immediately, where he knocked down 48 of 50 free throw attempts in a desperate search to figure out why he finished the night 1 for 6 at the line. "In a minute, it’s going to be called hack-a-Wizards," said Arenas, as Washington was a combined 14 for 22.

Celtics 104, Wizards 102 - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

Arenas used to have a reputation as a reliable closer, but for the second time in as many home games, he came up short when his team needed him most. He missed two free throws that could've tied the game with 26.7 seconds remaining against the Celtics, after missing a point-blank layup that could've tied the game late against Toronto. The Wizards love to talk about how they compete against any team in the league when healthy, but right now they are proving that to be true. Competing isn't enough. The goal should be to win. Granted, they lost to the Celtics, a possible championship contender, but this team isn't winning games against anyone right now. That loss to Detroit on Sunday remains one of the most perplexing of the season.

Wizards can't convert in final minutes, fall to Celtics - William Yoder, Agent Dagger

Down two with :27 seconds left in the game, Gilbert Arenas did the right thing. Instead of being the passive, nervous player that many have criticized him for being this season, the former all-star drove to the lane and drew two fouls. He did what the star of the team had to do, he did what a closer needed to do. However despite drawing the foul, Arenas couldn't convert on his free-throws. Gil missed both, completely squandering the opportunity he had created for his team. But hasn't that been the story of the season for the Wizards so far this year? Their man, who used to be the man, can seemingly do everything but finish. He gets open, he makes the plays, but seemingly never when they count the most.

Fundamentals can't rescue the Wizards - Mike Jones, Washington Times

"We competed for the most part except that second quarter, but if we compete the way we did in the second half, we'll win our share of games and get things going in the right direction," Saunders said. "We had the situation where we were down two, had our best player at the free throw line, and you expect him to make those - and he didn't. He also got a pretty good look at a 3-pointer to tie it later - but didn't. We're doing things to put ourselves in good position, but unfortunately we haven't come up on the better end of the draw."

Celtics Deal Wizards 3rd Straight Loss - Dave Johnson, CSN Washington

Even with Arenas missed free throws and the defensive breakdown that led to the Rondo dunk, the Wizards still had a chance in the closing seconds. Down 103-100 with 14.6 seconds left, the Wizards were able to get the ball in Arenas hands. Arenas was able to get a good look from the top of arc but his three point-attempt ricocheted into the corner. That’s when Randy Foye tracked down the rebound but he hurried a shot with 8.5 seconds left that fell short. "It was a tough place to be. KG let the ball roll so I thought the time was running out so I chased down the rebound," Foye recalled. "He gave up so I just tried to get a shot off real quick. I didn’t know how much time was on the clock."

Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards fail to come through in the clutch vs. Boston Celtics - Michael Lee, Washington Post

"You got to understand when things are not going well, you got to continue to fight. Only way it's going to happen is to work hard and believe we're going to turn things around," Jamison said. "We're in games. We're competing. We're just not finding a way to get it done. Right now, it's getting tough but guys are still positive. Guys realize things are going to turn around." But that won't happen unless the Wizards find a way to play a full 48 minutes. They trailed 63-48 when Rondo hit a fadeaway jumper over Arenas. Arenas drew a foul on the Wizards' next possession, but as he stepped to the foul line, a group of fans in the upper deck began to chant, "Let's go Celtics!"

Instant Analysis: Celtics-Wizards - Brian Jackson, CSN Washington

DeShawn Stevenson got the start in the second half and breathed some life back into this team. The Wizards opened the third quarter on a 22-6 run that got them back in the game. In his 16 minutes on the floor he only scored five points but the Wizards were +9 when he was in the game. This was the first time all season that the Wizards old starting line-up of Arenas, Stevenson, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison and Brendan Haywood had been on the floor together for an extended period. Another positive was the play of Haywood and Andray Blatche. The two combined for 34 points on 14-of-17 from the field.

Celtics 104, Wizards 102 - Mike Jones, Outlet

How do the Wizards get Butler going? "That's what we keep on [saying]. We have our meetings, and we keep on talking about that," Saunders said. "To his credit, he's good defensively and he rebounded well. But we're not doing a good job setting screens and getting him open, and when he gets it, some of these teams are loding up on him. ... We're hoping that by pushing the ball up the floor more, we can get him some more open-floor opportunities, but we do have to get him free on more situations."

Celtics 104, Wizards 102 - Craig Stouffer, Pick and Roll

Point: Brendan Haywood finished the night with 17 points on a perfect 7 for 7 from the field, including nine points right after the break in which the Wizards trimmed the 14-point halftime margin completely with a 22-6 run that culminated with taking the lead, 72-70, when Arenas gave up the ball in the lane to Jamison for the And-1. Counterpoint: Of course, Jamison missed the free throw and Allen took the lead right back with a three at the other end -- a jumper that just so happened to give him 20,000 points in his career. Nice touch. It also sparked a 13-2 run for the Celtics that restored a nine-point advantage at the end of the third.

Behind Rondo, Celtics Fight off Wizards - Greg Payne, CelticsBlog

"Clearly (the Wizards') game plan was they weren't going to guard (Rondo)," said Rivers. "They were going to give him shots and he took them. That's what we tell him: 'Once it's your shot, it's your shot. No more passing or being a point guard. When it's time to shoot, it's time to shoot. You're a shooter.'

Best of Twitterville

Twitter / Truth_About_It
Walked in media room bathroom just b/f the game, Gheorghe Muresan was squatting over a urinal trying 2 pee, turned around & walked back out.

Twitter / Jon Lewallen
Unless I missed it before the game, I have a feeling they're not going to ask Webber about Abe Pollin.

Twitter / Jack Kogod
Just begged Ted Leonsis to bring back the old colors/name. Time will tell. #wizards

Twitter / Mike Prada
If the #Wizards do indeed win, they have Gilbert Arenas and Andray Blatche to thank. Both guys have really come to play tonight.

Twitter / Mike Jones
7-Day-Dray got posterized, whipped off the headband, then schooled Rasheed Wallace.

Twitter / wizznutzz
deshawn should get ABE logo patch tattoo on the neck of his Lincoln tat

Twitter / Andrew Sharp
I love how jamison's leaning threes are like, actually a part of our offense.

Twitter / Wolf Blitzer
Ernie Grunfeld is Wizards President. He's a great guy and (again full disclosure) a good friend. He assembled this team.

Twitter / J.E. Skeets
I wonder who Gil will "blame" those missed free throws on. Spalding? Wolf Blitzer? Me?

Twitter / Agent Dagger
How can that man be so good at shooting three's to win games, but he can't hit the free throws..De ja vu from Cleveland series

Twitter / George V. Panagakos
@AgentDagger If I'm Foye, I don't end the game with a lay-up, I jack another three; hope he has a body guard in that locker room

Postgame notes and quotes: Wizards over Bucks

Mike Prada — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:15:43 -0000

More photos » by Ned Dishman - NBAE/Getty Images

13 days ago: WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 2: Brendan Haywood #33, Caron Butler #3 and Gilbert Arenas #0 of the Washington Wizards celebrate after a made basket against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Verizon Center on December 2, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Some interesting stuff that people on the Wizards said before and after the game. Stats will be up later.

Boykins love

Earl Boykins wasn't originally going to talk to the media. He had somewhere to be and left before everyone got there, and the Wizards' PR people apologized to everyone on his behalf. But he eventually came back and chatted for a bit, though he's not the most talkative guy in the league.

One thing he was asked was about playing in Italy last year, which yielded an interesting answer.

"It was easy for me [to go to Europe], because when most guys go, they go because they're forced to. I chose to go. That's the big difference. When you choose to do something, it's easier to handle being away from home."

It's nice that he tells himself that, and clearly it's allowed him to persevere. But let's be honest, he kind of was forced to go to Europe. The money dried up in the 2008 offseason and nobody was willing to offer him good money, so he went to the only place that paid him. Nothing wrong with that, just saying his explanation doesn't seem right to me.

That was probably the only thing that I can find fault with Boykins for on this night. Many other guys talked about him, particularly his former teammates, Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison.

Jamison said he couldn't believe that Boykins hasn't been able to stick anywhere.

It kind of amazes me that it's hard for this guy to stay stable in the league and stay on a team," he said, latter adding that "The only thing that amazes me [about Boykins] is that this guy was at home relaxing, and all of a sudden, he's acting like he hasn't missed any time."

Arenas was also asked why Boykins hasn't been able to stick, and said he thinks a lot of it has to do with the stigma that's resulted from his height. Arenas said people look at him and make assumptions that there are better guys out there because of how small he is. He also seemed totally comfortable with Boykins taking the last few shots, which is either a sign of selflessness or being overly passive, depending on your perspective.

"Coach yelled at us like four games ago, saying 'Why don't you run the goddamn floor?' I was like, 'Well, me and Earl got this thing going for the last couple years.' Earl goes and attacks, and if he doesn't have anything, he passes it back to me and I go. He knows that when he gets stuck, I'm behind him. That's just how we play."

There were people chanting "MVP! MVP!" when Boykins went to the free throw line. Jamison laughed about it and said he didn't hear until someone told him after the game, while Boykins said he also didn't hear it (which I don't believe).

Flip Saunders said the final play was indeed run for Boykins, and not Arenas, in case you guys were wondering. He considered playing Nick Young down the stretch instead of Boykins, but decided to stick with Boykins and it worked out.

(Below the jump: Caron Butler's aggressiveness, Gilbert Arenas' mid-range shooting, Arenas' beef with the refs, Brendan Haywood breaking down the defensive strategy on Andrew Bogut and Brandon Jennings and more)

Caron Butler's aggression had to do with his health

Comcast SportsNet's Chris Miller said it best tonight - Caron Butler had "that look." Before the game, he was out on the main court shooting game-speed jumpers - spot-up shots, one-dribble, etc. As he stepped onto the court, he took the ball from the ref, bounced it around, all while strutting from one side of the court to the other.

His numbers weren't incredible - 15 points on 10 shots - but he got to the line 10 times, attacked the rim and had a nasty throwdown on Bogut tonight. It was a Butler who wasn't settling for jumpers, instead choosing to attack sensibly. It was a Butler we hadn't seen all season.

After the game, I asked Butler what caused his renewed aggression. He said a lot of it had to do with his ankle feeling better. Remember, he missed the Philadelphia game and was nagged during the San Antonio game with that ankle.

My ankle is feeling better, and I'm able to maneuver. At the time I wasn't feeling so well, I was settling for jumpers and stuff because I couldn't explode to the basket and do some of the things I can do.

Then, as if catching himself mid-thought, he somewhat changed his tune so that it didn't seem like he was excusing his poor performance.

But I'm not going to make no excuses. I'm just going to go out there and play and don't point no fingers. I just try to do what I can. Sometimes, maybe for a guy like myself, 60 percent is better than somebody healthy, so I'm just trying to do the best I can. But now I'm definitely feeling much better and adding another dimension to this ballclub.

The explanation still makes some sense, though. We all know how Butler plays through pain often, so it's very possible that ankle injury was worse than he let on. Ankle injuries can nag you for a long time too - Derrick Rose, for example, is struggling in large part due to his slow recovery from a preseason ankle injury.

Butler didn't say whether Saunders told him to be more aggressive, saying instead that "it's common sense" to drive to the rim more, especially when a smaller player is defending him. However, Saunders said he did in fact talk to Butler and encouraged him to drive to the basket more often.

"I told [Caron], he's got to be more aggressive. He's one of the one guys that we have that can put it on the floor and beat people off the bounce. When he does that, it sucks the defense in a lot and it opens things up for everyone else."

Either way, I hope this keeps up. I also hope we see more of Caron posting up. I'll save this for a future video segment (if I can get source video), but I really liked how he was deployed tonight.

Butler also was very happy about his jam on Bogut, bragging that it was the second time he got Bogut in his career ("He's on my wall twice!"). I asked him when that other dunk happened (I didn't remember), and he said it happened last year. Anyone remember?

Gilbert Arenas angry at the referees

What started as an innocent question to Gilbert Arenas by Kyle from Truth About It turned into an all-our rant against the referees. Arenas accused the referees of "profiling" him and can't understand why he was called for two straight offensive fouls when he tried to drive to the rim.

Read more about it on Truth About It, where Kyle has the transcript of the exchange. It'll be interesting to see if Arenas gets fined at all for his comments.

This version of the "more aggressive Gilbert Arenas" means...

Arenas eventually calmed down, as he always does, and opened us up his mind, heart and soul about, well, everything. At one point, when asked about the bench, he praised DeShawn Stevenson's ability to play his role by saying he job previously was basically to make some shots and "irritate" the other team like Dennis Rodman used to do. I guess that's a compliment...

I eventually asked him about his mid-range jumper, which he seems to be knocking down far more proficiently than he did earlier in the season. Why is he stroking that shot now when he wasn't before?

"Now, I'm concentrating on shooting. Before, it was like 'Shit, I'm open, let me just shoot it before coach yells at me for not shooting it.' At the beginning, Twan was out, and I was scoring. Then, there was this little part about 6, 7 games ago where if I saw an open shot, I was taking it, but I wasn't in rhythm. I wasn't thinking about shooting. Now, I'm thinking about shooting again. When I come off the pick, I'm shooting instead of just thinking about passing."

I also asked him about Antawn Jamison's comments from last week and what it meant to hear him and Flip Saunders imploring him to be more aggressive. He said it helped a lot to hear those comments from them.

"I was afraid what those guys were going to think. I've been gone for two years. You come back, and they're holding up the ship. If you're coming back and you're coming back shooting, you don't want them to look at you sideways."

Brendan Haywood reads the scouting reports

Talk to Gilbert Arenas, and he'll break down offensive schemes and stuff like that in a very detailed manner. Brendan Haywood is the same way, except defensively.

I asked Haywood what the team strategy was on Andrew Bogut, who was held to just eight points on 4-14 shooting. Haywood had a major hand in that, of course, but Andray Blatche did a good job on Bogut as well. That's really key, because Bogut does so many things for the Bucks.

"Our strategy wasn't to double Bogut at all. We really just kind of wanted to stay at home. You don't want to make anyone comfortable, so you want to sometimes, when he starts dribbling, fake at him a little bit, make him think he might be being doubled when he's really not. But our whole thing was, listen, let's not let this guy get to his left. Even though he's right-handed, he really likes to use his left hand. Let's keep him off his left hand and take away his space for his jump shot."

Now THAT'S a detailed breakdown. It shows Haywood does his homework on players to make sure they won't get in their comfort zone. That's a huge part of being a good defensive player, and Haywood seems to have mastered it.

I also asked Haywood about the team's strategy on Brandon Jennings, who had 17 points, but needed 21 shots to get there.

"We really tried to converge at [Jennings] at the rim. We realized early on that he drives to score more than he drives to pass, so we really tried to step up, take away his scoring angles and make him shoot jump shots. That's just the name of the game. You make guys take contested jump shots, you're going to play good defense."

This is an interesting observation by Haywood. I have noticed a couple times that Jennings tends to shoot those little floaters once he gets into the lane instead of focusing on driving and dishing. He passes really well off the pick and roll on the perimeter, but not as well when he gets to the rim. Again, Haywood did his homework tonight and does it all season. That's the sign of a defensive leader.

Other stuff

Flip Saunders on Andray Blatche:

"Andray's in a tough situation. Right now, our two most consistent people have really been Antawn and Brendan. At times, it's tough to take those guys out. Sometimes, when Antawn gets on a roll, he's one of those guys where he gets on a roll, you want to keep him playing because he doesn't seem to get tired. He gets better as he keeps on going. But to Andray's credit, he's kept a positive attitude these past few games, and even though he played 19 minutes, he had a solid 19 minutes."

Antawn Jamison on beating two very different teams (Toronto and Milwaukee) in back-to-back nights.

"Knowing that the style of play [between TOR and MIL] is very different, for you to be able to adjust to that really speaks volumes. That's the type of team that we have to be. We can be a team that can run up and down the court with you, or we can be a team that can play physical and rebound and just grind it out."

Gilbert Arenas on the last play:

"On the last play, they were so worried about me, and I was like 'You're about get a rude awakening, because this is Earl's show.'"

Briefing: Antawn Jamison is Unfamiliar With the Concept of Rust

JakeTheSnake — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:01:26 -0000

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27 days ago: WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 18: Antawn Jamison #4 of the Washington Wizards shoots against Jamario Moon #15 of the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Verizon Center during the game on November 18, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Game Hub | Boxscore | Game Flow

Rust is natural. If you take someone away from something that they do on a regular basis for an extended amount of time, it takes sometime to get back into that rhythm. That's just the way things work, unless your name is Antawn Jamison.

Not only was Jamison thrown back into the starting lineup, but expected to carry the team as they slumped through most of the first half. If it weren't for his 21 points and 8 rebounds in the first half, the Wizards would have faced a much, much more formidable deficit heading into halftime. You tend to forget about these things when the team ends up winning by 17, but without Jamison's spectacular first half in his first game back from injury, the Wizards would be staring at a 2-8 record this morning. Antawn didn't waste anytime helping out where the team needed him to help out. That's what team captains do, and that's why he was so sorely missed when he was out.

Behind the Box Score, where the Nets still haven't won - Kelly Dwyer, Ball Don't Lie

After watching Antawn Jamison in this win, I'm convinced that every player should develop a cold after deeming themselves ready to return to action. That way, you don't feel as if you're coming right off the shelf, rather, you feel as if you've been waylaid by something else (a cold) that is easily overcome. Jamison fit right in, in his first game of the season, only turning the ball over two times in 38 minutes, pouring in 31 points in various styles and pulling in 10 rebounds (six offensive).

Wizards Plus: Jamison's title focus - Mike Jones, Washington Times

Before the start of the season, Jamison threw out the "C" word, saying a championship "is all I'm playing for." To keep that goal fresh in his mind, Jamison has an 8-inch-by-10-inch, framed color photograph of the Larry O'Brien Trophy hanging in his locker. On the wall that borders Jamison's locker, which is just outside the trainers room, is a poster-sized image of the trophy, also framed. "We need a little championship aura in here," Jamison said last week. He also said he plans on ordering a copy for all of his teammates' lockers.

Wizards 108, Cavaliers 91 - Mike Jones, Outlet

"Sometimes you don’t realize the little things," Jamison said. "One thing I’ve noticed lately is our energy level has been down, whether we miss a couple of shots or make a run, guys run to the huddle with their heads down and that’s something that I knew that I could come in and change that and just move that ball form one end to the other, another added weapon for them to really key in on. I’ve been sitting down for what seems like forever, so I had a lot of energy. I knew it was going to be different from what we’ve been doing." Jamison kept shooting, and kept barking at his teammates and eventually Mike Miller responded with back-to-back 3-pointers in the second quarter.

Is it a rivalry yet? Wizards top Cavs 108-91 - William Yoder, Agent Dagger

Antawn Jamison made his return Wednesday night and helped lead his Wizards to a 108-91 victory over Cleveland at the Verizon Center. The Wizards powerforward helped spark the Wizards with 31 points on 12 of 22 shooting, and10 rebounds. Jamison helped fill a void tonight that the club had strugled to fill all season. They had been missing the man on their team who keeps the club together when things get rough. When no one else can seem to put the ball in the hoop, grab the rebound, or make the defensive play, Antawn has been there. He was there tonight.

Wizards cruise past Cavaliers, 108-91 - Michael Lee, Washington Post

But the Wizards weren't focused on anything except the win, which ended Cleveland's five-game winning streak and marked just the 11th time that Arenas, Jamison and Butler started a game together since April 4, 2007, when Arenas first injured his left knee. "It's great to have us all out there together," Butler said. "That's been the talk for years, 'When is the Big Three going to be out there together, along with the new additions?' Antawn was great tonight. He kept the energy going. Gilbert did some spectacular things. I thought DeShawn did a great job of slowing down LeBron. "This is what we expect. We expect to win games. That's what happened."

Game Notes: Cleveland vs. Washington - Rashad Mobley, Hoops Addict

The stat sheet will show that Arenas shot 6-for-22 from the field, and even in person, there were times when he forced the issue and tried to shoot his way out of his slump. In the first half he shot just 1-for-9, and he had six points. But in the second half, he played a bit better and found his stroke. Even Arenas noticed this inconsistency, "I just can’t find two halves to match right now. I just gotta get it together…I had one bad half, and I figured the second one would get better." What will not show up in the stat sheet is his solid defense on Mo Williams. Williams who is widely considered to be the second best player on the Cavaliers squad scored just six points in 36 minutes.

Wizards 108, Cavaliers 91 - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler have struggled with their shots all season, and it was no different on Wednesday night, as Arenas and Butler combined to shoot just 12 of 38. Any other night, the Wizards probably would've succumbed to the LeBron James one-man show. But on this night, the Wizards had Antawn Jamison to fill the gaps, and he did that and more, as he scored 31 points with 10 rebounds, keeping the Wizards competitive in the first half, until Arenas was able to wake up in the third quarter, scoring 14 of his 18 points, and Butler was able to take over the game completely in the fourth, scoring 13 of his 19 points.

Wizards 108, Cavaliers 91: When LeBron scores, the other guy wins - Craig Stouffer, Washington Examiner

The one guy whose role has emerged is Mike Miller. He came into the Wizards very accepting of whatever capacity that they wanted to use him. It’s pretty clear that role needs to be substantial because not only does Miller make shots, he makes hustle plays and smart plays. But – and this remains a concern – his left shoulder still looks mighty banged up.

Wizards come full circle against Cavaliers - Craig Stouffer, Washington Examiner

Stevenson allowed James just six of his game-high 34 points in the final period, tying him up with a blocked shot on a fast break with three minutes, 22 seconds, a play that ended with Caron Butler alone at the free throw line after James argued the call. James then responded with two huge dunks with the game basically decided, only to injure his left wrist on the first. "He came in very professional and played ‘meat and potato’ basketball," said Wizards head coach Flip Saunders of Stevenson. "He didn’t give them any antics. He just put his nose into it and played solid defense."

Before They Self-Destruct, Wizards Beat Cleveland - Jarrett Carter, Stet Sports Blog

Caution yourself against classifying this win as "season-saving." Yes, the rotations were better for Flip Saunders, the defensive commitment in the second half was more noticeably solid, and there was fun to be had on the floor even in tense moments. But there are miles to go before the Eastern Conference can be called out for sleeping on the Wizards; specifically within a Wizards west coast road trip with games against Oklahoma City and San Antonio over the next few days. They still have injuries, they still have trust issues, they still have quite a few problems. But this game can serve as a memory to the Wizards of what injury-free, focused basketball looks and feels like. Rivals can be vanquished, stats can be compiled and expectations can be met. Before tonight’s game, the Wizards were on the verge of implosion for reasons that they couldn’t fully control. They were headed for self-destruction, but allowed experience and trust to make a big game smaller than their team objective.

Cavs Win Streak, Wizards Losing Streak Both Snapped as Wiz Pull off 108-91 Win - RockKing, WaitingForNextYear

The Wizards showed a lot of poise in not panicking after digging a deep hole early and fighting their way back to a blowout win. It was certainly easy to see the impact Jamison brings to the team and they found a way to still score 108 points despite not shooting the ball particularly well. So they certainly deserve all the credit for coming up with the win, but you have to believe the Cavaliers feel frustrated that they never made any kind of adjustments and let this game slip away out of their reach. This will be one they will want to forget about as soon as possible.

Wizards Blow Out Cavaliers - Carla Peay, Washington Informer

Wizards head coach Flip Saunders didn’t go so far as to call it a "statement game", but the team’s 108-91 defeat of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wed., Nov. 18 at Verizon Center might have been the best victory of the season. The Wizards are now 3-7 on the season, and for the first time in what seems like years, guard Gilbert Arenas, and forwards Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, the so-called "big three" were on the floor together, and healthy.

No More Excuses For The Washington Wizards - Gerald Narciso, Dime Magazine

Now that the big three of Arenas, Jamison and Butler are in full force, the Wizards have no more excuses. I understand, the team still has to adjust to Flip Saunders’ system and all the new faces on the roster like Mike Miller, Randy Foye and Earl Boykins. Even Arenas, who basically missed two seasons, is still trying to find his chemistry with the team again. Bottom line is Washington has enough talent on that roster to finish in the top five of the East. The ball movement looked a lot better last night and maybe this win can get their confidence up. If the team can get comfortable in the offense in the next 10 games and the team escapes any more injuries, than this team has no excuses why they shouldn’t be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. But even with injuries, it shouldn’t be an excuse. Last year, Orlando and L.A. made the Finals with some of their key guys hurt, so why can’t Washington do that?

Jamison's return helps Wizards stop skid - Mike Jones, Washington Times

The Wizards carried a 75-72 lead into the fourth quarter, and with Arenas and Jamison watching from the bench, Washington blew the Cavaliers away. Boykins and Butler led Washington on a 25-8 charge that ballooned a three-point lead into a 100-80 advantage. In the quarter, Boykins had nine points and two assists, and Butler scored 13 points. "We said from the beginning that depth will always help you," coach Flip Saunders said. "I told our guys in the locker room that if we have a group that's playing well, no matter who it is, we let them play it out. In this league they are all good players. Given the opportunity and in certain situations they can all play well."

Cavaliers falls to Wizards, 108-91: Windhorst Beat Blog - Brian Windhorst, The Plain Dealer

You can really see the impact of not having Andy Varejao and Shaq. The Cavs are getting hammered on the boards. This is something Mike Brown is also I'm sure making a big point of in the locker room. Brendan Haywood has 10 rebounds already and the Wiz have 13 second-chance points. The Cavs gave up 23 last night. They didn't have a game where they allowed more than 14 before these last two nights.

Arenas waiting for 1 million followers to tweet - Associated Press

"Once I get a million followers, I’ll do it," Arenas said after his Washington Wizards beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-91 Wednesday. Asked why he picked that number, he said because it’s "so far-fetched." When someone pointed out to Arenas that the way people tend to accrue followers is by tweeting, he replied: "I’m trying to do the opposite."

Best of Twitterville

Twitter / Michael Lee
Gilbert just said he won't make another shot until he gets one million followers on Twitter.

Twitter / The BF gang
Dear Cavs fans: That was a really bad call on DeShawn. He wrapped him up. See, #Wizards fans can admit when there's a bad call.

Twitter / Truth_About_It
My eyes could be deceiving me, but I swear I just saw Mike Brown go over & lick LeBron's wounds.

Twitter / Mike Jones
Second guest student pep band of the season, and once again, a rendition of Jay-Z's Empire State of Mind. WE'RE IN DC PEOPLE!

Twitter / Jack Kogod
LeBron not joining team huddle, busy glaring at section 112. Can't imagine why.

Twitter / Bob Sumner
Enjoy that highlight, Lebron. This one is over like your hairline. Guess you will have a hard time hoisting Cris at Lima wit that limp wrist

Twitter / Agent Dagger
Lebron is considered dominant because his size proposes ridiculous match up problems...could say the same for Boykins?

Twitter / wizznutzz
BOYKS!!! The Bunson Burner gone all BRAISE on the Cavz. MOIST HEAT.

Twitter / Marcel Mutoni
Pretty sure each of the Wizards dancers could post up Earl Boykins with ease.

Twitter / 106.7 The Fan
DeShawn Stevenson's doing a terrific job on Lebron James. Just tied him up on a drive to the hoop. Jump ball called, then Lebron got T'd up.

Twitter / Brian Windhorst
Wizards 108, Cavs 91. DeShawn Stevenson is MVP without taking shot, just by getting in LeBron's head.

Twitter / John Krolik
Well, then. Crap.

Twitter / Ric Bucher
For anyone thinking tonight's outcome would be different if Shaq were playing: Wizards consider Z a tougher matchup for Haywood.

Twitter / We <3 DC
Oh I'm sorry, Bron Bron, did we break your concentration? Love, the Wizards

Twitter / Andrew Sharp
Gil throws his jersey as he leaves the court. Good to have the real gilbert arenas back. Also: !!!!!!!!!!!

Twitter / Jon Lewallen
Come on ESPN, at least let me enjoy the Wizards win before throwing it to SA-Dallas. Mark Jackson makes me sad inside.

Twitter / Wolf Blitzer
Wizards WIN. 108-91. Enough said.

Lack of ball movement continues to plague the Wizards

Mike Prada — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:58:52 -0000

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WASHINGTON --Stop me if this sounds familiar.

With just under five minutes left in the third quarter, the Wizards found themselves trailing the Suns by just six points. The lead had swelled to double digits, but a nice Wizards stretch had cut the lead down. Steve Nash missed a three-pointer, and Caron Butler snared the rebound. Advancing the ball in transition, Butler made his way to the right side of the court, but Phoenix had three guys back. Time to pull it out and run offense, right? Instead, Butler sized up his defender, gave a couple cross-over dribbles, and launched a heavily-contested 20-foot jumper.

Predictably, it fell short, and Phoenix eventually got the rebound and pushed the lead back up to 8 on the next possession.

A similar sequence replayed itself several times this afternoon, but with names such as Gilbert Arenas, Randy Foye, Andray Blatche, Brendan Haywood and others instead of Butler. The end result was a 102-90 loss in which the Wizards' offense too often featured overdribbling and one-on-one play.

"We're not there as far as moving the ball," Saunders said. "We're just not there. The ball comes and we don't make that one extra pass."

Overall, the Wizards played a better game than they did against Indiana on Friday. They played harder on defense and had brief moments where the offense flowed much better. But for the second straight game, the Wizards had more turnovers (17) than assists (15), and took most of their shots off the dribble.

"If we're a hockey team, we'd have no hockey assists," Saunders said.

Wizards slow to pick up Saunders' philosophy

Historically, the Wizards have never been a club that posted high assist totals (since 2004/05, the Wizards have averaged just 19.5 assists per game). Remarkably, even with a lack of assists, the Wizards' offense was one of the best in the league because the Wizards didn't commit too many turnovers and they employed a system that opened the floor for the top players to score off the dribble.

Saunders, however, brought with him an offensive philosophy that preaches ball movement and quick passing in lieu of mad dashes to the rim. In Saunders' first year in Detroit, for example, the Pistons averaged 24 assists per game, up from 21.8 per contest in Larry Brown's last season.

But while the Pistons picked up Saunders' philosophy quickly, the Wizards still play like a team confused about what style they want to play. Arenas, for example, claimed before the season that he would not shoot nearly as many three-pointers and jumpers in transition, but so many of the Wizards' possessions today ended with Arenas launching a three or a long two-point jumper while being heavily contested. Butler, meanwhile, continues to try to break down his defender slowly instead of making decisive plays. The rest of the players aren't get open, and even when they do, they're often ignored while Arenas and Butler do their thing.

"I feel, and everyone else feels, that we got to pass the ball," DeShawn Stevenson said. "If we don't pass the ball, we aren't going to win. As good as Gilbert is and Caron is, if we give them the ball every play, we're not going to win."

"Team basketball is what wins in the NBA and that's what coach Saunders has been used to," Brendan Haywood said. "We have to get back to trying to mimic that atmosphere."

For their part, when asked about the low number of assists as compared to the high number of turnovers, Arenas and Butler both expressed concern, even though both continue to struggle with maintaining that balance on the court.

"It is concerning," Arenas said, as emphatically as any statement he made during his post-game media session. "That's been going on the last three games."

"When guys are more a part of the offense, the energy changes, so we definitely have to move the ball from side to side," Butler said.

There's no better way to illustrate the effect poor ball movement had on the Wizards' offense today than to see the number 39.1 on the stat sheet in the field-goal percentage column. Sometimes, you can overcome having fewer assists if it means you are getting by your defender off the dribble and shooting open shots, but that was not the Wizards today. When the passing lanes weren't there, the answer was to take contested jumpers, as Saunders noted in the post-game press conference.

"If you're taking contested shots, it probably means you're putting the ball on the floor and you're trying to take a shot on your own instead of creating a shot for somebody else," he said.

Sounds good in theory, but what about in practice?

As Stevenson implied repeatedly in his post-game media session, the importance of moving the ball has been driven into the players' minds ever since training camp. As the losses have piled up this season, the message has gotten louder. So why do the Wizards still fail to move the ball when the going gets tough?

Stevenson said part of the problem is that the Wizards' plays aren't working. Stevenson said Saunders designs set plays in order to accommodate ball movement or quick passing, but once the plays break down, which has happened too often to start the season, the Wizards give the ball to Arenas or Butler, hoping they will make a play for themselves.

"We run a play, and somebody forgets the play, or the play doesn't work," Stevenson said. "Then, at the end of the day, it's 'Throw it to Gilbert' or 'Throw it to Caron.'"

Several possessions bear this out, in particular, the possession after the Butler one described at the top of this post. The Wizards came out of a TV timeout hoping to get Arenas the ball coming off a curl, where he'd either shoot an open shot or pass to the big man setting the screen. However, Arenas couldn't get free, because the screen was weak and because Arenas couldn't shake Steve Nash. With the play broken down, Randy Foye tried to make a play on his own, but all that resulted was a fadeaway 19-foot jump shot that had no chance.

Like Stevenson, Haywood acknowledged that other teams make runs and dial up the intensity on defense for stretches so that the Wizards don't execute the initial play correctly. However, he said this is precisely the time the Wizards need to share the ball the most rather than simply trying to create shots on their own.

"It can't be [a situation where] their team makes a run and we just say 'Ok, it's [isolation] time.' That's where you have to execute the most," he said. "That's when you have to swing the ball around, set good screens, roll, have everybody on the floor touch the ball. Then, you end up with a wide open shot."

This all sounds great in theory, but why do so many possession during runs by the opposing team end in isolations?

"Sometimes, when you're really, really talented, and you have a team that has a bunch of guys who can score the ball, things get bogged down," Haywood said. "They feel like 'Okay, get out the way, I'm going to do this myself.'"

Butler agreed with Haywood's sentiment.

"Sometimes, when you fall behind, and you got players like myself and Gilbert on the court, we kind of take it upon ourselves to do something," Butler said. "But we got to continue to believe in our teammates, move the ball, gets it from side to side and trust that they'll make plays."

It's that trust that has proven to be elusive for the Wizards thus far. Not having Antawn Jamison and Mike Miller in the lineup hasn't helped -- everyone from Saunders to Arenas to Stevenson acknowledged that. But even if those guys were in there, the difficulty developing on-court trust doesn't surprise Foye, one of the team's new additions.

"If you're playing with a certain player for three, four years, you learn them," Foye said. "But if a guy just comes on, it takes a while. You're going to play well for two or three games and you're not going to play well the next three because teams are switching the way they're guarding us. We just have to get familiar with each other."

Clearly, that hasn't happened yet.

The alternate explanation (sort of)

So what does Arenas think is the problem here? As usual, he has a slightly different read on the situation. He acknowledges that the lack of assists is a problem and admitted that he played poorly in the second half today. He also cited the injuries to Jamison and Miller, saying that both help open up the floor because they can catch-and-shoot skillfully.

But for Arenas, the problem is that the rest of the team isn't being aggressive enough trying to make plays. Rather than suggesting that the Wizards need to improve their shot selection, Arenas said he thinks the team needs to shoot quicker. He cited the Suns as a team that consistently gets open shots because they confidently shoot right away when they are open.

"I say [the problem] is when we have shots open, we're not taking them," Arenas said, pausing for several seconds prior to answering the question. "We're trying to do the extra dribble or the extra get closer to the rim, or pass the ball, when we could just take the first shot."

Arenas agreed with Saunders' assertion that the Wizards are taking too many shots off the dribble, but he also seemed a bit envious when he compared Washington's situation to Phoenix's. Arenas mentioned how he heard Nash yelling at Grant Hill for pump-faking and stepping in for a two-point shot rather than catching-and-shooting. The obvious implication from Arenas was that he feels his teammates are being too indecisive. With his teammates being indecisive, Arenas ends up being the one having to take initiative, and that so far has meant calling his own number.

"Once we swing it to the weakside, we got to drive the ball and shoot our open shots," Arenas said. "When your four man [Oberto] has five assists, it kind of tells you something that he's making plays. We have to get that from the rest of the guys."

Arenas said that if the rest of the Wizards make quick, decisive decisions, the assists will come. In that case, he was asked specifically about his own assists, but he might as well have been talking about the entire teams'.

Newsflash: It's still early

Lest this all seems doom and gloom, there's still a fair bit of hope coming from the players and the coach. We are just seven games into the season, and the Wizards have lost two very important pieces to injury that should return soon. There was buzz around the locker room today that Jamison might be ready to play next Saturday against Detroit, and his ability to function without the ball in his hands will dramatically help the offense.

"They're missing their best player," Suns coach Alvin Gentry told Michael Lee. "With Jamison, they're a different team."

Butler also seemed very relaxed, joking about the new rims and how they affected his finishing ability around the rim (he estimated that he missed six layups tonight). When asked about the offensive flow, he said that it would come, so long as they continue to move the ball. Arenas, too, was optimistic, saying that "we still have offensive players" and that he was encouraged by the defensive improvement the team is showing.

But in case the players felt a switch was suddenly going to flip (no pun intended) and they would just get it, Saunders was there to remind them that it's not so simple.

"There's no magic wand with anything in sports," Saunders said. "It's one of those things you have to grind, you have to pound away."

For the Wizards' sake, that grinding can't take too much more time. We're only seven games into the season, but already, other Eastern Conference teams like Atlanta and Miami have started stronger than the Wizards. The longer it takes for the Wizards to pick up Flip Saunders' ball-movement-heavy system, the more ground they will have to make up to avoid being a bottom-rung playoff team. And being a bottom-rung playoff team couldn't have been what Ernie Grunfeld and company had in mind this season.

Wizards lose to Heat: Final wrap, including some questioning of Flip Saunders' in-game strategy

Mike Prada — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:36:55 -0000

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It's true that a large reason (okay, fine, very large reason) last night's game against the Miami Heat was so frustrating was the outcome. To lose in the final seconds because of two missed free throws and two poorly-executed late-game plays against a team that you should probably beat really hurts.

But the truth is, I don't think I would have felt so good about this game even if we had pulled it out. The way we started the game was so frustrating and should never happen at a home game. Even if we had managed to come back, we did it by once again abandoning a lot of our principles. Gilbert Arenas almost won the game by himself, but with the exception of the brief moments Mike Miller displayed his toughness after the shoulder injury, this was a team reverting back into a one-on-one approach. Too many players either didn't show up or didn't get a chance to show up (or both).

There are a lot of reasons for those problems, and it's tough to nail down exactly who deserves the lion share of the blame. We'll try to do so below the jump. But several people involved with the team took a questionable approach to tonight's game. That list, sadly, includes head coach Flip Saunders, as we'll discuss below.

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Four Factors: (Bold=very good | Italics=very bad)

Team	Pace	Off Eff	eFG%	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
Miami	89	104.5	54.2%	20.8	22.2	19.1
Washington		100	40.9%	26.8	30.2	13.5

Snap reaction: This looks like a Four Factors chart we'd see a lot when Eddie Jordan was coaching. Terrible shooting defense, poor shooting offense, a lot of turnovers forced and not a lot of fouls committed on defense. It's the first time out shot defense has not been good, which I guess is a good sign. Overall, looking at this, it's a pretty big surprise that the Wizards were even as close as they were.

Lineup Details (via Popcorn Machine)

Highest individual plus/minus: JaVale McGee (+11 in 8:18)
Lowest individual plus/minus: Brendan Haywood (-18 in 36:00)
Best five-man unit: Randy Foye/Mike Miller/Caron Butler/Andray Blatche/JaVale McGee (+8 in the second quarter)
Worst five-man unit: Gilbert Arenas/Randy Foye/Caron Butler/Fabricio Oberto/Brendan Haywood (-12 in the first quarter)

Snap reaction: I was surprised to see Haywood's plus/minus so low, but he basically only played when Dwyane Wade played, so that explains a lot. That also explains a lot of why McGee's plus/minus was so good.

Let's start with Flip Saunders. After four games of nearly flawless in-game management, I thought Saunders made some decisions that can be questioned. Among them:

Starting out with Mike Miller guarding Dwyane Wade and Caron Butler guarding Quentin Richardson: I'm still scratching my head about this decision. I guess Saunders wanted Butler to focus on finding his offense, because he had been struggling, but that obviously didn't work out. Wade is an incredible player, no doubt, but Butler's ability to move laterally would have given him more trouble than Miller, who just can't slide his feet fast enough. Instead, Miller laid way off Wade, Wade got into a rhythm, Miller got into foul trouble and Wade couldn't be turned off. Meanwhile, Butler, who has always been prone to lapses off the ball, allowed Quentin Richardson too many open looks from three, and Richardson burned the Wizards every time.
Going to a zone in the second quarter: I get the logic here - nobody can stop Wade, so throw a different look at him and maybe it'll mess up his rhythm. But with a team this behind in basic defensive principles, I don't think it's a good idea to have them try to pick up an exceedingly complicated scheme to go along with their basic scheme. I'd like to see them master the basic scheme first.
Not going back to JaVale McGee after his boneheaded play in the second quarter: At the time, I also wanted McGee out for the game after he tried to go from the free throw line to the rim. But looking back, McGee did help the club when he was in the game, and Miami had trouble dealing with him. It might have been better to reward him for his energy and give him another chance.
Not giving Dominic McGuire a shot: I'm still wondering why McGuire isn't getting his chances. I'd think he could at least guard Wade for stretches, and with DeShawn Stevenson shooting so poorly, I'm less inclined to worry about McGuire's perimeter shooting problems.
Allowing Gilbert Arenas full freedom: A lot of this is on Gilbert, as we'll discuss below. But if you were watching ESPN, you heard that Saunders basically encouraged him to attack and call his own number. That might be wise in the fourth quarter, but in the third quarter, the emphasis should have been on getting some of the other players in the game. Yes, it's true Miami couldn't guard him, but the other guys have to stay involved.
Keeping Mike Miller in the game after he was initially hurt: Not sure how I can excuse this one. I mean, I'm sure Flip wanted him out of the game, but Miller insisted he come back, so this isn't all on the coaches. But once it was clear his shoulder was bothering him, I'm really surprised it took so long to get him back out of the game. It's game five, not game 65.

So, all those were decisions I didn't agree with. But let's be honest, tonight's loss is also on the players. The way they came out in that first quarter was pretty unacceptable. It is true that one of Flip's jobs is to get his team ready to play, but that's also the players' jobs. Caron Butler, in particular, came out so poorly last night. He wasn't shooting when he was open, which is a killer in a continuity offense. If he's not playing well, this team is in real trouble, as we saw last night.

It was around this point that Gilbert Arenas decided to take over. He hoisted 27 shots and had 15 free throws, but also only had three assists. The only time the offense really ran well, in fact, was when Arenas was not in the game (though, to be fair, neither was Wade). Obviously, in the long run, that's not a sustainable way to win. If I had to break the game down into stages, here's how I'd do it.

Quarter 1, first part: Everyone comes out flat, Gilbert defers most of the time.
Quarter 1, second part: Gilbert decides he's the only one who's in the game and tries to score every time down. His teammates remain flat.
Quarter 2, first part: Gilbert goes out, everyone else in the game realizes they need to step up and come to play, and they rise to the challenge.
Quarter 2, second part: Gilbert comes back in, still doesn't fully trust his teammates, but does pass a bit more. However, Wade hits some big shots and the Wizards fall back by 9.
Quarter 3: Gilbert gives up the ball a bit more, but still shoots a lot. The offense runs very well, led by Brendan Haywood early and Mike Miller late.
Quarter 4: Gilbert gets into a duel with Dwyane Wade, everyone else gets freezed out, Gilbert and the team lose.

It's hard for me to fully blame Arenas in Quarter 1. It was clear nobody was in the game, and Gilbert has every reason to think that he needs to carry more of the load himself until his teammates ido get into the game. But once the Wizards cut the lead down, Arenas should have committed himself more to stepping back a bit and playing more under control. Obviously, in the fourth quarter, he should get the ball, but there were too many times when he predetermined what he was going to do instead of trying to create for others.

When you do too much freezing out of your teammates, it has an effect. Butler never got back into the game after the beginning. Yes, a lot of that is on him, but he also didn't exactly get a ton of good chances in the second half. Randy Foye also didn't do much tonight, in large part because most of his shots came off the dribble when he was paired with Arenas. The Heat played him pretty well, but he still gets hurt when Arenas predetermines what he's going to do. It speaks to Arenas' incredible physical skill (he's officially back there) that he can score so many points when he predetermines like this, but it's still not good for the entire team. I don't think it's a coincidence that the Wizards' best lineup tonight didn't include Gilbert.

It's early, and his mental game still isn't there, but it should be noted that Arenas did not play particularly well despite his high point total.

More notes:

The unquestioned MVP of tonight's game was Brendan Haywood. He dominated Jermaine O'Neal, scoring 16 points and notching 11 rebounds while holding O'Neal to just four points. He also was absolutely flawless helping out on defense tonight, particularly in the fourth quarter. On offense, after a bit too much forcing early on, Haywood didn't do anything out of his comfort zone, and that made him a far more effective player. The Wizards don't come anywhere close to winning tonight without Haywood's contributions.
Lots of people are annoyed that DeShawn Stevenson was on the court at the end of the game. I don't really have a problem with it, because Stevenson was doing a good job on Wade in the fourth quarter. Wade did most of his scoring damage against other guys, not DeShawn. Now, DeShawn's play at the end to go one-on-three wasn't a smart one, for sure, but with Miller injured and Foye very incapable of guarding Wade, I'm not sure what else Flip could have done. Normally, I'd think Miller closes that game with Butler guarding Wade, but Miller was hurt, so Flip was stuck.
Gilbert is right about Caron Butler when he criticized him for taking too long to make decisions on the court. Caron can't be pump-faking and surveying the defense in this system. However, I would also like to see some different plays be run for Caron in order to empower him more. Maybe more post-ups like Tayshaun Prince used to run? I'm not sure.
I have to admit, I was impressed with how well-coached Miami is. They have little talent, but they execute extremely well. Credit Erik Spolestra for that. Then again, I am a bit confused as to why Michael Beasley didn't play very much.
Getting Antawn Jamison back will be such a big help. Right now, Fabricio Oberto is being completely ignored on offense. You can't do that with Jamison in the game.

All in all, considering where our team is at now, it's not terrible to be 2-3. I just wish I didn't have to feel so queasy about this game, win or lose. We should have taken this one.

Wizards lose to Cavaliers: Final wrap and a word about our half-court offense

Mike Prada — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:17:33 -0000

More photos » by David Liam Kyle - NBAE/Getty Images

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Last night, in our emotional game recap, I mentioned that last night's game proved that we're still not there when it comes to the true contenders for the title. It was a bit of a snappy line that was put there in effect, in part because it sounded right and in part because there was something more to it that I needed time to think about.

Well, now I've thought about it and I realize what I meant.

The sign of a true contender is one who can run their half-court offense effectively in the face of stepped-up defensive pressure. A true contender trusts their offensive system and offensive sets enough to run them better when the defensive pressure increases rather than abandoning them. The Wizards didn't run their halfcourt offense well last night. Therefore, they aren't there yet.

More below the jump, but first, some numbers.

Four Factors: (bold=very high, italics=very low).

Team	Pace	Off Eff	eFG%	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
Washington	88	102.3	42%	46.4	29.3%	14.8
Cleveland		115.9	48.3%	22.1	26.5%	8

Lineup stats, via Popcorn Machine

Highest individual plus/minus: JaVale McGee (+1 in 11:24)
Lowest individual plus/minus: Mike Miller (-16 in 34:36) and Randy Foye (-14 in 19:30)
Best lineup: Gilbert Arenas/Mike Miller/Caron Butler/Fabricio Oberto/Brendan Haywood (+6 to start the game)
Worst lineup: Gilbert Arenas/Randy Foye/DeShawn Stevenson/Andray Blatche/Brendan Haywood (-9 in the fourth quarter)

Think about it for a second. When did the game turn? In the second quarter, when the Wizards started fouling too much on defense. What happens when you foul? The other team goes to the free throw line. What happens when the other team goes to the free throw line? You're constantly taking the ball out of the basket. What happens when you constantly take the ball out of the basket? You have no transition game to rely on to use your speed advantage. How do you win when you can't rely on your transition game? You need to execute your half-court offense well.

That didn't happen at all. Credit Cleveland's defense for a lot, of course. They basically decided to play Gilbert Arenas straight up and let him try to score, and it worked tremendously. But eventually, with the game slowed down and the Wizards frustrated by perceived bad calls, they stopped running the sets and instead broke plays to make mad dashes to the rim. They figured that the refs were calling the game tight and could take advantage by creating contact. That worked, in a sense, because the Wizards ended up with 41 free throws (which was 14 more than Cleveland despite referee mistreatment, for what it's worth). But all it did is slow the game down even further, which works to Cleveland's advantage.

It wasn't just Arenas either. Caron Butler, after an excellent offensive first quarter where he did a great job of running LeBron James off picks and tiring him out, didn't do the same in the third quarter. When he did get the ball in the second half, the offensive flow just stopped as we waited for Butler to size up his defender, jab step, then either shoot or drive. Those types of things hurt your offensive flow, even if the play is designed to get Butler isolated somewhere. Randy Foye slugged his way through 19 minutes and just one assist, while Brendan Haywood continues to look for his offense a bit too much for my taste.

The Wizards' halfcourt offense needs quick and decisive moves to work. It's all a bunch of cuts and screens that fold into each other. If you take too long on one play, then you hamper your chances of continuing the offense. Too often, there was a lot of sizing up the defense rather than just going and making a play right off the bat. That, along with driving just to draw fouls, slows down the pace of the game and only exacerbates Cleveland's size advantage.

The good news here is that, if this is the problem, the remedy may simply be more time in Flip Saunders' system. That'll occur naturally as the season goes on, as everyone gets more comfortable running those sets after so many years in the Princeton. Here's hoping that time can heal those wounds.

Other notes:

Mike Miller took just three shots last night (although he did draw a number of fouls). Frankly, it's just mind-boggling how this happens. He does so many things that just make you wonder, like throwing the ball into JaVale McGee in the post with the shot clock running down. The Wizards really need to do something to force him to shoot instead of relying on him to find his offense. For example, why not let him come off the bench and start DeShawn Stevenson? Miller could come in for Caron Butler and immediately become the second- or third-best offensive player in the lineup. Then, run some plays for him and have him handle the ball in pick-and-roll situations.
I was very disappointed that Foye, Arenas and Miller never shared the court last night. I guess Flip Saunders was concerned with how they'd match up defensively with LeBron James in that lineup, but LeBron only played 36 minutes. Why not play that lineup during that stretch? Cleveland has small guards anyway. Instead, either Butler or Stevenson was in the game at all times. I think that was a mistake. UPDATE: As Aldo points out, they did end the second quarter together and were outscored by six points. My bad. Of course, the Wizards were playing Caron Butler at PF, but the point still stands.
It's only four games, but I'm a bit worried with how much Brendan Haywood is looking for his own shot. I talked to him after the Nets game about this, and he sounded so happy that he was shooting. He pointed out that he's taken 32 shots in three games (not including last night), and that it would have taken a month in the Princeton offense to get that many. This may be true, and I'm not opposed with the occasional post touch for Haywood, but Haywood is one of those guys whose efficiency goes down with increased usage. Since his efficiency was such a huge part of his value in the past, it's important his usage remains low. Don't force things, Brendan. Run the offense.
Once again, Fabricio Oberto did some positive things, but it was amazing how little respect Cleveland showed for him. Anderson Varejao basically didn't guard him the halfcourt offense. This is where Antawn Jamison's return will help most. The spacing with Oberto on the floor is brutal.
Andray Blatche didn't play badly, but he still needs to work on improving his play when he runs into a little adversity. He wasn't the same after he picked up those three fouls.
A positive sign: JaVale McGee has put together four very good games. He hasn't played much, but he's doing several positive things out there. I like his aggression fighting for offensive boards.

And finally, a note to Cleveland fans...

I imagine if you check out our game thread, you'll be a bit put off by all the whining about the officials. I understand that -- you want to enjoy your win and you don't want to deal with comments that make us seem like sore losers. But please, consider a few things.

Game threads are our sounding board. They're meant to be where we make our snap reactions to plays. They're meant to be places where our passion shows itself the most. Everyone on this site is a smart, rational fan that, like any other, is prone to emotional anxiety in the heat of the moment. So don't use those comments as fuel to your long-standing belief that Wizards fans are either stupid, crybabys or sore losers. Consider context first. Understand that those threads, and the immediate post-game threads that follow, are meant to be venting places when the Wizards lose. We do plenty of self-analysis, so don't say all we do is whine about the officials. To make an analogy - coaches complain to the officials during games all the time, but nobody would consider them whiners. It's just what happens in the heat of the moment. We understand that and we ask you do too.
Please, please, please admit this is a rivalry and that you dislike the Wizards and their fans emotionally. I mean, your own local broadcast had a poll running that said "Which Wizards player do you hate the most?" We're willing to admit that our hatred for the Cavs affects us, please be willing to do the same. And please, the players on the Cavs don't like the Wizards either, as much as they may say otherwise. As long as you're willing to admit your biases, we're willing to talk to you, because we're all aware of ours. The second the tone turns into "You pathetic Wizards and your fans, you're not our rival, we don't care about you," is the second things go south. It's wrong and you all know it.
You are welcome to comment on here, but please understand you're talking on someone else's turf. You may not agree with us or our rules, but you need to be respectful of the location. So don't come on here to pick fights. Don't call us whiners even if you believe we are. Be careful with how you phrase your comments because you know we're a sensitive lot. It's not the fairest way to talk in the world, but that's just how it is. You wouldn't go over to someone's house and tell them that their cooking sucks or their house isn't clean enough.
Finally, it is possible for us to have intelligent, rational discussion as long as we set some ground rules.

Thanks. If you are here to comment rationally and follow those ground rules, we look forward to hearing from you.

Briefing: For a Quarter and a Half, Life Was Beautiful

JakeTheSnake — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:09:48 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

about 1 month ago: Washington Wizards' Caron Butler (3) jumps toward the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers' Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11), of Lithuania, in the first quarter in an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

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Game Hub | Boxscore | Game Flow

If you're looking for a sign that the Wizards can be really special, just take a look at how Washington was able to build an 18 point lead early in 2nd quarter. Gilbert and Caron were torching Cleveland and everyone was crashing the glass for Washington. Problem was, no one else got into a rhythm and once Cleveland found a way to limit The Big 2, Washington just didn't have a back-up plan.

Guys like Randy Foye and Andray Blatche, who have both been big in both of Washington's wins, just didn't have it tonight. Neither one was awful by any means, but without Antawn Jamison in the lineup, the Wizards needed more from them to beat a team as good as the Cavs.

Certainly, Foye and Blatche don't deserve all or even most of the blame for last night's loss. None of the bigs could stay out of foul trouble, Mike Miller was efficient, but efficiency only goes so far when you only take three shots, and DeShawn Stevenson was a total non-factor: missing all of his field goal attempts, only grabbing 2 rebounds and getting no assists in 17 minutes of burn. There is still plenty of room for improvement, but as we saw for about 15-20 minutes last night, this team has the capability to be a very, very good team at times and they can get better as the season moves along.

James, Cavaliers outmuscle Wizards - Mike Jones, Washington Times

The good was that for a half, the Wizards managed to hang with the Cavaliers and even build a double-digit game while holding LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal in check. The bad was that when the Cavaliers started pounding the ball inside, Washington couldn't match Cleveland's physicality and instead found its big men mired in foul trouble. And without Antawn Jamison, a slightly subpar Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas weren't enough. The bad was also a 102-90 Cleveland victory, which marked the Wizards' fifth straight regular-season loss at Quicken Loans Arena dating back to Feb. 24, 2006.

Cavs' vision finally becomes clear - Patrick McManamon, Akron Beacon Journal

O'Neal said he takes it personally — ''Totally . . . totally'' — every time he's not double-covered, and he should score every time if he's not. ''If not, get rid of me,'' he said. The Wizards kept avoiding the double-team, and O'Neal made them pay. In this kind of game, against this kind of team, it worked.

Cavaliers 102, Wizards 90: Not a rivalry - Craig Stouffer, Washington Examiner

It isn't a rivalry when the Wizards can't stop the 3-pointer. (Augh! The blinding glare of last season!) Cleveland was 42.6 percent from behind the arc. Without Anthony Parker's bricks (1 for 6), they were 50 percent, led by Gibson (4 for 5, 14 points) and Mo Williams (3 for 4, 15 points). Remember last week, when Washington held Dallas and Atlanta to 22.2 and 25 percent, respectively? By the way, the Wizards themselves were 28.6 (4 for 14) from three.

Cavaliers 102, Wizards 90 [UPDATED] - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

Coach Flip Saunders told his team after the game that they have to learn to play the game for 48 minutes, not eight or 15. It's a tired cliché, but the Wizards are learning the hard way so far. Good teams always find a way to respond, especially at home. If you look at the Cavaliers, Lakers, Celtics and Spurs, they are really tough outs. They keep scrapping and clawing and even if you beat them, you feel worn down afterward.

Last Night's Action: I'm Sorry, So Sorry - Aaron Morrissey, DCist

Washington had a 14 point lead after the first, and pushed that lead to 16 after a 22-5 run. Caron Butler was outplaying LeBron, getting into double figures in the first ten minutes. And the Wiz were shooting lights out -- 55 percent in the first twelve minutes. But then, it all came tumbling down. The Cavs turned up the defensive intensity, a light turned on for Shaq (21 and 8), and they hit nine threes in a dominant second-half performance. Washington, meanwhile, looked completely lost, forcing jumpers and botching offensive plays, leading to quite the top-heavy boxscore.

LeBron, Shaq lead Cavs over Wizards - Tom Withers, AP

The Wizards had no answer for O’Neal and the Cavs used it to their advantage. They slowed the game down and pounded the ball inside to their big man, forcing JaVale McGee(notes), Andray Blatche(notes) and Brendan Haywood(notes) to hack or pay. McGee picked up four fouls in less than 10 minutes.

Losing to the Lebronnettes sucks - William Yoder, Agent Dagger

Leading the way for the Wizards was Arenas and Butler who scored 22 each. Off the bench Blatche and Foye both had arguably their worst games as they each scored seven. It’s no coincidence that Washington is 2-0 when the pair each score at least 15 and 0-2 when they don’t. Neither Blatche or Foye shot particularly poorly, both were 3-7 from the field. It just seemed like the pair couldn’t get in the flow of the offense. It seemed that outside of the first quarter, the Wizards were settling for chucking three’s or driving to to the basket with their head down…there was no opportunity for these two to get involved.

Cleveland 102, Washington 90 - Mike Jones, Outlet

We played really well and then there's no question when our bigs got in foul trouble the momentum changed from the standpoint that we couldn't be aggressive around the basket. We couldn't do some of the things we were doing offensively. We just weren't as aggressive and it was tough to get the mojo back," Flip Saunders said. "What happened was we had bigs that were setting good screens and doing things. When the bigs got in foul trouble it was tough to get some of those and we didn't have as much inside presence at that point. So they could lock down more on the perimeter." That would explain why Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas (after scoring 13 and 10 points, respectively) in the first quarter managed just four points apiece in the second quarter. No strong picks coming from their big men and they were forced to create for themselves even more.

Wizards (2-1) at Cavaliers (2-2) - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

Before the game, LeBron James said he was thrilled to see Gilbert Arenas playing at a high level again. Arenas entered the game ranked fourth in the league in scoring at 28 points per game. James worked out in Chicago with Arenas for a few days this summer and said in August that he was about 90-95 percent of what he once was. "I'm a big fan of Gil and the way he plays the game," James said. "To see him back healthy is good for the game. It's good for the NBA. It's good for the city of Washington."

Cavs 102 Wizards 90: A Turning Point? - Rick, WaitingForNextYear

Could this be a turning point? Sure it could. The Cavs could point to this game down the road as the game that solidified this group as a team. When they all bought into the team philosophy and clamped down at the defensive end leading to an easier time on offense. Only time will tell, and the first chance they get to keep it going is Thursday night against the Bulls.

Windhorst Beat Blog: Why LeBron was smiling - Brian Windhorst, The Plain Deale

I've been very hard on Gibson in the blog over the last year for his defense, with good reason. After this game, however, I must give him his due. He played excellent D on Gilbert Arenas in the second half and truly worked hard to get in good position and took a couple of charges. Then he shot well again, making 4-of-5 3-pointers. As I've written and said so many times, if Boobie shoots well he's an asset. If he defends he can be a valuable player, we'll see if he keeps it up.

Ride the big guy: Shaquille O'Neal steadies Cavaliers after sluggish start to 102-90 win over Wizards - Mary Schmitt Boyer, The Plain Dealer

Before the game, James told reporters how the Cavs had been improving, starting off with a sense of urgency. Then they came out and rolled over, falling behind after the first quarter, 31-17. They shot 33 percent and allowed the Wizards to shoot 55 percent. The only noteworthy development was an on-court engagement during one of the timeouts. Even Washington's Caron Butler hugged the happy couple. Oh, yes. There also was a video tribute to Cavs fan Marge Garson, celebrating her 101st birthday at the game. She showed more moves than the Cavs in that first quarter.

Recap: Cavs 102, Wizards 90 (Or, patience beats anger) - John Krolik, Cavs the Blog

Should I even say anything about Wizards fans? I mean, more than a third of the Wizards’ points tonight came from the free throw line, and the FT attempts were 41-27 in favor of the Wizards. But on every Wizards blog, all the Wizards fans want to talk about are how the refs fixed the game. Reading these comments, you’d think Mo distracted the refs as Shaq and LeBron beat up Caron without being tagged in. This is a hard game to officiate. If you’re biased towards a team, you’re going to find a number of "bad"calls in every game. Fred and AC sure thought there were some bad calls that went in favor of the Wizards tonight. Let’s all of us maybe get a smidgen of perspective on how objective we are when it comes to evaluating calls. Wizards fans, if you want a rivalry with the Cavs, have a rivalry with the Cavs. Right now, it feels like the Cavs are the middleman in your rivalry with the referees. I get the anxieties, and apologize for game 3 in 2006, but it’s drifting into self-parody. I’d really like to start talking about things like basketball.

Best of Twitterville

Twitter / Dan Steinberg
There might never be a better Halloween costume idea than Abe Lincoln with a DeShawn Stevenson neck tat http://twitpic.com/o7khs

Twitter / Kevin Reiss
I've paid so little attention to the NBA the last few years that I had no idea Al Roker coaches the Cavaliers.

Twitter / Zach Harper
Andray Blatche, you've had a great start to the season. But for god's sake find a guard on the break.

Twitter / The BF gang
So many ticky-tack fouls. So many real fouls.

Twitter / Mike Jones
Wiz look deflated. Butler's gassed and on bench. Arenas hasn't had impact since the 1st qtr, and Haywood, Blatche tentative w foul woes.

Twitter / Michael Lee
Flip bats away LeBron's pass and forces a turnover. If his team isn't going to play D, at least Flip will.

Twitter / Chase Hughes
Ironically, Andray Blatche only had 7 points tonight.

Twitter / Wizards Extreme
What the hell is with the confetti in game 4 of an NBA season? Stay classy Cleveland

Twitter / Jack Kogod
We're going to lose games like that on the road without Antawn. I can accept that. Cleveland played well. #F*ckingRefsTookOutOurBigs

Twitter / Truth_About_It
Wiz lose 102-90. Bad refs (sorta), but can't blame them at all. Wiz beat themselves. But need short memory, play D-Wade in DC tomorrow.

Twitter / wizznutzz
We all been watching scrolling stats on @Yahoosports rather than game. It is mesmerizing emptiness, like LeBron's soul. http://is.gd/4Mt9K

Wizards lose to Hawks in Atlanta: Final wrap. Tempo, tempo, tempo

Mike Prada — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:28:55 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

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You hear it a lot from Doug Collins, in between long rambling thoughts about 300 different things all at once. It's the reverse of what so many people say about the league when they bash it. But it really is true.

The NBA is a first-quarter league. Tonight's game really proved it.

The Wizards struggled with three things in tonight's loss against Atlanta: transition defense, overly-frantic offense and fouls. In the first quarter, after the Wizards took a 15-5 lead by playing smart, efficient basketball and dictating tempo, we saw too much isolation and too many mad dashes to the hoop by Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood on offense. We saw too many guys go for offensive rebounds, allowing Atlanta to run off misses and use their superior athleticism to finish plays. FInally, we saw foul difficulties -- Mike Miller had two, Fabricio Oberto had two and DeShawn Stevenson had three.

It's not easy to slow down a game once it gets sped up. The Wizards could never regain control of the game's tempo, and that's why they couldn't catch up. Had they been more vigilant about establishing their style of game early, they would have won the game.

Oh well. Lesson learned.

Four Factors: (Bold=very high | Italics=very low)

Team	Pace	Off Eff	eFG%	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
Washington	92	96.8	47.5%	17.7	18.2	16.3
Atlanta		109.9	44.2%	39.7	25.6	14.3

Lineup details, via Popcorn Machine:

Highest individual plus/minus: Mike Miller (+7 in 32:48) and Fabricio Oberto (+7 in 18:12)
Lowest individual plus/minus: Andray Blatche (-17 in 33:36) and DeShawn Stevenson (-9 in 11:18)
Best lineup: Gilbert Arenas/Mike Miller/Caron Butler/Fabricio Oberto/Brendan Haywood (+4 to start the game)
Worst lineup: Gilbert Arenas/Randy Foye/Dominic McGuire/Andray Blatche/Brendan Haywood (-7 to close the first half)

More below the jump:

How much of tonight is Gilbert Arenas' fault?

As mentioned above, the biggest problem tonight was the Wizards' inability to dictate tempo. Atlanta is not a fast-paced team, and 92 possessions is pretty average all things considering, but they were running on missed shots and converting a high percentage of their fast-break opportunities. A lot of the time, the Wizards were caught out of position in their transition defense, both on fast breaks and secondary breaks, when the Wizards got in trouble with cross-matches from guys not getting back.

A large part of the problem was that Arenas was breaking a lot of plays to drive to the basket. Yes, it's true that you want Arenas to be aggressive, in particular because it would wear down Joe Johnson. However, that has to come more in the flow of the offense than it did tonight. Arenas kept calling his own number instead of letting the offense run itself and then dumping the ball to another scorer. The rest of the players were often not prepared for Arenas' decisions and didn't get in position to defend in transition. Gil's 9-22 line kind of proves how much this strategy didn't work.

I get Arenas' logic on one level. With so many difficult calls going against him, Arenas, like most superstars, drove to the rim because if you don't get the call one time, you tend to get the call the next time. But this process repeated itself over and over and over again tonight. It became clear that the referees were not going to give Arenas the call for constantly creating contact (even though they gave the call when Atlanta ... ah nevermind, no whining about the officials). When that happens, maybe you should try changing your strategy.

So a part of this was indeed Arenas' fault. But there were a couple other problems to note.

One, of course, was the loss of Caron Butler. His injury meant Arenas was out there with a bunch of guys best suited to playing off the Big 3. Running the offense means running a lot of plays that end with Butler getting the ball n a good spot. Without that luxury, there are significantly fewer plays you can run out there. Having Butler makes it much easier for Arenas to slow things down and run Flip Saunders' sets.

The other was the big men. Brendan Haywood looked for his offense too much last night, pressing and keeping guys out of position. Meanwhile, a lot of the other players, such as Blatche and Mike Miller, were too aggressive going for offensive rebounds. You can get offensive rebounds on Atlanta, but it's a major risk you take because of their ability to fast break. In large part, they want you to go for offensive rebounds, because it allows them to leak out and get easy buckets. There were so many plays where there were at least two guys trailing the ball because they were fruitlessly going after an offensive rebound. That's how tempo gets controlled.

So, it's part Arenas, part the bigs and part Butler (for getting hurt).

The fouling has got to stop

Yes, it's true that there were a lot of questionable ticky-tack fouls called on the Wizards tonight. But nevertheless, for the second straight game, the Wizards committed far too many fouls on defense. What makes it particularly frustrating is that the Wizards did a great job contesting Atlanta on the perimeter, as evidenced by the mediocre eFG% put up by the Hawks.

What separates the good defenses from the defenses that seem good, but aren't is the ability to contest drives without fouling. You don't need to go for the strip when you can simply force guys into your big players, contest and live with the results. The latter is a form of disciplined defenses that you always see from the best defensive teams (San Antonio, Orlando, Houston). So, when Joe Johnson gets into the lane and has to take that difficult floater, don't do him a favor and bail him out. Don't play these guys so close on the perimeter where you have to hand-check them every time they drive. That's just not necessary.

Getting to the line also allows you to control when you run. The Wizards could never get very many fast breaks going because they were always taking the ball out of bounds after Atlanta's free throws. By contrast, Atlanta played tough defense without fouling, and they were able to run very easily. This is something the Wizards need to fix.

Covering Joe Johnson

How did the Wizards do on Joe Johnson? Well, it was mixed. They did hold him down to 5-16 shooting, mostly because when he was forced to shoot, the Wizards did a great job of contesting those shots. On that front, they were very successful.

However, Johnson still got his 17 points and six rebounds despite a bad shooting night. Why? Too much fouling once he got in the lane, for one. For another, the Wizards still trapped him and sagged on him a little too often tonight. He was able to set up a couple guys for threes and open shots, which empowered the rest of the Hawks.

So, I guess I'd say mixed results here. There still was too much overhelping on guys other than Johnson (don't ever leave Mo Evans open for the corner three!) as well. But at least Flip has some data on times when the Wizards did something right on a big gun defensively. He needs to use those clips in future film sessions.

Other thoughts

This wasn't Brendan Haywood's best game. Yes, he did have 19 points on 12 shots, with nine rebounds, but I was not happy with how he did on the defensive glass. A lot of those rebounds came late in garbage time. He was looking for his shot a little too much as well. Atlanta's speedy frontcourt gave him a lot of problems, but there were also times when he just wasn't as active boxing out as he normally is. I'm not concerned, but it's worth pointing out that his numbers still were a bit hollow.
Is it ever possible to get 10 rebounds selfishly? If so, I thought Mike Miller teetered close to that. He took a lot of rebounds away from the Wizards' bigs, rushing in there to get the board instead of waiting for an outlet pass to start the break. He also desperately needs to shoot more, particularly when Butler was injured. There was one play where he had a layup, but instead threw it back to Andray Blatche for a 20-footer that clanked off the rim. Then again, Miller needs more plays run for him, and Arenas didn't do that because he was driving a ton.
Nick Young's stint was definitely forgettable. He's playing like he has no confidence in his game.
Yet another solid game from Andray Blatche, though his defense wasn't as good as it was against Dallas.

All in all, I wouldn't be too worried about this one. Atlanta has fewer pieces to integrate, and they were healthy and at home. We made it a game and it would have been even closer if we hit more free throws. We'll get them next time.