Wizards-Bulls 1 (postgame)

After the first quarter of play, the game turned into a blowout by the Chicago Bulls. Most of the Wizards starters were benched in favor of everyone else on the team. There isn't a lot of positive things to say about this game (other than Butler's play again).

The road woes continue as it has hit 8 straight. It is now a franchise record (when you break a franchise record, you're either doing something spectacular or something dreadful - and in this case, the latter). The offensive flow for the Wizards is not found during road games. The passing stops and the offense effectively turns into a 1-on-5 matchup.

It is very evident that when the offense stops, so does the defense. The Bulls capitalized on the Wizards lack of interior size and just attacked the basket. Pretty simple strategy that worked to perfection. Even Ben Wallace showed signs that he still has offensive game. I wonder if the Wizards players even listen to scouting reports. Buckhantz and Chenier mentioned that the Bulls is the best 3 point shooting team in the league. Well, Nocioni and Gordon went off from downtown and the Wizards couldn't do anything. The gameplan was great for Chicago - attack the interior, get the Wiz to collapse in the paint, kick the ball outside and drain the 3s. It worked all night as the Bulls were up 30 at one point.

It was a tough game to watch and digest for Wizards fans because all the team's problems were displayed in one sitting. Donyell Taylor, Andray Blatche, and James Lang did bring more energy to the floor for Washington but it was too late. Arenas only played 21 minutes. There is no consistency for the Wizards. The team isn't "smart" enough to figure out what's wrong. I guess this shows talent isn't all that in the NBA. When a team works well together, you only need 1 or 2 stars and a bunch of consistent complimentary players. The Lakers, Jazz, Magic, and Hornets are models of this.

The brutal December for Washington continues with 5 more back-to-backs. The hottest team in the league, Dallas Mavericks, is next. If the Wizards survive December, they still have a chance for playoffs. If not, it'll be nearly impossible to dig out of a 10+ games below .500. With one-fifth of the season over, most teams already have an identity. Washington is still searching for one, much like a win on the road.

Washington: 6-10
Chicago: 7-9

Bobcats-Wizards 1 (postgame)

Entertaining is the best word to describe this game. A very high scoring affair from both teams. Adam Morrison is definitely NBA ready with his offensive arsenal. His defense is much to be desired (but it will improve). There were a lot of people in the crowd for a Bobcats-Wizards game (found out that most are high school kids). Wizards made things interesting late after being up 15. Bobcats came back with 9 unanswered points with at least 1:30 to go. The bottom line is that the Bobcats missed more shots in the second half than the Wizards. That's the only reason why they lost.

Charlotte: 4-12
Washington: 6-9