Wizards-Knicks 2 (postgame)

Hot shooting from long range did the Knicks in. New York was unable to counter the "hibachi" of Arenas and Jamison. Knicks tried to counter the Wizards by pounding Eddy Curry inside (a very smart move, in my opinion). It worked for much of the game but it was not enough. Several Knick players hit outside shots early (Marbury, Richardson, and Robinson), but they couldn't sustain it.

A problem for Washington is that when the team has a sizable lead, the defense gets even weaker. This allows the other team to get back into the game. Not a good mentality to follow through. The Bulls, for example, had 3 straight blowout games at home (one against the Wizards) and were able to sustain it for much of the game, with or without the starters. That's good basketball coaching and execution. The Wizards aren't there yet. Hopefully, Washington won't have to squander leads as easy later on in the season.

Strangely enough, Gilbert was on fire from most of the court except the foul line. He struggled there and even Buckhantz mentioned that "it could be one of those nights for Arenas". Buckhantz was right about that. Luckily, Jamison's unbelievable shooting helped provide the 1-2 punch. Caron Butler played fine, but he was definitely the #4 guy for the team after Gil, Antawn, and DeShawn. Ivan Carter of the Washington Post reported that Caron may be struggling from a strained back. Hope this isn't a serious thing.

Knick fans don't have a lot of patience anymore. The "boo birds" came out at halftime and a lot during the third quarter. The fans cheered during the Knicks' mini-comeback, but they went back to booing when Tawn and Arenas hit another 3.

Lastly, Washington got the road monkey off their backs for now. Philly is next and that's on the road. It is never easy to play in Philly. Iverson is the main factor, but from what I saw yesterday in the Bulls game, Korver and Iguodala also played well. And you never know what CWebb is going to do.

Washington: 8-10
New York: 7-14