Around the NBA (4)

I found out that NBA League Pass currently have a free preview session. Thus, I was lucky enough to watch a lot of games this evening.

1. Can't believe Bulls lost to the Kings. The heroes for the Kings were definitely Mike Bibby and Ron Artest. Chris Duhon for the Bulls had 2 consecutive turnovers that opened the door for the Kings comeback win.
2. LeBron did the same thing (driving to the basket) against the Spurs as he did against the Wizards. Guess what - no one on the Spurs could stop LeBron, not even Tim Duncan (who got dunked on, BTW). I don't feel as bad that the Wizards couldn't contain LeBron on Wednesday.
3. What a game by Iverson to take down the Magic in Orlando. Grant Hill had a great game too, but not enough as the Answer hit a running layup (very tough shot) to win on the road.
4. Pistons' D definitely will suffer without Ben Wallace; however, they still have a little swagger left. Pistons beat the Celtics in Boston.
5. Denver lost at home as Carmelo missed 3 straight threes at the end of the game. Denver is now 0-2.
6. Miami came back against the Nets. Vince Carter tried to tie the game late but Miami hung on for its first win of the season.
7. Lakers took a big lead on the Sonics early, but Seattle is up 92-88 with 10 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. Kobe is playing for the first time this season. Let's see if the Sonics can beat the undefeated Lakers at Staples.

Wizards Stickers

Around the NBA (3)

1. Spurs may have the Mavs number again this year. They were able to win on the road against last year's western conference champs.
2. I only watched 10 minutes of the Nuggets/Clippers game. Marcus Camby is a monster. The big lineup of Denver is very intriguing, but I'm not sure it is as good as the players they have on the team. A lot of big name talent (kinda like the Wizards), but there are some issues that need to be resolved if the team wants to go far.

Around the NBA (2)

1. Orlando is the only team from SE division to win a game. Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, and Washington all lost their first game of the regular season.
2. Detroit Pistons gave up 70 points in the paint against Milwaukee. Bucks scored 105 total.
3. It only took 3 OTs for Knicks to win ... where they were up 19 ... against Memphis ... without Pau Gasol ...
4. Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz had 24 points and 19 rebounds against the Rockets. Houston lost BTW.
5. Lakers are 2-0 without Kobe this season.

Final Thoughts on Wiz-Cavs (Postgame)

I watched the game on Comcast SportsNet instead of ESPN. I enjoyed how fair the broadcasting was from Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier. They gave props to Cleveland when the Cavs executed good plays and didn't play favorites even though they are the TV voices of the Wizards. I respect these guys and their profession.

Gilbert almost laid a goose egg (on national TV, no less). Not a good start for the 4th highest scorer in the NBA last season. What made it worse was that his father, Gilbert Sr., sat in the stands watching (next to GM Ernie Grunfeld). You know they talked a lot about this game. Gilbert loves putting on a show and he just didn't have it Wednesday night. Maybe he'll bounce back at home against the Celtics on Saturday. Larry Hughes, Gil's best friend when he was in D.C., did super. This was the 2004-05 Larry that the Wiz fans saw and what the Cavs fans wanted last season. As long as he's healthy, he'll be a very dangerous compliment to LeBron.

Etan played probably his best offensive game as a pro. Being named a starter got his juices flowing even more. I guess NAB players are very sensitive to being labeled "starter" or "bench guy" because if you know you've got game, you want to play and get minutes. Two of the "Big 3" did what you would expect from them. Both Caron and Antawn shot the ball very well. I'm glad to see Jarvis getting 25 minutes and AD getting 29 minutes. Even better is Jamison only getting 31 minutes (very nice usage of Antawn so he doesn't wear out near the end of the season).

The Wiz shot 15.4% from downtown. Ouch! On the positive side, the Wizards cut turnovers down to just 11 (Gil had 4 and Caron had 5 - so, it came from 2 sources). The game had 8 lead changes and 10 ties. Another classic game for the "rivalry" between the Wizards and the Cavaliers.

Initial Thoughts on Wiz-Cavs (Postgame)

Another close game. Larry Hughes played great. Best player from both sides tonight. LeBron produced as usual. Gilbert had a terrible shooting game, but he tried to make it up by getting assists and rebounds. Gil also had 4 turnovers. Caron and Antawn had good games, but not enough. Etan's offense game was unbelievable. Perfect from the field against Big Z. Haywood played solid as he did last year against the Cavaliers. Wiz interior defense was non-existent again.

Final Score: 97 Cavs - 94 Wizards

Cleveland: 1-0
Washington: 0-1

ESPN NBA Poster

Stats and Quotes

The Wizards were 10-18 in games decided by six points or fewer last season and were in position to win three of the playoff games against Cleveland in the closing seconds before letting those games slip away.

"Myself, Antawn, Gilbert, Antonio, Etan, Brendan and we have DeShawn now -- we all got better this summer because we don't want to let that [losing buzzer beaters last season] happen again. I'm glad people are sleeping on us. It's just going to feel that much better when we wake them up." - Caron Butler (Washington Post 11-1-06)

Arenas, Jamison and Butler combine for 67.4 points per game, the highest-scoring trio in the league last season.

The Wizards averaged 20.6 turnovers in eight preseason games, and that number wasn't solely a product of increased playing time for reserves. The starters each averaged at least a turnover per game. The Wizards ranked 10th in the league last season with 13.9 turnovers per game.

"What we saw as the preseason concluded, and after all of our evaluations, was that Etan showed a little bit more force and a little bit more aggressiveness," Jordan said. "We are looking to protect the rim and the paint." - Eddie Jordan (on Etan Thomas starting at center over Haywood)

"Having Mike as an Associate Head Coach is of great significance to me because we share the same philosophies when it comes to basketball," said Wizards Head Coach Eddie Jordan.
"He has an outstanding work ethic, a great reputation with our players, a knack for player development, and a strong ability to conceptualize and implement a game plan. On top of that, he comes from a rich basketball tradition at North Carolina, and in the professional level, he's been to two NBA Finals as an assistant. I have the utmost trust in Mike, and I'm thrilled to continue to work with him in his new role. His contribution is invaluable." (on Mike O'Koran promoted to Associate Head Coach of the Wizards)

"It's that time when it's not about talking anymore, it's about actions," said Jamison. "We know what kind of team we have and we're all anxious to get out there and play." (on the Wizards 2006-07 season)

Around the NBA (1)

Although this blog is called "DC Wizards", there is no need to be a homer since my true passion is the NBA, not just the Wiz. Couple of thoughts on the games I saw last night:

1. Bulls-Heat

I did not watch the game from the start. I was able to get a glimpse of the halftime score and it said Bulls 59 - Heat 30. WTF?! I thought Wade got hurt or something (Wade did drop 25 points but sat out the 4th quarter). After seeing the score, I wanted to watch the game to confirm what I saw. At last, I was back at home when the game as near the end of the 3rd quarter. By then, the Miami crowd left and the bench guys were getting ready to play. What a performance by Chicago. The final score resulted in a 42 point blowout. Games like this do happen, so I'm not particularly shocked. I guess people were not expecting this on the night that the home team gets championship rings. Lack of pride? Perhaps. Lack of focus? Most likely. I checked the box score and it said the bulls made 15 of 19 in the 2nd quarter. Hot shooting for a team is rare, especially on opening night and on the road. Props to the Bulls for not taking in all the distractions. Orlando can't feel too good tonight against Chicago. The back-to-back may be the only thing that'll slow down the Bulls. We shall see.

2. Suns-Lakers

After learning from several Laker fans online that Kobe wasn't ready to play, I was not as interested in the game. I still watched the first quarter and my eyes confirmed several things that carried over from last year for both teams:

a) Phoenix's offense is still great with Nash controlling at the point.

b) Phil Jackson's teams never give up against any team. That's why the coach is the best in today's game. When you see the Lakers lineup on paper against what the Suns have, you laugh because it looks like a blowout before it happens (esp. without Kobe). However, the Lakers weathered the storm of Phoenix's hot shooting early. Being down 14 doesn't both Phil and the Lakers at all. This is a well coached team that will probably make the playoffs.

c) Phoenix's defense is as weak as Washington's, maybe worse.

d) Lamar Odom has all-star talent. He needs to bring it every game. Odom shouldn't let Kobe dictate everything on the court when Odom is more unstoppable due to his size and superb rebounding and passing skills for a guy that's 6-11.

I went to bed with Phoenix leading. When I tuned into Sportscenter this morning, the highlights showed the Lakers won. Unbelievable. This is exactly what I said in (b) from above. Maybe it wasn't a fluke that the Lakers were up 3-1 against the Suns last playoffs. The Lakers scoring 114 without Kobe shocked me. Kobe was extremely happy and giddy and smiling. Andrew Bynum exceeded expectations with his performance. Amare's weak performance in the 2nd half placed more doubt into our minds about his injury. Boris Diaw fouled out with only 4 points. A crazy beginning to the NBA season on Halloween. The teams that were suppose to lose won. The favorites have to be left wondering what happened.