Wizards-Mavericks (postgame)

Obviously, this game was a tale of two halves. Many would say that the Wizards played decent in the first half, but I disagree. The Wizards continue to fall into a pattern of loading up on Arenas' scoring and not distributing the ball within the Princeton offense. After Arenas went cold and the Mavericks got warm, the Wizards did what they always do - hang their heads and not do anything about it. The starters would go into a shell and hope that someone else take the initiative for a comeback. I absolutely hate the attitude of this team during these types of scenarios -- and it seems to happen consistently on road games. It is a significant sign that the team is soft.

When the opponent gets on a hot shooting streak, there is nothing you can do but try and match the scoring if you know that defense isn't one of the team's strengths. However, the Wizards weren't able to do that and fell behind by 31 points near the end of the game. Dallas now won 7 straight after starting the season with 4 consecutive losses. Washington hasn't won any of its first five road games, the latest it has gone this deep in the season without a road victory since 1999-00.

The Wizards play against the Houston Rockets tonight. The starters should be more rested due to the blowout at Dallas. Actually, with this team, no one knows what is going to happen. If the team falls to 0-6 on the road, no one will be shocked. If the team wins tonight, no one will be shocked.

Washington: 4-6
Dallas: 7-4

My Fantasy Team (3)

After a dismal first game performance by the heavy hitters on my team last week (C. Paul, Yao, and Gerald Wallace), they were able to come back and help me get a 6-3 decision. I'm currently second place in the league (the first place team has a 7-2 decision).

My last update mentioned that I dropped Stephen Jackson and picked up Jarrett Jack. Well, several more changes have been made. As a recap, this is what my team had (Bold = new addition):

1. Chris Paul (Hornets)
2. Yao Ming (Rockets)
3. Kevin Martin (Kings)
4. Leandro Barbosa (Suns)
5. Caron Butler (Wizards)
6. Antonio Daniels (Wizards)
7. Carmelo Anthony (Nuggets)
8. Andrew Bogut (Bucks)
9. Jarrett Jack (Trailblazers)
10. Al Harrington (Pacers)
11. Rudy Gay (Grizzlies)
12. Gerald Wallace (Bobcats)
13. Nenad Krstic (Nets)

Now, my team looks like this:

1. Chris Paul (Hornets)
2. Yao Ming (Rockets)
3. Kevin Martin (Kings)
4. Leandro Barbosa (Suns)
5. Caron Butler (Wizards)
6. Monta Ellis (Warriors)
7. Carmelo Anthony (Nuggets)
8. Andrew Bogut (Bucks)
9. David Lee (Knicks)
10. Al Harrington (Pacers)
11. Gerald Wallace (Bobcats)
12. Nenad Krstic (Nets)
13. Ryan Gomes (Celtics)

So, I was able to pick up Gomes. His minutes are starting to go up and hopefully, he could turn into a David West type player. I did want to trade Gerald Wallace, but I'm going to keep him and tough it out. My other SGs (Kevin Martin and Monta Ellis) are performing at a very high level. Bogut's inconsistencies may cause me to trade him ...

Jarvis Hayes Injury

Besides Larry Hughes and Kenyon Martin, is there another player that can't seem to shake the injury bug? It is too bad that Jarvis Hayes is part of this category. After Jarvis' nasty fall Saturday Night, the energy inside Verizon Center just died. Everyone thought "not again" as Jarvis laid motionless on the court for 10-15 minutes. When the stretcher was brought out, the Cavaliers got concerned as well (LeBron and Coach Brown walked over near Hayes and had discussions with Washington players and Eddie Jordan).

Hayes is listed as day-to-day Sunday after bruising his back and banging his head in a collision during a game. X-rays showed he didn't do any structural damage, the Wizards said.

Cavaliers-Wizards 2 (postgame)

During the announcement of the starting lineups, LeBron James was booed heavily by the DC crowd. Not a smart move because it is these types of reactions that get LeBron's juices flowing. However, the game turned in the 3rd quarter and there was no looking back for Washington.

What a night by Arenas! He came out of his shooting slump to take care of business at home and also made the crowd scream "oohs" and "aahs" when he went Mano-a-Mano against LeBron. LeBron did some things to keep his team in it, but the back-to-back really showed on the Cavs as they didn't display their usual energy. The Wizards were also coming off a back-to-back, but playing at home gave them a sense of comfort.

Although Caron Butler has been the Wizards best player overall (even during the games Wiz lost), his shot is no longer there. However, with the absence of Jared Jefferies, Butler's rebounding numbers are way up. Jamison had a quiet night, but so did many others when Gilbert lit up the scoring.

The thing that stood out in this game was Washington's defense. For the first time this season, the defense was very good. I agree with LeBron and Coach Mike Brown that there were some fouls not called for #23, but overall, the Wizards displayed the type of defense that is needed on a nightly basis so that the team can stay competitive.

Lastly, the latest word on Jarvis Hayes is that he suffered a back bruise and is listed day-to-day. Good to hear that. People may have forgotten that Hayes was the starter on the Wizards last year until his season ended during the Laker game at Staples. The reasons were because Hayes showed Coach that he plays good defense and that Caron was new and had to take time to learn the offense. It is too bad that Hayes has been demoted back to the bench, but that's just the way it is in professional sports. It's all about performance and Caron brings more intangibles to the table.

Cleveland: 7-3
Washington: 4-5