[MJG]

<center><table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td></td><td width=20><center>@</center></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan=3></td></tr><tr><td colspan=3></td></tr><tr><td><center>15 - 12</center></td><td width=20></td><td><center>12 - 16</center></td></tr></table>

3:00 PM on CSN

Washington leads season series 1 - 0


<table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td></td><td><center>- Key Match: SG -<br><font color=#DFDFDF>|</font><br><font color=#DFDFDF>|</font></center><table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td width=34><p align="right">19.6</p></td><td width=50><center>PPG</center></td><td width=34>22.0</td></tr><tr><td colspan=3><font color=#DFDFDF>|</font></td></tr><tr><td width=34><p align="right">6.0</p></td><td width=50><center>RPG</center></td><td width=34>6.1</td></tr><tr><td colspan=3><font color=#DFDFDF>|</font></td></tr><tr><td width=34><p align="right">5.1</p></td><td width=50><center>APG</center></td><td width=34>4.2</td></tr><tr><td colspan=3><font color=#DFDFDF>|</font></td></tr><tr><td width=34><p align="right">2.9</p></td><td width=50><center>SPG</center></td><td width=34>1.8</td></tr><tr><td colspan=3><font color=#DFDFDF>|</font></td></tr><tr><td width=34><p align="right">0.3</p></td><td width=50><center>BPG</center></td><td width=34>0.4</td></tr><tr><td colspan=3><font color=#DFDFDF>|</font></td></tr><tr><td width=34><p align="right">36.2</p></td><td width=50><center>MPG</center></td><td width=34>36.3</td></tr><tr><td colspan=3><font color=#DFDFDF>|</font></td></tr></table></td><td></td></tr></table></center>

[jazzy1]

I expect another loss here. We are far too perimeter a team. The last time we played the Celtics Brendan got 20 points and was a big factor. We have since phased him out of the offense in favor of the Bogus 3. Celtics do have very capable perimeter players so I think they play fired up and take this win.

After this loss the change will come EJ will look more interior or lose his job.

[MJG]

Sadly, I've all but stopped expecting wins. Doesn't mean I expect losses, just that I've fallen into thinking that most games could easily go either way. This is definitely one of those games.

Will we actually let Haywood get the ball inside, or will we yank him randomly from the lineup for ten minute stretches that leave us with the 6'9 Jamison as our biggest player on the court? Okay, I know it will be the latter, but I still hold out hope for the former.

I'll call a very similar game to Detroit, except we walk out with the win. Big lead early, comeback late for Boston, last few minutes are tight, we win by a couple points.

[Truth34]

You're catching the Celtics at a really bad time.

One things for sure, you're going to get 100 points, easy. Yes, the game could go either way, but the Celtics are not a good home team, and as evidenced by our earlier meeting, I think you have the better team.

Could be a good game, could go either way.

[Shanghai Kid]

I honestly think we win this game by double digits. I think you guys have started to overrated Haywoods post game. In the last month whenever he does get the ball in the low post it's usually a traveling call. He's best when he's dunking off of Hughes and Gil's dishoffs. What we need is Jamison getting back under the hoop and to stop taking long range jumpers.


Arenas is on fire right now, and ice age old Gary Payton is going to slow him down? I don't think so.

38 for Gil, Wiz win 112-101.

[jazzy1]

Originally posted by <b>Shanghai Kid</b>!
I honestly think we win this game by double digits. I think you guys have started to overrated Haywoods post game. In the last month whenever he does get the ball in the low post it's usually a traveling call. He's best when he's dunking off of Hughes and Gil's dishoffs. What we need is Jamison getting back under the hoop and to stop taking long range jumpers.


Arenas is on fire right now, and ice age old Gary Payton is going to slow him down? I don't think so.

38 for Gil, Wiz win 112-101.

Nah I'm not overrating Haywoods game at all. He's no great scorer but he's capable of getting us 12-14 points a game if given the ball more than for about 5-6 shot attempts a night.

Early in the season we had a team that had everyone in the starting 5 producing and Dixon, Hayes, and Peeler giving us something off the bench as far as scoring.

But then this whole notion of the BIG 3 starting popping up and they essentailly isolated the rest of the whole team from the game. They are taking almost 60 shots a night. That can't happen and expect us to win against any quality teams.

Its not about Arenas, Hughes and Jamison jacking up shots its about moving the ball and getting some scores out of the post.

Hayes's minutes started getting shaky Dixon got eliminated out of the rotation, Kwame started getting jerked, and Ruffin a total non scorer and useless player who gets the Big 3 even more shots.

The Big 3 have slowly phased out the whole idea of a Princeton offense there is very little ball movement and now everything is Arenas and Hughes going 1on1 and jamison hoisting up jumpers.

And on defense we're bad at the 4 and worse at the 1. We never contain the dribbler and get pushed around against the Big 4's.

All I'm saying is insert Kwame into the starting line-up get kwame and Haywood touches, get them double figures to support the perimeter scoring. kwame's passing will open up the rest of the game for everyone.

Arenas is playing great but he has to incorporate some interior post ups or we're gonna lose games to all the quality teams.

We may start to struggle beating the also rans.

[MJG]

That's what I'm thinking with Haywood -- we certainly should not be pounding the ball into him possession after possession, but we also certainly should not phase him totally out of the offense. He doesn't need to be the center of the offense, or even a featured player. He does, however, need to get more than a couple postups a game. Toss the ball down to him a couple of times per quarter consistenly throughout the game, not twice in the first six minutes and once in the next 42. We need <i>some</i> inside game on offense, even if it isn't perfect.

More important than how he's used on offense though is just his general playing time. We all know the bizarre work EJ does with the rotations, and Haywood has gotten the worst of it the past week or so. He may play 20 minutes in the first half, 6 in the second. He may the entire first and third quarters, none of the second or fourth. It's got to be tough for him to figure out any kind of decent rhythm when his minute breakdown is so wild. What I wouldn't give for us to go a five game stretch where he gets 8 per in the first three quarters, 10 in the 4th in each game. Doesn't have to be exact, minutes can vary here or there, but something that can be remotely considered consistent.

[jazzy1]

S O S

Same Old Sh I mean Stuff

Jamison misses the clutch wide open 3, Defense breaks down the last 6 minutes.

EJ sticks with Ruffin too long in the 4th in which time the Wizards give up easy baskets at the rim where Haywood could have gotten a couple blocks.

Too much perimeter.

Brendan gives us 13 but could have gotten more had he gotten the ball.

2 Guys combine for 64 from the perimeter and we lose again.

Broken record.

[MJG]

I second that jazzy. SOS is right. Awful rotation work, as usual, was obvious. Hughes, far and far and far away our best offensive player tonight, was pulled for about 4-5 minutes in the middle of the 4th for no reason in particular. Haywood doesn't even see the 4th until two minutes are left, during which time Boston scores in the paint like it's going out of style. And what the heck was up with the first 7 minutes of the 2nd, where both teams had five bench players in?

Jamison on the last shot, major brick, big surprise there. He should be our last option (besides the big man) on a game tying three pointer, not the first. I'll give credit to EJ here, the play he put to use was pretty good, but I'd have rather have seen just about anyone else as the final destination for the ball. Jamison shot 47% on his way to a good point total, but once again I feel he played below his stats. A hot stint in the 4th where he hit I believe three s