Open thread: Regular season game 11

AD plays over 40 minutes, Haywood gets another double-double, and it'll be Jamisons turn for a sick scoring night.

A few thoughts:

-The offense, at least, is clearly working.  If prada had posted a poll two weeks ago asking if the team could score 110+ back-to-back-to-back without gilbert, would ANY of us have said yes?

-Another solid outing from Blatche and Young.  Young has clearly replaced Mason on the depth chart and continues to show a lot of upside.

-How did Brendan look tonight?  The box score is unimpressive, and he had the worst +/- at -20.  That's not like him at all, and I'd wager that his ankle is far from 100% for that reason.  If Eddie Jordan was going small because Blatche was in foul trouble and he didn't want to risk an injury to Brendan, I'm totally fine with the result.

-Speaking of minutes, 44 for Jamison, 42 for Caron.  I hope they aren't exhausted for tomorrow's game on the road.  If they log heavy minutes there, and if the Texas games are the blow-outs that, let's face it, those teams ought to be able to engineer, I hope Eddie gives those guys a rest.  This is a ridiculously busy part of the season's schedule.

-What was the story with all those threes?  I was listening on internet radio, so I could see whether the team reverted to their go-ahead-and-take-it ways, or if Golden State just shot the lights out with a hand in their face all night.  If it's the latter, again, I'll accept this loss.  How often is a team going to hit 16 threes, shooting +50% along the way?  How often is the opposing team still gonna be close with 2 minutes left?

All-in-all, what I heard tonight gave me more reason for hope than despair.  Golden State has a losing record, but that's mostly based on their 0-6 start without Steven Jackson.  They can play, and we knew they'd have a chip on their shoulder tonight.  It was going to be a tough game no matter what, and with the Warriors shooting as well as a team ever will, the Arenas-less offense still produced and has continually demonstrated that they can be a well-oiled machine over the next few months.  Wizards basketball is going to continue to be fun to watch over the next three months.

Final thought: goddamnit, Miami won tonight.  

The Wiz made some very difficult shots in the paint tonight, and the confidence that Stevenson is getting from the outside will be invaluable during the sans-Gilbert period.

That being said, Golden State tried as hard as they could to lose this game at the end and the Wiz just could not take advantage.  After a much needed turnover, Eddie has to have the guys get into some sort of set piece that settles the ball down and gets someone an open look or gets Andray the ball in good position to score or be fouled.  I couldn't believe how many times I found myself saying "don't rush it...dammit!"

The team without Gilbert is obviously developing into something formidable, simply because of the development of Andray and Young.  Young is going to be a special player, and the "no, don't shoot that!" moments will fade with experience.  I just hope his teammates are patient with him on that point.

Atrocious officiating tonight, but it seemed pretty even to me.  Bad calls for them, bad calls for us... bad calls all around.

Random thoughts:
-After all these years, Antawn is still sneaky good.  He is a right-place-at-the-right-time specialist, and his rebound-fall-assist play in the 4th would have been the play of the game had the Wiz won.
-I just can't get myself to feel good about Songalia.  If I were Grunfeld I'd be peddling him like crazy. I'd feel better about the Wiz if we traded him for cash and a case of basketballs.
-The defense seems more lucky than good, but this may be what good D looks like and it's weirding me out seeing it in a Wizards uniform.  Seeing Jackson wide open for the three all night made me think that teams with really good number two guys will kill us (see Turkoglu, any Celtic, etc.)
-Haywood must be still ailing, I was very surprised with the small lineup late in the 4th, size alters shots and make comebacks possible.
-The extra pass may be what separates this team from the playoffs.
-There is an obscenely hot girl working for the Wizards this year that hangs out right in front of my seats in front of the DJ setup. Looking for more info on that set/piece.

Section 219 Notes:
Density: Weak
Intensity: Medium
Hotties: None
Number of times I had to get up to let people out: 3 (not bad)
Beer Line: None! (excellent)

Honestly, you can't be too disappointed with tonight's result.  The bottom line is that we couldnt convert during the last 2-3 minutes of the game.  It was even (or within two) and we just let it get away from ourselves.  This is where we will miss a competitor like Gilbert.  He doesnt let a close game like that get out of hand.  Anyway, Blatche looks good so I can't be too upset.  I am worried that we will run out of juice tomorrow night though (especially going AWAY to memphis).  

he didn't look 100% on that ankle to me.

warriors shot well from three point land. baron davis killed us. warriors win.

i hope the wiz bounce back against memphis tonight.

Its too early to call any game a must game, but tonight's is important. Its winnable and is followed by games against Dallas and San Antonio. I would hate to follow up a 6 game winning streak with a 4 game losing streak. As I said in an earlier comment, it will say a lot of good things about the team if they can come out 2 and 2 on this road trip. Memphis and Philadelphia are the most likely targets although I'll take a victory in either of the Texas games. Hopefully, the Warriors' 3 point barrage was just an aberration and the defensive improvement will continue. It will also be fun to see what Juan Carlos Navarro will do tonight.