[Insert witty title that alludes to traveling here]: Wizards 80, Cavaliers 77

by JakeTheSnake on Jan 5, 2009 2:05 PM EST in Recaps Comment 16 comments

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And One

Highest Plus/Minus: Dominic McGuire (+11)
Lowest Plus/Minus: Darius Songaila (-5)
Best Five Man Unit: Mike James, Nick Young, Dominic McGuire, Antawn Jamison, Darius Songaila (+6 in the 3rd Quarter)
Worst Five Man Unit: Mike James, Nick Young, Caron Bulter, Antawn Jamison, Darius Songaila (-6 in the 4th Quarter)

Stats by StatSheet.com

Forgive me for starting another recap with a comparison to a game from last season, but yesterday's game reminded me a lot of Game 1 from last year. The Wizards did unexpectedly well on the glass, played unexpectedly well defensively, and held a lead for most of the game until the Cavaliers made a late run. The only difference was that this time the Wizards made the shots at the end (or more accurately, the shot) and the Cavaliers came up just short.

Pretty much all of the attention has focused primarily on the the travel/crab dribble fiasco at the end of the game. I'm not going to go there because when I play basketball I play in a way that prevents any kind of accusation of traveling, which basically limits me to spot up shooting and drives where I don't have to switch hands when dribbling (I have a very Taser-like game, except for the defense part) so I'm not really in a spot to judge that call.

So other than the traveling call, how were the Wizards pull off a shorthanded win against one of the top teams in the NBA?

The Great Equalizer: Sunday afternoon games! I don't have any stats to back this up, but I think most people would agree that Sunday afternoon games tend to be the sloppiest games of the week. And let's face it, a game with lots of missed shots plays into the Wizards hands because it bails them out defensively and it doesn't really a change a whole lot for them offensively, since they're used to missing a lot of shots anyways.
Rebounding: Sure, the Wizards rebounding numbers have gone up since Dominic McGuire has entered the starting lineup, but I don't think anyone was expecting the Wizards pull in more boards than the Cavs. Sure, they were without the services of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, but Anderson Varejao is a very good rebounder in his own right. Jamison and McGuire deserve most of the credit, combining for 23 rebounds, but this was a total team effort with every starter pulling in at least 4 boards and every bench player pulling in at least two. Special props to Darius Songaila who pulled in a season high seven boards in nineteen minutes. Oddly enough, Andray Blatche only pulled in 4 rebounds, but I'm pretty sure that's tied in to his injury from Friday. He still managed to help the effort by leading the team in assists.

Like KD said in Behind the Boxscore this morning, it wasn't pretty. But if you told me at the start of the five game gauntlet that the Wizards would have two wins, with the chance for a third on Tuesday, I would've been estatic and now as I sit here knowing that it's happened, I can say for sure that I'm estatic. Sure, it's probably not enough to start a playoff run, but I think the team's performance over the last few games should give us hope for a run back to respectability.

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Team rebounding

That game showed some great team rebounding. Awesome effort. Nobody gave up on rebounds and it gave us a lot of extra posessions. I think Songila was very effective with that stuff. Thomas too.

by MR on Jan 5, 2009 2:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Poor Javale

Maybe he’ll get the McGuire treatment and start playing more next season.

by Fundefined on Jan 5, 2009 3:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

At this point, I'd be fine with the Hot Plate Williams treatment

Kid needs some beefing up.

Representing DC with Wizards & Stuff - Truth About It Dot Net

by Truth About It on Jan 5, 2009 3:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Trouble is, Hot Plate...

did not know how to stop eating… Dude could play some, reminded me a bit of George McGinnis… it was really quite sad

by khrabb on Jan 5, 2009 5:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Here's my candidate for witty title

Stepping out!

"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck

by George Templeton on Jan 5, 2009 6:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I still say tank

But it was a refreshing victory to beat the hated Cavs. I wasted plenty money in the playoffs taking the fam to see this home games and this rough season has left me uninterested for the most part… but beating the Cavs is always a treat.

Greg Monroe in 09.

'he nails an open three from the corner....just like you and me, this one was made by penetration' - Truthaboutit - Round 1 Game 5 Recap

by KDP on Jan 5, 2009 7:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

"Tank"?

I have a question for anyone who suggests that we “tank”.

What does that mean?

Does that mean telling players to play badly? Does that mean playing rookies or bad players instead of good players? Does that mean agreeing in the locker room that we should try to lose?

Does anyone really believe that would happen? Does anyone really believe that players with as much pride as AJ and Butler would go along with that? Does anyone not think it would tear apart the fabric of the team?

People throw the word “tank” around a lot. I’m just not sure people are really thinking it out.

by MR on Jan 5, 2009 7:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

On the other hand

Trying less hard to WIN games, and trying harder to:
develop players
tweak the defensive systems
adjust away from the Princeton to a more conventional “Pro” offense
showcase possible trade assets (Thomas, James, Songaila).

while at the same time:
Giving the “veterans” more rest, especially Jamison and Butler…
Giving the young guys more run, especially Pecherov, Young, Crittenton and McGee
Trying different combinations (Butler at the 2, Jamison at the 3, Big front line of McGee/Blatche/Jamison, etc…)
Integrating Arenas back into the team

That wouldn’t necessarily be considered “Tanking” – but it would be putting the team in a better position to start off strong next year.

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Jan 5, 2009 9:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm all for starting strong next year

To me that means instilling a sense of caring about winning, even if you aren’t getting the W’s. “Trying less hard to win games” doesn’t seem like it will get the right feeling across to the team, especially the young players.

As for specifics, I agree that if we are looking more to the future than to today then we need more McGee, although every time I see him out there he is making bad mistakes. Rookie mistakes. He might do well learning by watching too.

Other than that…I’ve given up on Pecherov. Young and Crit are getting minutes right now, as is Thomas, James, Songila.

I’m still wanting to know what specific things people are talking about when they consider “tanking”. Starting Pech and McGee?

by MR on Jan 5, 2009 10:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Read Mike Wise's article

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/05/AR2009010503234_2.html?sid=ST2009010503381&s_pos=

It pretty much says the same kinds of things I was talking about above; plus adds some additional arguments against “winning at all cost”….

It’s should all be about next year. Every decision – whether it’s about playing time, timetables for injured players return, defensive scheme changes, whatever, all those decisions need to be made with an eye towards next year.

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Jan 6, 2009 10:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Fine. No disagreement. I'm not really asking you, then.

I’m asking anybody (and there are a few out there) that are suggesting we “tank”. I think there is a vast difference between “being about next year” and “tanking”.

Being about next year = doing exactly what we are doing or say we’ll be doing + more McGee and maybe OPech.

Tanking = intentionally losing games to get more ping pong balls in the hopper for a higher draft pick.

Mike Wise was a little late on his column. Playing the young guys, done. Holding Gil and Brendan till they are 100%, done. Scouting draft picks, duh. Kind of remedial stuff for a sports section column at this point.

by MR on Jan 6, 2009 2:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Disagree with "done"

Playing the young guys, done?
OK fine, Dominic McGuire has been getting some good minutes in the last 8 games – averaging around 30 minutes per game. BUT

Nick Young is getting only 19 minutes per game in the last 10 games? (He got an AVERAGE of 15 mpg all of last year)
Javaris Crittenton languishes on the bench, getting only 64 minutes since he’s been here? (and that total includes 21 garbage time minutes in the Boston blow out Loss).
JaVale McGee (who was being hailed as the next Hakeem earlier in the year) has averaged less than 6 minutes per game, with several DNP-CD’s?
It seems like Oleskiy Pecherov has been banished to Siberia ?!!?!??!

NO – I don’t think “Playing the young guys” can be checked off the list as “done”.

As for holding Gil & Brendan out – you can’t say that’s done either; UNTIL they come back. Once they’re on the floor, and showing NO SIGNS of their previous injuries – then you can say “done”.

I don’t want the Wizards to intentionally “tank” games either. Let the ping pong balls fall where they must.

But playing this year as if there’s a chance to go to the Playoffs – instead of positioning the team for a fast start in 2009 – just does not make any sense.

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Jan 6, 2009 3:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

SORRY TOOK SO LONG TO RESPOND

But Rook is pretty much summing up my sentiments— there are no attainable goals for this season. But it makes no sense for Antawn, Caron, Deshawn(preinjury) Thomas, Songalia to be playing to be playing as much as they do, to the detriment of the young guys.

There’s no point in rushing players back from injuries… I mean think about it, Gilbert’s had 3 knee surgeries… so you bring him back, for what? the 8th seed?

Nobody says the players on the floor should try anything less than 100%, but to have the goal of the coaching staff be to win as many games as possible just to finish well below acceptable doesn’t make sense. The team shouldn’t be in denial of where it stands, and without major improvement from our youngs, we are not making the big jump. I’m not even sure that the big 3 as constituted didn’t hit their ceiling a couple seasons ago.

Play the youngs, lose alot and get me Greg Monroe in 09

'he nails an open three from the corner....just like you and me, this one was made by penetration' - Truthaboutit - Round 1 Game 5 Recap

by KDP on Jan 6, 2009 6:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Crit got 21 and 13 minutes the last two games. Young 27 and 17. I think that will continue. That was what I called “done”. I think Crit wasn’t getting minutes because he wasn’t ready, didn’t know the O and D yet. Now he’s getting minutes and that will likely grow, especially with Deshawn out.

I already agreed that McGee needs more minutes. OPech I have given up on as an NBA player. But if you haven’t then I guess he’d need minutes too.

Everything I’ve heard from every person in the organization is that Gil and Haywood will sit until they are 100%. Nobody anywhere has ever suggested they be rushed back, so that fear is a red herring.

I don’t think you can look at the whole season with this stuff. Look at the last few games and you see that (except for McG and OPech) Mike Wise was a little late with his column. It’s already happening.

To me the best way to bring young players along is to help put the right habits into them, which means trying to win. I think the Cleveland win(s) were a huge benefit to the young guys. It makes less sense to give them lots of minutes in pre-season-like games. Better to get them in during real pressure situations.

by MR on Jan 6, 2009 7:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

How about a larger sample than 2 games...

I don’t think you can look at the whole season with this stuff. Look at the last few games

Whole season? I looked only at the last 8-10 games…

You just want to look at the last two (2) games? and call that a trend?

And I’m not just talking about playing time in terms of minutes…. the youngsters have to play in steady, predictable, consistent rotations. Right now, the only young player that knows what his role is, and that he’ll get steady minutes is McGuire. And because of that, we’ve seen a steady improvement in his game.

But Nick Young, on the other hand, may play 11 minutes one night and turn around and play 22 minutes the next. He’ll play in the First half, and not in the second. One game, he’ll be in the game in crunch time, the next he won’t.

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Jan 6, 2009 8:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs