Washington Wizards 102, Dallas Mavericks 91. The Takeover Reloaded ... Reloaded
by Mike Prada on Oct 27, 2009 11:06 PM EDT
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PrintI'm absolutely floored by how well we played tonight. Never in a million years would I have thought we would play this well on opening night, without Antawn Jamison, with our rotation barely settled, on the road against a really, really good Dallas Mavericks team. I was excited before the season, but now, I can barely contain myself. That was such a great performance.
So many things went well, but here's what stood out.
- Gilbert Arenas was aggressive, and the proof is in the pudding. 29 points, 9 assists. Gilbert Arenas is officially back.
- Andray Blatche ... I mean, he was decisive, aggressive, efficient with his dribbles, on the boards, in tune on pick and roll defense and everything. He's had a lot of big statistical games, but I haven't seen him this zeroed in in a long time, maybe ever.
- Just look how much better Randy Foye plays when he doesn't have to run the point. He can float, get free for his jumper and handle when necessary. Dallas plays a lot of small guards, so maybe this was just a good matchup for Foye, but credit Flip Saunders for realizing that and sticking with it throughout the second half.
- What impresses me the most is that the Wizards made a big second-half run with Caron Butler sitting on the bench. Who would have ever imagined that happening in the past? Frankly, who would have ever thought of Caron Butler actually staying off the floor in the fourth quarter? Again, major props to Flip Saunders for sticking with what was working.
- The Wizards played really good defense against a very, very good Dallas offense. Dirk got his, but nobody else did. They mostly kept Dallas out of the paint, contested nearly every jumper and took care of the defensive glass.
I'm out for now to enjoy this win. You all should too. That wildly exceeded my expectations.
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First
win of the season, in the first game. i loved the effort today- and the possibilities of Jamisons return?
ahhhhhhhh
Coach Winters: Mississippi State's offensive set. 2nd & 2 on our own 24, what defensive set might we call?
Alvin Mack: Eagle Zipper Hero, unless the setback shifts into the I.
Coach Winters: Good..[clicks to next slide], third and seven?
Alvin Mack: Oakie Thunder Lion. {What's your assignment?}
Alvin Mack: Kill the quarterback. {{Coach Winters clicks to next slide}}
Alvin Mack: Hit the tight end so hard his girlfriend dies. {{Coach Winters clicks to next slide}}
Alvin Mack: Kill everybody.
Completely floored in a good way:
The Wizards played incredibly tonight. What a win. Congrats to Kyle on the first live chat over on Comcast SportsNet. I stayed over there the whole night and it was a great time.
7DayDray: Welcome to Washington.
How sweet is!
20 and 7 for Andray Blatche! We need a 7-day Dray tee shirt!
"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck
by George Templeton on Oct 27, 2009 11:09 PM EDT reply actions
No, I can't expect perfection
Let’s be realistic here.
My swag was phenomenal.
by se7en on Oct 27, 2009 11:12 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
That Deserves a Rec
I’m all for realism.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
Mike Miller:
Those two threes were incredible. Perfect release point and perfect trajectory. Hope him and Oberto can cut down on the fouls a bit.
I Knew It Was Early
But I shouted, “Dagger!” when he slid that shot through the net with about 6:30 left in the game to abruptly stop a small run by the Mavs and put the Wizards back up by 10. He looked like a cold-blooded assassin on that shot. It felt like Dallas had momentum at that point, and I think if he missed the Mavs would have made it a closer game.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
cant be much happier with this win
lets just hope they can keep up the hot shooting and impressive defensive effort. I am also very impressed with the off season acquisitions. DeJuan who?
Well
I doubt DeJuan would have played that kind of D on Dirk, and that was so imperative to the W. So there’s some legitimacy to that question. :)
My swag was phenomenal.
by se7en on Oct 27, 2009 11:16 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Good Point
Oberto hardly looks like the washed up player some thought he might be. He could be huge for us this season.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
Damn straight
He’s our Mr. Fundamental. He was so heady tonight. I love him already.
My swag was phenomenal.
Oberto first half or Oberto second half?
by BayAreaBullet on Oct 27, 2009 11:20 PM EDT up reply actions
I would still love Blair
But I can’t complain right now
...one of those guys who reads all the time but barely comments
by Juice over Whine on Oct 27, 2009 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions
awesome
jill sorenson looks hotter than ever after a win like this.
i am so surpirsed at just how deep we appear to be. i knew who we had, but to see it tonight, finally in action, it still took me by surprise. we have a really good offensive team, oberto is so great, and I am really happy he got the start tonight. Flip, as prada has mentioned, seemed to make every right move. Just having a great coach like Flip makes me smile so wide.
I constantly
Found myself forgetting certain players were still on the team. I even forgot about Caron when he wasn’t on the floor in the fourth, now that should tell you something.
I Feel the Same
Just having a great coach like Flip makes me smile so wide.
I was starting to get annoyed with the ticky-tack fouls the refs started calling, but then the cameras focused on a cool, collected Flip on the sideline (before he got pissed) and I thought, “this guy’s got this. I’m not worried.” I still can’t believe he’s our coach.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
We are already seeing the value of Flip
Not to disparage EJ, but he wouldn’t have made those personnel moves.
I'm a Huge Critic of EJ
You might even say I was an Eddie Jordan hater. But come on, always having about 3 good shooters on the floor at the same time has a lot to do with our play tonight. Eddie never had that much depth.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
I agree completely that
EJ never had that much depth. But do you see him riding that lineup at the expense of one of the “Big Three”?
by ronoD nagrO on Oct 27, 2009 11:22 PM EDT up reply actions
That's a good counterpoint
EJ never had the horses like this.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
What Was Amazing
Is that when two of our starters got in foul trouble early (Oberto, Miller), we brought in two equally good players and did not miss a beat. Dallas kept waiting for the opportunity to make a run, but we were so deep they never could.
We may not have a lot of great players, but almost everybody we have on the bench is at least good, if not really good. That was huge tonight.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
Can't argue with you there
But I didn’t say coaches always get a fair shake either. I was even thinking of the difference in depth as I wrote that.
Yeah, I can't imagine him sitting Butler and riding the hot lineup like that
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
EXCITED
DEPTH. DEFENSE. Perhaps the Redskins have set the bar too low for me, but I am absolutely pumped right now.
I feel the exact same way! What a fantastic game.
...one of those guys who reads all the time but barely comments
by Juice over Whine on Oct 27, 2009 11:22 PM EDT up reply actions
It's not just Jamison
Butler was 6 for 17. Imagine when he starts hitting more of those mid-rangers in the hawk. Although, I love his 8 boards! My only negatives were Arenas playing so much, but I realize the necessity with Jamison out, and McGuire just having a bad two minutes. I hope Flip sees the value a lot of us see in him to get him some minutes, especially in favorable matchups. Hopefully it being DIRK gets him a second chance.
...one of those guys who reads all the time but barely comments
by Juice over Whine on Oct 27, 2009 11:20 PM EDT reply actions
Off for a celebratory beer after work!
Up the Wizards!
"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck
by George Templeton on Oct 27, 2009 11:22 PM EDT reply actions
DeShawn
Didn’t play that well tonight. I’m hoping he improves his play. I wonder if his back still bothers him.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
Agreed.
I thought he was atrocious. Couldn’t believe Flip gave him so many minutes. What mystical ability does he have to fool coaches into thinking he can play?
I disagree:
I didn’t think he didn’t do that badly. I thought he played pretty good D and that’s what he was in for. He did take one bad shot, but other than that he did alright. I don’t think he was spectacular, but decent.
It wasn't THAT good, but it was decent. He's not in there for his offense anyway.
I thought he was fighting through screens a lot better than Foye or Miller and staying with his man more.
I'm no DS fan
But Foye was getting torched by Jason Terry, and DeShawn did a better job on him.
i think it was more than one
but the rest of his game seemed pretty solid to me, for a guy off the bench
He Didn't Shoot That Much
And when he did, it was usually when there was about 3 seconds left on the shot clock and he had to shoot. So I don’t blame his decisions, just his poor execution.
That, and he got lazy on a couple of plays early in the first half while guarding Jason Terry, who simply blew by him for a couple of layups. His defense improved as the game went on, but his shot obviously did not.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
Yeah, DeShawn had a couple major breakdowns on defense
I definitely thought he played too much, especially against a team like Dallas with so many quick guards.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Agreed
…especially against a team like Dallas with so many quick guards.
He plays his best defense, IMO, on physical small forwards and shooting guards. He doesn’t have the speed anymore, if he ever did, to keep up with the quick ones.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
One Thing to Be Optimistic About
Is that we know that DeShawn can get hot at the 3-point line. Imagine how good we will be when he gets hot? Who does the opposing team leave open? Man, I love the depth this team has. Did somebody mention that we are still getting a 20-9 All-Star power forward back? There just aren’t enough minutes to go around for this many good players.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
Also don't forget
He hit that three at the end of the half that was a split second too late. I’m nowhere near ready to take him out of the rotation, but he was a bit of a sore thumb tonight.
Me Neither
Let him shake this one off. He’ll get better, and he’ll probably even get hot at some point.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
Better than
what NY would have produced, honestly. As much as I love Nick, he probably would have forced more than 2 shots (granted, would have scored more than 0 pts) and definitely not produced 5 boards – not to mention the 3 dimes and a steal DeShawn got. 18 minutes might be a little too many minutes, but I wasn’t unhappy with his effort or play.
Little things on D
He cut off Kidd early on the break and got back to foul marion before he could get the ball up.
by forthepeople on Oct 28, 2009 12:34 AM EDT up reply actions
Of the many things that impressed me...
One that really stood out was the way our guards completely controlled the game. Gil did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Foye played in control, Miller rebounded, shot and played defense. The passing was crisp. Kidd was a non-factor, as was Barea and whoever else was in Dallas’ backcourt. Our guards owned their guards, plain and simple. When that happens, you win. Last year, we had one of the worst backcourts in the history of the game. Now, we could have one of the five best in the league. The mind boggles.
The Wiz seemed to never feel threatened. Dallas never got close to winning this game; it wasn’t like Gil had to make a miracle shot. I mean, just wow. And like Prada said, Dallas is a very good team, and we didn’t have Antawn.
Haywood makes a huge difference in the middle. Enormous. He simply changes the way the other team plays.
And I don’t remember one wide-open look at a three, or any other jumpers by the Mavs. Sometimes the rotations were a tad slow, but most of the time, guys were covered.
Great win. Let’s build on it.
The Way the Wizards Played Defense
I almost didn’t recognize them. I had to keep telling myself, “these guys have to start playing sloppy D eventually, right?” It never happened.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
I was particularly impressed
by the work on the glass on the defensive end
by Palace of Good Play's Golden Toilet on Oct 27, 2009 11:25 PM EDT up reply actions
I Was Particularly Impressed By All Facets of The Defense
Remember when the Wizards would always give up at least 4 uncontested 3-pointers a game? I can’t think of one uncontested shot, let alone an uncontested 3.
Dirk and Marion made a lot of shots, but almost all of them were tough shots. I don’t get mad when the other team makes a tough shot. I just shake my head and say, “what can you do?” Completely unlike last season, when I was screaming at the TV on almost every play because of the wide open shots we were giving up.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
Arenas' assist numbers
another thing that I hope to see become a trend. He seemed to find a nice balance of driving and dishing, while taking the shots when he needed to.
there were times
when he just decided, **** it, we need me to take a shot, and he nailed it. loved his game tonight.
by Palace of Good Play's Golden Toilet on Oct 27, 2009 11:25 PM EDT reply actions
They kept their opponent from hitting a high percentage of 3's
How many times could you say that last season?
Only in practice scrimmages against themselves
...one of those guys who reads all the time but barely comments
by Juice over Whine on Oct 27, 2009 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions
ny
is it me or did nick young look really sad, looks like he’s gonna be trade bait for a forward. shipped out with mike james
A really great reporter would try to talk to Young about his feelings after tonight
Would make for a great feature of sorts. Can’t believe he literally played zero minutes tonight.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Did u see number 7??
Blatche played extremely well. I wish he stay consistent and make decision like he did today. Do I see a rebirth of Andray Blatche? Wizards= champs.
I'm Going to Step Out on a Limb
And say, “this time, Andray is going to put it all together.” He looked different to me than he did when he used to have great games. On a great game before, he was bouncing around like a toddler hyped up on candy and Mountain Dew. He was like a bottle rocket. Even though the shots would go in, he looked chaotic and out-of-control.
Tonight, he seemed to play with discipline and focus. He never got in a hurry. What impressed me the most was one time when he started a fast break. I held my breathe waiting for him to dribble off his foot, but instead he slowed it down and handed the ball off to a guard. He definitely looked like a different person to me.
Adding to that, anybody else notice that he didn’t pick up that many silly fouls?
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
by cuppettcj on Oct 27, 2009 11:50 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I couldn't totally put my finger on it
But that about nails it. Nothing to add, except the frontcourt is maybe more set than we were giving it credit for, assuming this wasn’t a tease.
Flip gets the credit
I think I am ready to eat lots ot crow about him.
"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck
by George Templeton on Oct 28, 2009 1:41 AM EDT up reply actions
This game made me realize
our rotation is all vets so I feel comfortable really mixing and matching our line-ups team to team. I think we can count on Foye, Miller, Oberto to play every night and I have a feeling Blatch’s minutes will be steady every game anyways.
Last Thought
Before I head to bed. This team looked like an elite team tonight. If they play like this every night, 50 wins might be a conservative estimate.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
If we get this Randy and this Andray every game
we win 60 games easy.
Oberto's pass! And Let's not forget about Haywood on the Glass.
Re: Oberto, perfect passing too, thing of beauty …
Yep. I tuned in late in the game and that was one of the first things I saw. My jaw dropped. What a pass.
Also, w all the excitement about Blatche, let’s not forget Haywood on the boards. He crashed the glass for 10.
From what I saw in the last 4 mins or so, as they iced it, Haywood was making sure of it by getting position and fighting for the rebounds..
And: Welcome back Gilbert.
Yeah, great point
Haywood played great.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
who was that wearing andray blatche's uniform?
i can live with him shooting jumpers if he sits in his spots and catches and shoots when they trap gil or foye. he was on fire tonight. i love that i don’t really remember him putting the ball on the floor tonight. he didn’t make any horrific passes either. he even went up strong a few times. if he does more of that, he might turn me around. it’s like an entirely different player.
foye was great for us tonight. he’s like AD. he always goes right.
i don’t expect us to win like that every night but this is easily the best bullets team i’ve ever been witness to.
i love oberto’s passing.
gil was amazing tonight. spectacular.
and yes, i liked what flip brought to the table. like prada, i’m shocked they came out of the gate so strong. i can’t remember them winning an opener since the memphis game about 5 years ago. that turned out to be a good season i think.
by DarrellWalkerFan on Oct 28, 2009 1:26 AM EDT reply actions
Watching Inside the NBA
And I was so happy when Chuck said that Cleveland should run more! Too bad for the LeTravaliers, Mike Brown won’t do it and this team will flop! Of course it takes forever before they talk about the Wiz and then they don’t say much about them.
"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck
by George Templeton on Oct 28, 2009 1:52 AM EDT reply actions
Chuck anc C Webb
spent the entire Wiz/Mavs analysis talking about how flat Dallas played.
Did anyone else think the Mavs played THAT poorly? I am more inclined to say the Wiz played well. Maybe some sort of combination of the two? Thoughts?
shine like bald head, smoke trees call me log head
Completely Disagree
Chuck lives inside of a box. He can’t bring himself to believe that the Wizards have a really good team. He gloats when they lose, and makes excuses for the other team when they win. I’m looking forward to Chuck eating some major crow as the season progresses.
The Mavericks DID NOT play flat. They made several tough shots. They played hard and never made it easy for us. The difference in the game was the way we played. In seasons past, we would always make a big run and then let the other team make a big run. But they could never go on a big scoring run because we always had enough weapons in the game to stop them. We contested every shot and executed our offensive game plan consistently throughout the game.
Seriously, Chuck needs to stop hating on the Wizards.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
I'm with ya
jut wanted to make sure I was not living inside my homer box
shine like bald head, smoke trees call me log head
Chuck eating some major crow as the season progresses
He won’t. He’ll just change his tune and pretend he was on board all the time. He’ll talk about how much he loves Arenas, Butler’s toughness, Miller etc.
by MR on Oct 28, 2009 9:44 AM EDT up reply actions
I was curious about what Charles would say-
Of course it has to be that Dallas played badly. Could never be the Wizards played really well.
Barkley is a joke
Does anyone give a crap what he says anymore?
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.
Two Things Struck Me In Particular
First, Flip’s offense seems leaps and bounds ahead of Eddie Jordan’s. I almost feel like the Princeton was treated as some sort of mythical beast that must be great because its so confusing, but I was not really convinced that it was actually helping us execute better. Rather, it seemed like we were breaking plays and chucking alot, while occasionally hitting a nice back cut that would make everyone go “wow, that Princeton offense.”
Flip’s offense was crisp, it created open shots and it gave all 5 player a sense of purpose. I really felt like everyone knew exactly what they were supposed to be doing, and the system was maximizing our talent rather than our talent carrying the system.
Second, we have always desperately needed a player like Oberto or at least another player that contributes in many of the same ways as Haywood. Oberto is really impressive for a guy whose main assets are his experience and basketball IQ (the same things that are said of all end of the bench vets in the league). His defense is tenacious, his spacing is brilliant, he sets awesome picks, he knows how to set up a teammate for a cut and deliver a perfect pass, and it seems like he can get in the head of opposing players.
I half wonder how we can find more minutes for him once we bring Antawn back in. Our defense is MUCH MUCH better with Oberto around and we will always have at least 3 stellar offensive players on the floor (between Arenas, Butler, Jamison, Foye, and Miller).
I just finished watching the game on the DVR out here on the west coast
Wow.
The East and the national media that slept on us is in serious trouble if we play like this every night.
I have seriously never seen us so focused defensively and play with so much intensity and focus for 48 minutes on both ends of the floor. Blatche basically was a microcosm of our team tonight – focused, smart, disciplined, effective.
Awesome win.
Great game.
Awesome on so many levels and they’ve all probably been covered.
But I really can’t wait to see what bwoods has got for us tomorrow. Here’s hoping for some awesome tracking and analysis.
Nice Job Wizards
other than Dirk, my Mavericks weren’t tuned in, but I take nothing away from your excellent performance. Hopefully Dallas comes out better Friday.
Brad James
Seriously, Dude
Your team is good. Probably really good. I did not feel like your guys played poorly. They could have played a little better, but you can almost always say that about any team. Shawn Marion played great and so did Dirk, IMO. We just played an excellent, mistake-free game. Had we been just a little out of rhythm or made just a couple of more mistakes, your Mavs could have easily beat us.
But don’t worry, you’re still looking forward to another 50+ win season over there in the West. That may not seem that much to you, but consider out team. We haven’t won 50+ games in 30+ years.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
East Coast Assassin is Bac
The Hibachi is back… to cook some chicken and shrimp. And Filet mignon on special nites…
Happy, happy. Joy, joy, joy....
Did anyone have the Wiz and the spread last night??
Gil really looked great, not just back physically but seems to be a much better decision-maker in his role under Flip. When the 3-pointers come back, yikes!
Top to bottom, a fine, fine start to what should be a very interesting season.
IF they keep this up. Jamison to come off the bench?
Maybe Jamison could be a sixth man / super sub type of player that he was for Dallas. I really liked how we had big bigs out there, without giving up outside shooting. Foye / Miller played great, Nick Young is really going to have to work / study film to break this rotation this year.
Does It Really Matter?
It doesn’t look like there is that much difference between our starters and our bench players. I say just give everybody as many minutes as possible and stick with the lineups that work the best.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
It does matter to Antawn Jamison
But if this team gets off to a hot start against the schedule they have then Jamison really won’t have a leg to stand on to complain if Saunders does use him to come off the bench. As long as the Wiz win Jamison will go along (and he better!)
"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck
by George Templeton on Oct 28, 2009 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions
I believe Oberto came out at the 10:30 mark of the first quarter.
by MR on Oct 28, 2009 9:46 AM EDT up reply actions
It was closer to the 6
I think it was necessary to keep the 4/5 rotation down to 3 players.
Actually...
Oberto Substitution replaced by Blatche 10:27
What I didn’t remember was that he picked up his 2nd foul at that point, so Flip’s usual rotation will probably not include substitutions a minute and a half into the game.
Nah
Blatche played great off the bench anyway, and Jamison remains much better than Oberto.
What is clear is that Jamison should play fewer minutes than he used to though.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
I was also a little concerned that Arenas and Butler played 38 minutes each, especially since Butler wasn’t playing that well and Foye was filling in for Arenas very well.
I hope those minutes don’t hold up all season with those two.
by MR on Oct 28, 2009 9:58 AM EDT up reply actions
I think they're minutes will go down as the season progresses.
Especially once Antawn gets back.
The Washington Wizards: providing career scoring nights for unknown opposing bench players since 2004.
I have NEVER NEVER seen this team look so dialed in.
Just a couple of observations:
Foye can flat out shoot. I think we were all counting on Mike Miller to be the shooter, but Foye looked like he was right up with him.
What impressed me the most about Blatche’s game was his D. He OWNED Drew Gooden and really made Dirk work. I’ve never seen him not bite on fakes like that. If McGee starts playing D like this – wow.
ESPN the Mag said that if Gil can average 21/9 instead of 29/5 the Wiz would be scary. I’ll take 29/9, the best of both worlds.
Miller still looked a little passive and unsure, especially in the first half. I think he needs more time to get used to his new teammates.
The Washington Wizards: providing career scoring nights for unknown opposing bench players since 2004.
I Think You're Reading Too Much Into Miller
He just seemed to me to try and find his niche and complement his teammates the best way he could. Last night, he facilitated well, rebounded great, and made all of the big shots we needed him to make. Fortunately, we didn’t need him to do very much. But when we needed a big shot, he hit it.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
I read everything I could on the Wizards
and it was so refreshing to see something this pretty right from the start after the past couple years. I kept watching the game thinking Caron never touched the ball and ended up with a quiet 16 points. Different players will step up on offense, but the defense looked like its headed in the right direction. Now Atlanta!!
Caron never touched the ball?
I feel like Cocoa got more iso looks than anyone else. The ball movement often slowed in his hands. But he was facing up, attacking the basket, and not shooting jumpers so it was all good.
He seemed to be receiving the ball often in a spot similar to where Tayshaun would receive it in Detroit. Function of the Hawk offense or Cocoa’s game? I’m not sure.
shine like bald head, smoke trees call me log head
Blatche
Loved seeing Blatche have the confidence. Last season he would have shorted shots the way DeShawn Stevenson is right now, and I hope Stevenson can come around and get his shot back too.
Blatche looked like a real professional
He really knew what he was doing, and he was just getting it done without any worries. I hope he can keep that attitude in the future even when his shot isn’t falling.
ONE great game
Loved the performance, and definitely took away some positives from my first real good look at the team this year. This was a good win against a good team, but a team that wasn’t playing great and missing their second most important guy in Josh Howard. One bad loss wipes this out for us, so I’m not going to get carried away.
Takeaways:
1. Flip is 10 times better than Eddie Jordan. I never thought much of Jordan, but Flip is really impressing me. The offense was a joy to behold, and for the first time in a long time nobody looked lost on defense.
2. We can’t have Stevenson and McGuire on the floor at the same time. The offense was imploding with those two on the floor. (oh, and Stevenson still isn’t very good).
3. Blatche is now a very good defender. If he maintains that level of defense, I might prefer him to Jamison for more minutes and key minutes.
4. BH wasn’t particularly impressive, but he did a great job of always being in the right place on both ends of the court and using his size well. I saw a few glimpses of the improved post moves from 07/08 in the preseason, but not here because we didn’t go to him.
5. Arenas is healthy! I had actually forgotten how ridiculously good he is.
6. Foye is a fantastic addition. I don’t think he’s going to score like that every night, but when he does, we’ll win.
7. Miller is very good but soooo slooow. He uses every ounce of speed he has though, which I love. I can’t stand his hair though; it’s so bad it actually causes me physical pain.
8. Oberto looks healthy, and is a good role player and a perfect fit on this team.
After one game, my prediction changes from 44 wins to 48 wins. I’m hoping to revise that up again after a few more games…
Our #7 is pretty good too...
I was pleased with Oberto’s play. His playoff experience, and experience against quality big men was a plus. I didn’t know he could dish. Probably not as good a passer as songaila, but he had a nice dime to Arenas, i think…
Stop hating on Stevenson. I like his cleverness, cockyness, scrapiness, and ability to make 3’s. We have a good team its time to let the hating go and embrace the love for our championship worhty team.
exactly - agree about stevenson
he’s going to have a role on this team, but is not going to play enough to really be a problem.
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Oct 28, 2009 5:36 PM EDT up reply actions
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