1. Wizards squeak out win in Miami
They didn't move the ball the way we've grown accustomed to seeing from these Wizards, and they didn't defend with the hard-nosed tenacity that they've played with in recent weeks. But with 1:31 left in the game, Paul Pierce's tip-in gave Washington their first lead since the second quarter and they would hold on to beat the Heat for their sixth-straight win.
To the recaps!
2. Pierce expects better
As mentioned above, the Wizards didn't play the brand of basketball that has put them 13 games over .500 last night. They were lucky to squeak out the win and even luckier that Miami started missing shots late in the game, which allowed them to continually creep their way back into it.
Pierce knows how to distinguish bad basket from good basketball, and good basketball from great basketball. Therefore, The Truth wasn't too happy with the team's performance last night, despite the victory.
3. A December to remember for Wall
Over on NBA.com, Sekou Smith profiled Wall's December outburst and his climb in Smith's MVP race. He had Wall ranked no. 8 in the race, after going unranked last week.
#Motivation
4. One man brand man
Back in Poland in late August, Marcin Gortat sat down for an interview with Polish magazine, Champion. Gortat spoke on Orlando, which has become his home away from home, his quick adaptation to America, and his rapidly growing brand.