The Miami Heat probably thought they could come into Verizon Center and play hard for just one quarter to get a win, and that's exactly what ended up happening. The Heat turned up the screws defensively in the fourth quarter, turning a slim six-point lead after three quarters into a 17-point victory.

This loss wasn't a matter of a lack of effort or even execution. The Wizards simply are too young and have too little talent to compete when the Heat dial up the pressure like they did. There were plenty of Wizards players who had good games in the first three quarters, the kind of performances that the coaching staff could build on going forward. They can choose to accept that and look at this game as a positive despite the score, and I don't think I'd argue too much. Still, the fourth quarter was troubling, as was Miami's ability to coast and turn it on.

I can accept a lot of fan's conclusions of this one. On the one hand, we know this Wizards team isn't as talented as the Heat. On the other hand, this game got out of hand really quickly and exposed the limitations of all of the players on the Wizards' roster, John Wall included. It'll be interesting to see how the organization portrays this loss.

More notes below the jump:

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2011/12 NBA Regular Season
	@
19-7		5-21
February 10, 2012
Verizon Center
7 PM
CSN
Starters:
Mario Chalmers	PG	John Wall
Dwyane Wade	SG	Nick Young
LeBron James	SF	Chris Singleton
Chris Bosh	PF	Trevor Booker
Joel Anthony	C	JaVale McGee
PREGAME READING: Meet the Heat | Peninsula is Mightier | SB Nation D.C. | SB Nation Tampa Bay

Pregame notes (refreshing):

• Rashard Lewis is not playing again tonight, but Randy Wittman said he's on the way to recovery. "It's getting better," Wittman said. "Hopefully tomorrow, he'll come back in here feeling better. He's close to being able to play.
• The visiting announcers understandably were looking for some John Wall information and asked Wittman about his progression this year. Wittman talked a lot about the coaching change and how Wall has been better recently. Here's the money quote: "It's been a struggle, but as of late, he's played with enthusiasm and great energy that he didn't have all the time. I think he understands that he's got to come out and be energized defensively and able to pick it up."
• They also asked him about Chris Singleton, and Wittman said that he's played well, but he wants Singleton to be more of a slasher going to the basket.
• I asked Wittman about Wall's jump shot, since according to HoopData, Wall has hit 10 of his last 16 shots from 16-23 feet. "He's got to improve on it and he is," he said. "But I think you're starting to see a little bit of that. Now, it's got to be the same thing over and over with him."
• Lots of boos for the Heat as they entered the arena. For what it's worth.

This should be fun.

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It's easy to imagine a cynical owner regarding his team's fans with a casual contempt. "They don't know what they want. Last year it's 'we play the veterans too much', then it's 'we play the wrong rookies too much', now it's 'the rookies suck so sign free agents.' And if I do you'll start screaming 'we signed the wrong ones, our cap space is gone forever' and the whole thing starts again." That's the kind of thinking that evolves when an owner stops questioning whether or not they're making the right decisions. It often results in a surety with a tendency to ignore reality while blindly doubling down on a 'sure thing'. I believe this is a trap Ted has mostly avoided. But regarding Ernie's future the question has become: who is seeing clearly?

10. Never settle--never rest--keep on improving. Around the edges to the plan, have monthly, quarterly and annual check ups. Refresh the plan when needed but for the right reasons-- "how are we doing against our metrics of success and where are we on our path to a championship." Never listen to bloggers, media, so called experts--to thine own self be true. Enjoy the ride.

Ted's Take via Hogs Haven

Transparency is a tent pole of the ten point plan but the plain truth is that we don't really know what Ted is seeing. This is pretty much all we have to calibrate with for now, before Flip's firing:

I was up close and watched a very dispirited effort by our team yesterday afternoon...I have found the best thing to do in times of stress and turmoil is to do research; be analytical; NOT emotional; and try to find ways to improve...no one is happy with the progress we are making as a team; it is important that we be measured and smart in how we move forward.

via Ted's Take

There's no doubt how the team chose to proceed, and I think we can all agree Flip needed to go. Randy Wittman is doing a better job maximizing the talents of the team Ted thought he was going to see, but there's no doubt this is not what Ted was expecting.

Odd as it sounds, I would like to hear a vote of confidence in Ernie as a GM. That would suggest to me that there is an active dialogue between the two and that Ernie has a plan Ted believes in. Right now, the silence out of the Verizon Center only suggests Ernie has until the trade deadline to prove himself. That means activity crucial to the rebuild and just what path will Ernie choose? There are plenty of paths available and his history long past and recent suggests he could go just about any which way and perhaps that's the way he wants it. Hell, that might be the only leverage the Wizards have at the deadline.

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Today's links:

• OK, let's just get all the Jeremy Lin links out of the way. First, general stuff. [Newsday | ESPN New York | New York Times | Bergen Record | New York Daily News | Ball Don't Lie | Hang Time Blog | New York Post | The Post Game |
• Lin crossed up John Wall, which I'm sure you haven't seen yet. [Eye on Basketball | Pro Basketball Talk | SB Nation]
• Best Lin sign ever. [SB Nation]
• Home team recaps. [Us (recap, quotes) | SB Nation D.C. | CSN Washington (Johnson, Hanrahan, Jackson, Miller) | Washington Post (gamer, blog) | Washington Times | Washington Examiner | Truth About It (recap, quotes) | Wiz of Awes | District Sports Page | WUSA9 | DC Sports Box]
• Other non-Lin focused road team recaps. [Knickerblogger | New York Daily News | Posting and Toasting| SB Nation New York]
• Randy Wittman's own son trolled his dad. [SB Nation D.C. |
• Wittman talks to 106.7 The Fan and tries to downplay JaVale McGee's mental gaffe on Monday. [106.7 The Fan]
• Maurice Evans is playing decent minutes again. [Washington Examiner]
• Wall wants the NBA to return to the old rookie/sophomore format. [Wizards Insider]
• For the draftnicks, a quick look at Syracuse's Dion Walters. [CSN Washington]
• The Wizards make two appearances on Jon Bois' Animated GIFs of January list. [SB Nation]
• Finally, I couldn't help but get in with #Linsanity. Here's my scouting report of what makes him so successful. [SB Nation]
• Heads-up: Keys to the Palace will be up later this afternoon.

WASHINGTON -- Here are your postgame quotes following the Wizards' 107-93 loss to Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks:

RANDY WITTMAN

On where the game was lost: "This game was really about containment. We couldn't contain the basketball, basically, I thought, all night long, whether it was in pick and rolls or with balls kicked out where they were blowing by us to the basket."

On the many fouls the Wizards committed in the third quarter: "You got to know when you're in the bonus or not in the bonus, when you can take a chance on going for an offensive rebound over the back of somebody and when you can't. We played that third quarter when they got into the bonus like we had no clue they got in the bonus. It was a parade to the free-throw line, and that really hurt us."

On the Knicks not having Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire: "Right now, after this game, I wish they would have played."

On containing the pick and roll: "When we did cover it, then we'd get beat right off the dribble after we got back to our men. That caused us to help, and [Tyson] Chandler had a lot of putbacks at the rim. So it's a combination of both, of controlling the high pick and roll the way we needed to."

On a text his son Ryan (profiled here) sent him: "He told me [Cornell] did a much better job than we did guarding him tonight. I already had that text message."

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The Washington Wizards fell victim to the Jeremy Lin show. Hard to really come away from this game with any other conclusion. Lin showed the world again why he's legitimate, and the Knicks completely picked the Wizards apart in the pick and roll in winning, 107-93. It ended up being one of the most embarrassing losses for the Wizards all season, if only because of the inevitable Lin vs. John Wall framing that tells us absolutely nothing about why this game was lost.

Wall had 29 points and one turnover in the entire game. Wall was not the reason the Wizards lost. In fact, without Wall, they probably lose by 30. The Wizards' pick and roll coverage was awful, and the big men were mostly to blame. Lin can certainly change speeds beautifully, but the Wizards' big men never were able to prevent him from getting inside the free-throw line extended. Proper pick and roll coverage involves Wall pressuring the ball, the big man stepping out and beating the guard to the spot and Wall recovering quickly, in that order. The second part of the chain kept breaking down, and that is why the Wizards lost.

Credit Lin, of course. He's definitely good. But the Wizards as a team didn't show up, outside of Wall and Trevor Booker. Let's not get caught up in the narrative framing here.

More notes:

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2011/12 NBA Regular Season
	@
2-4		0-7
February 8, 2012
Verizon Center
7 PM
CSN
Starters:
Jeremy Lin	PG	John Wall
Landry Fields	SG	Nick Young
Bill Walker	SF	Chris Singleton
Jared Jeffries	PF	Trevor Booker
Tyson Chandler	C	JaVale McGee
PREGAME READING: Posting and Toasting | SB Nation D.C. |

• It has been a bad spate of games for JaVale McGee. He went through the same slump last year at exactly the same time. Tonight, he has a chance to get on track with only Tyson Chandler standing in front of him.
• I hope John Wall takes all this Jeremy Lin hype personally.
• Will we see more efficient P&R between Booker and Wall?
• Is Roger Mason poised for a revenge game?