Bullets Forever - All Posts"Ain't No Luck"https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48097/BulletsForever-fv.png2024-03-19T08:00:00-04:00http://www.bulletsforever.com/rss/current/2024-03-19T08:00:00-04:002024-03-19T08:00:00-04:00Wizards vs. Rockets: Odds for tonight’s game
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<figcaption>Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Let’s check out tonight’s chances of Washington getting a W at home.</p> <p id="gd6aaS">The Washington Wizards play the Houston Rockets tonight at 7 p.m. ET. Here are the odds, per <a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/">DraftKings SportsBook</a>:</p>
<h2 id="pYQWwp"><strong>Who is favored to win the game?</strong></h2>
<p id="DKsDnI">The Wizards are 9 point underdogs with an over/under of 227.5 points.</p>
<h2 id="FYmktK"><strong>Who are the projected statistical leaders?</strong></h2>
<p id="4M0ezq">For scoring:</p>
<ul>
<li id="o3C1mz">Kyle Kuzma: 22.5 (-115 over/-115 under)</li>
<li id="p9BltC">Jalen Green: 24.5 (-140 over/+110 under)</li>
</ul>
<p id="7OvTFn">For assists:</p>
<ul>
<li id="RabNQc">Kuzma: 4.5 (-105 over/-125 under)</li>
<li id="jq93fr">Fred VanVleet: 8.5 (+114 over/-145 under)</li>
</ul>
<p id="C1sUNU">For rebounds:</p>
<ul>
<li id="KFCqfe">Jabari Smith, Jr.: 9.5 (+105 over/-135 under)</li>
<li id="zzIJsR">Kuzma: 8.5 (-125 over/-105 under)</li>
</ul>
<p id="M3FW4F">Good luck!</p>
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<p id="xTBgJm"><em>*</em><a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/basketball/nba?category=player-points&subcategory=points"><em><strong>DraftKings Sportsbook</strong></em></a><em> is an SB Nation/Vox Media Partner. Please gamble responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, here is the information off the bottom of our webpage. CALL </em><a href="tel:1-800-GAMBLER"><em><strong>1-800-GAMBLER</strong></em></a><em> (</em><a href="tel:1-800-426-2537"><em><strong>1-800-426-2537</strong></em></a><em>) (CO/IL/IN/KS/KY/LA/MD/MI/NJ/OH/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY), </em><a href="tel:(800)%20327-5050"><em><strong>(800) 327-5050</strong></em></a><em> or visit </em><a href="https://www.gamblinghelplinema.org/"><em><strong>gamblinghelplinema.org </strong></em></a><em>(MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY).</em></p>
https://www.bulletsforever.com/2024/3/19/24105416/washington-wizards-houston-rockets-nba-oddsAlbert Lee2024-03-18T20:10:14-04:002024-03-18T20:10:14-04:00Wizards vs. Rockets preview: Washington continues homestand on Tuesday
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<img alt="Washington Wizards v Houston Rockets" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pKtTNvWU77cMZbYgNnJSp7o-PJY=/0x0:3968x2645/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73216699/2085261214.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Washington continues its quest not to lose 70 games.</p> <p id="gOammX">The Washington Wizards are hosting the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night in an attempt to rebound from a beatdown at the hands of the Boston Celtics on Sunday.</p>
<p id="52XJDa">The Wizards are in a free-fall; they’ve dropped 20 of their last 22 games and look like they’ll end the season as one of the worst teams in NBA history. The rebuild is still in the process of beginning, but that does not excuse the lackadaisical basketball Washington has wheeled out all season long.</p>
<p id="BCkiR8">Houston, meanwhile, is beginning to turn the corner into a new epoch. After several years of Wizardsesque misery following the James Harden trade, the Rockets finally nailed down an identity last offseason and have been competitive all year long. The Rockets signed veterans Dillon Brooks, Fred VanVleet and old man Jeff Green and fortified their new defensive identity by hiring head coach Ime Udoka. Houston has fielded a top-10 defense this season and will likely finish with a record a few games south of .500. This is a massive improvement over last year’s 22-60 record, especially considering 2021 number two overall pick Jalen Green has not been a particularly valuable contributor to this team’s improvements. </p>
<p id="StgyKq">With (my pick for Most Improved Player) Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason and Cam Whitmore all out for Houston, the Wizards have the luxury of playing a severely weakened Rockets team. Unfortunately, as last night’s starting lineup indicates, Washington appears to be headed early into shameless tank mode a la the Thunder and Blazers at the ends of seasons past.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">First career starts for Justin and PBJ ⚡️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForTheDistrict?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForTheDistrict</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/MedStarHealth?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MedStarHealth</a> <a href="https://t.co/DbEz3n3Fnh">pic.twitter.com/DbEz3n3Fnh</a></p>— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/1769476337083785533?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2024</a>
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<p id="ydn6ho">Rockets at Wizards tips off Tuesday night at 7 p.m. EST at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.</p>
https://www.bulletsforever.com/2024/3/18/24104664/washington-wizards-houston-rockets-nba-previewMarco Gacina2024-03-18T18:42:28-04:002024-03-18T18:42:28-04:00Coulibaly out for season due to wrist fracture
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<p>The rookie guard suffered the injury during the March 16 contest at Chicago.</p> <p id="qEszw9">Washington Wizards rookie guard Bilal Coulibaly will miss the remainder of the regular season with a right wrist fracture, the team announced.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Official: Bilal Coulibaly will miss the remainder of the regular season after being diagnosed with a right wrist fracture.<br><br>The injury, which will be treated conservatively, was suffered when Coulibaly fell during the game on March 16 at Chicago.</p>— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/1769853920770154697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2024</a>
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<p id="2OGLI6">The injury was suffered after Coulibaly fell on his right wrist during a game on March 16 at Chicago. Coulibaly missed the team’s next game against the Celtics before the injury was announced.</p>
<p id="71t5Wr">Washington traded up to the seventh pick to select Coulibaly in last year’s NBA Draft, electing for the player with one of the highest upsides in his draft class. Coulibaly came on strong to begin the year, specifically from three-point range, but hit a rookie wall of sorts toward the ladder part of the season.</p>
<p id="bRg7Sh"><strong>Coulibaly’s rookie stats:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li id="ju0v1C">8.4 PPG</li>
<li id="oYbeeb">4.1 RPG</li>
<li id="x7bqNz">1.7 APG</li>
<li id="QHuFNy">0.9 SPG</li>
<li id="AgPRlU">0.8 BPG</li>
<li id="iq72P3">43.5% FG / 34.6% 3pt / 70.2% FT</li>
</ul>
<p id="sXRZc2">As reported by Josh Robbins of The Athletic, the team originally believed the injury to be a mere wrist contusion before further tests revealed the true extent of the injury. Coulibaly’s right wrist fracture will not require surgery.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Wizards initially had described Bilal Coulibaly's wrist injury as a contusion. A team spokesman said testing revealed the fracture this afternoon and that Coulibaly will NOT need surgery. <a href="https://t.co/L6aHTMsFnr">https://t.co/L6aHTMsFnr</a></p>— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshuaBRobbins/status/1769854578781016421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2024</a>
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<p id="qJtpck">Wrist fractures can take anywhere from six weeks to a few months to heal, according to multiple sources, varying on the patient as well as the severity of the injury.</p>
<p id="ngK7Pi">For reference, Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso fractured his wrist on January 22, 2022 and returned seven weeks later on March 12, 2022.</p>
<p id="C407pD">Based on Coulibaly’s recovery timeline, his Summer League status may be up in the air. He should be fully healed by then, but the Wizards could hold him out due to an abundance of caution.</p>
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https://www.bulletsforever.com/2024/3/18/24105333/bilal-coulibaly-injury-news-washington-wizardsGregFinberg2024-03-18T07:00:00-04:002024-03-18T07:00:00-04:00The Numbers Crunch: Celtics rain threes on injury-depleted Wizards
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<figcaption>Wizards guard Jordan Poole had one of his best games of the season in the team’s 26-point loss to the Boston Celtics. | Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Stats, analysis, commentary.</p> <p id="mZVx5q">The only real question at opening tip of the the <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com">Boston Celtics</a> at <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com">Washington Wizards</a> St. Patrick’s Day game was the final margin of Boston’s victory.</p>
<p id="03I1Ev">The Wizards are arguably the NBA’s weakest team this season, and they were missing Kyle Kuzma (shoulder), Deni Avdija (knee), Tyus Jones (back), Bilal Coulibaly (wrist), Marvin Bagley III (back), Landry Shamet (calf), and Isaiah Livers (hip).</p>
<p id="MoBJ0i">Sharp-eyed readers may have picked up that Washington’s injured list includes its entire starting five. Eugene Omoruyi sprained an ankle during the game.</p>
<p id="dvqC3m">Boston was missing key players, as well, including Jaylen Brown (ankle), Derrick White (hand), and Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring). That’s three starters, any of which would be the best player on the Wizards.</p>
<p id="75Fmh7">In the absence of what felt like everyone, Jordan Poole played well — an efficient 31 points and 4 assists in just 23 minutes of action. He did get stymied a couple times by Sam Hauser, but he looked a lot like the Golden State Poole — jittery, slippery, getting and making good shots. This is a version of Poole the Wizards hoped to get when they traded for him.</p>
<p id="kb3z8i">Truth be told, the rest of the game isn’t worth close scrutiny or in depth analysis. The non-Poole Wizards were all different flavors of bad. The only guy for whom that could be categorized as “disappointing” was Corey Kispert, and even then Kispert’s overall production tracks pretty closely to his three-point percentage...and he hit just 1-5 against Boston.</p>
<p id="toevy8">Some of the younger guys had positive moments. Justin Champagnie hit a couple threes and grabbed eight rebounds. Johnny Davis cracked 50% from the floor (4-7) and had a couple blocks. Jared Butler produced six assists. Patrick Baldwin Jr. had a steal and a couple blocks.</p>
<p id="FWOU6c">They tried but were vastly outmatched by Jayson Tatum and Boston backups.</p>
<p id="jPdcD9">Of note: Boston’s Hauser hit 10 threes in 23 minutes before stepping on the foot of a Wizards player sitting on the bench and spraining his ankle. He finished one three from the franchise record for makes in a single game, and was the first player in league history to hit 10+ threes in just 23 minutes of action.</p>
<p id="c3ApKs">Next up for the Wizards: a home game Tuesday night against the <a href="https://www.thedreamshake.com">Houston Rockets</a>.</p>
<h2 id="vGa3TS">Four Factors</h2>
<p id="z5mSwN">Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).</p>
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<h2 id="wtIJQq">Stats & Metrics</h2>
<p id="Xct4Nf">Below are a few performance metrics, including the Player Production Average (PPA) Game Score. PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).</p>
<p id="kHjT1g"><strong>Game Score (GmSC)</strong> converts individual production into points on the scoreboard. The scale is the same as points and reflects each player’s <em><strong>total contributions</strong></em> for the game. The lowest possible GmSC is zero.</p>
<p id="SJgRQZ"><a href="https://kevinbroom.com/ppa/"><strong>PPA</strong></a><strong> </strong>is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.</p>
<p id="sGxA6c"><strong>POSS </strong>is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.</p>
<p id="WjtM8i"><strong>ORTG </strong>= offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average last season was 114.8. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.</p>
<p id="oYi44N"><strong>USG</strong> = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%.</p>
<p id="uJY9cg">ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.</p>
<p id="1Zo5Hb"><strong>+PTS </strong>= “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 114, the league — on average — would produced 22.8 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -2.8.</p>
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https://www.bulletsforever.com/2024/3/18/24104469/the-numbers-crunch-celtics-rain-threes-on-injury-depleted-wizardsKevin Broom2024-03-17T22:43:00-04:002024-03-17T22:43:00-04:00Recap: Wizards lose to Celtics, 130-104
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<img alt="Boston Celtics v Washington Wizards" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/X55kY2pfZKc00SXEplGJ16m1Re8=/0x0:5472x3648/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73214337/2084807247.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Kenny Giarla/NBAE via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Jordan Poole led Washington with 31 points.</p> <p id="J5WxZ1">The Washington Wizards lost to the Boston Celtics, 130-104 on Sunday evening at Capital One Arena.</p>
<p id="A47GR0">Washingotn never led in this game. The luck of the Irish on this St. Patrick’s Day, went to … Boston in front of a sellout crowd. The Celtics never trailed and led by as many as 36 points.</p>
<p id="nI2Omq">Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser scored 30 points each to lead the Celtics. Boston also shot 24-of-50 from the three point line, while Washington shot just 10-of-34 from deep themselves. </p>
<p id="vsddJE">For Washington, Jordan Poole led the Wizards, getting the start, where he led with 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting, including shooting 3-of-6 from the three point line.</p>
<p id="vas4Ah">The Wizards’ next game is on Tuesday when they host the Houston Rockets. Tip off is at 7 p.m. ET. See you then.</p>
https://www.bulletsforever.com/2024/3/17/24104495/washington-wizards-boston-celtics-nba-game-recapAlbert Lee2024-03-17T16:30:00-04:002024-03-17T16:30:00-04:00Wizards vs Celtics game information and discussion
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<p>Wizards have a lot of injuries for today’s game</p> <p id="sPga9D">The Washington Wizards play the Boston Celtics tonight at 6 p.m. ET. You can watch the game on Monumental Sports Network.</p>
<h2 id="L27PU1"><strong>Preview</strong></h2>
<p id="jnN9r0">Our preview was written last night and <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/2024/3/16/24103537/washington-wizards-boston-celtics-nba-game-preview"><strong>it’s here.</strong></a></p>
<h2 id="TBmdV3"><strong>Odds</strong></h2>
<p id="AO1NtT">The odds are very much not in the Wizards’ favor tonight. <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/2024/3/17/24103795/wizards-celtics-nba-odds"><strong>Click here</strong></a> to see where they were earlier today.</p>
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<p id="kOJUgt">Feel free to chat about the game here in the comment section below!</p>
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https://www.bulletsforever.com/2024/3/17/24104105/wizards-vs-celtics-game-information-and-discussionGregFinberg2024-03-17T12:51:38-04:002024-03-17T12:51:38-04:00Wizards vs. Celtics preview: Odds for tonight’s game
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<img alt="Boston Celtics v Denver Nuggets" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5dIY1ytwurPYGgxNVlYwHZ8IXis=/0x0:5616x3744/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73213349/2059264946.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Boston are 13-point favorites tonight in Washington.</p> <p id="xsFX2y">The Washington Wizards are hosting the Boston Celtics tonight in the second game of a back-to-back following a blowout loss to the Chicago Bulls last night. Here are the odds for tonight, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.</p>
<h3 id="RIKKcH"><strong>Game outcome</strong></h3>
<p id="88IdCd">The Celtics, who are already well clear of 50 wins this season, are 13-point favorites in Washington. The over/under is set at 229 points (over -110/under -110).</p>
<h3 id="T4IEyr"><strong>First basket</strong></h3>
<p id="RAvsG2">Celtics forward Jaylen Brown and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma are the two favorites to score the first basket tonight. Brown is +400 for the first basket, while Kuzma is +425.</p>
<h3 id="lRjZLt"><strong>Team over/unders</strong></h3>
<p id="QRm7gH">The Boston Celtics over/under is set at 120.5 points (-120 over/-110 under). The Wizards’ over/under is set at 108.5 points (-120 over/-110 under).</p>
<p id="Crp4ht">Wizards versus Celtics tips off tonight at 6 p.m. EST at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. Please remember to gamble responsibly and enjoy the game!</p>
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<p id="zlgmt2"><em>*</em><a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/basketball/nba?category=player-points&subcategory=points"><em><strong>DraftKings Sportsbook</strong></em></a><em> is an SB Nation/Vox Media Partner. Please gamble responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, here is the information off the bottom of our webpage. CALL </em><a href="tel:1-800-GAMBLER"><em><strong>1-800-GAMBLER</strong></em></a><em> (</em><a href="tel:1-800-426-2537"><em><strong>1-800-426-2537</strong></em></a><em>) (CO/IL/IN/KS/KY/LA/MD/MI/NJ/OH/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY), </em><a href="tel:(800)%20327-5050"><em><strong>(800) 327-5050</strong></em></a><em> or visit </em><a href="https://www.gamblinghelplinema.org/"><em><strong>gamblinghelplinema.org </strong></em></a><em>(MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY).</em></p>
https://www.bulletsforever.com/2024/3/17/24103795/wizards-celtics-nba-oddsMarco Gacina2024-03-17T11:00:00-04:002024-03-17T11:00:00-04:00Poll: Most Mystics fans think that ESA is too small for the WNBA
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<img alt="Dallas Wings v Washington Mystics" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/p-j4g5RAmDh9tSjCd-jghZnMDuM=/0x0:6000x4000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73213174/1495514727.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Let’s get to our results, on a topic where Mystics and Wizards fans will disagree.</p> <p id="Q11ZJe">Thank you for your responses to this week’s SB Nation Washington Mystics Reacts survey. Here are the results!</p>
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<h2 id="Eb5aeS"><strong>Most Mystics fans felt the team should have never moved out of Capital One Arena after the 2018 WNBA season.</strong></h2>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Alright Mystics fans, the <a href="https://twitter.com/sbnreacts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sbnreacts</a> results are back!<br><br>The fanbase is divided on this one! But a clear majority, 60%, believe that they should have never moved out of Capital One Arena after 2018. <a href="https://t.co/Hy5gqjlduC">pic.twitter.com/Hy5gqjlduC</a></p>— BF_Mystics (@BF_mystics) <a href="https://twitter.com/BF_mystics/status/1768744703162286476?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a>
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<p id="qG4N5x">We asked how you felt about the Potomac Yard arena situation this past week. Sure, the Mystics aren’t expected to move to Alexandria, but the plan, if successful, involves the team moving back to Capital One Arena. In addition, <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/mystics/2024/3/15/24100332/monumental-sports-potential-failed-arena-plans-washington-mystics-impact">Diamond Holton wrote a column</a> on why the Mystics are fine where they are at the Entertainment and Sports Arena — and why they shouldn’t be affected by these other plans.</p>
<p id="IN0CEl">Out of nearly 200 respondents, we saw some interesting results and key differences between the way Mystics fans see the arena situation and Wizards fans (who are mostly lukewarm or don’t care about the Mystics). </p>
<p id="8fSY0B">In our first question, we asked if you believed that the Mystics should have never moved out of Capital One Arena at all. It was a divided result, but 60 percent of you believe so. I personally didn’t like the move, but I understood why. Capital One Arena was too big for the Mystics at the time. </p>
<p id="3rhAss">The Mystics were never a flagship WNBA franchise and struggled to get decent crowds, especially after the 2010 season when they fired their entire front office and began their worst two-year stretch in franchise history. Though the Mystics have won a championship now, they at least are a much more respected organization than during the pre-Mike Thibault years.</p>
<h2 id="UncbFY"><strong>Nearly 9 in 10 Mystics fans think that the Entertainment and Sports Arena is too small for a WNBA team.</strong></h2>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Not a surprise here: 88% of our respondents think that ESA is too small for a WNBA team. <br><br>This is the pic of the good angle of ESA so you know.<a href="https://twitter.com/sbnreacts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sbnreacts</a> <a href="https://t.co/3f3WkNXBqx">pic.twitter.com/3f3WkNXBqx</a></p>— BF_Mystics (@BF_mystics) <a href="https://twitter.com/BF_mystics/status/1768745896039076062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a>
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<p id="q28qk4">Our second question asked whether ESA is too small for the WNBA. Eighty-eight percent of you believed that it was.</p>
<p id="p3QnkK">This is where Diamond and I differ.</p>
<p id="hvUW2I">Like most respondents, I agree that ESA is and was always too small for the WNBA. The WNBA, like any other professional sports league, deserves consistency in its product. All teams should have a practice facility. All teams deserve a good homecourt advantage in their home arena. And the league deserves to have arenas that are consistently sized. One team shouldn’t be in an 18,000-seat arena while another has just 4,000. </p>
<p id="rvsdXy">The Seattle Storm and Minnesota Lynx play in NBA ready and NBA arenas. As the WNBA grows and as these teams eventually become contenders again, they can handle those crowds. But the Mystics are stuck with just 4,200. That arena was<a href="https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/dc-wizards-to-announce-deal-on-practice-facility-in-southeast/1989186/"> originally planned to have 5,000 or so.</a> </p>
<p id="1XpFUq">While the Mystics may enjoy homecourt advantage, loud crowds, and sold-out crowds, it’s important to realize that by playing at such a small arena, it reflects one of these two things. </p>
<p id="ULHMLw">Either the D.C. market is really only able to get 4,000 fans to a Mystics game in a league that is otherwise growing, or the WNBA is possibly trying to ensure that all teams, including expansion teams, play in an adequately sized arena. </p>
<p id="yJy4z4">I don’t think the D.C. market is only capable of bringing 4,000 paid seats to a WNBA game. The same goes for the Atlanta Dream, the team with the smallest arena, at just 3,500 seats. </p>
<h2 id="rtqbzW"><strong>Most Mystics fans want the team to move to a different, larger arena. But the results are divided.</strong></h2>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">This result was also decisive: nearly 2 out of 3 respondents in this Mystics survey believe that the Mystics should move to a larger arena, though not necessarily Cap One.<br><br>31% thought they should stay at ESA or perhaps expand the arena if possible. <a href="https://t.co/1BcH3nt9UK">pic.twitter.com/1BcH3nt9UK</a></p>— BF_Mystics (@BF_mystics) <a href="https://twitter.com/BF_mystics/status/1768746629463527917?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a>
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<p id="v10fJj">In our final question, we asked what you think should happen to the Mystics and their arena situation. If Monumental Sports’ Alexandria arena plan is successful, the plan was to bring the Mystics back to Capital One Arena. But if the arena plan fails, the Mystics stay at ESA with little room to grow, even though the homecourt advantage is nice.</p>
<p id="s5unLS">Nearly two-thirds, or 66 percent, of respondents believe that the Mystics should move to a larger D.C. area arena. The most convenient large arena would be Capital One Arena, of course. But the Mystics could be booted into other facilities for the WNBA postseason when they make the playoffs. </p>
<p id="jTNhwe">Other facilities that the Mystics could feasibly move to include EagleBank Arena at George Mason University. in Fairfax, Va. It carries nearly 10,000 people and is managed by Monumental Sports. The Xfinity Center in College Park is the Maryland Terrapins’ home arena which carries nearly 18,000 people. Many Mystics players and fans have Terrapins ties, so this is another potential fit. The downside of these college arenas, however, is that they aren’t in Washington and are toward the western and eastern edges of the metro area. Commuting to Fairfax from the Maryland suburbs or College Park from the Virginia suburbs is nothing short of hell.</p>
<p id="AQa3CD">Thirty-one percent of you said that staying at ESA in some form is the best option. One thing I’m pondering over is whether that arena could be expanded. It would allow the Mystics to retain the homecourt advantage they have, but also keep them as an anchor tenant of Congress Heights and Ward 8; that may require that the MedStar Health Performance Center be reconfigured since it adjoins ESA. Also, the Mystics will probably have to move (again) for a couple years to accommodate an expansion.</p>
<p id="lKJweX">I don’t think an expanded ESA will (or can) carry 10,000 fans, but an arena of, let’s say, 7,000 fans is closer in line to where most WNBA facilities are than 4,200.</p>
<p id="HM1e1k">Finally, three percent of respondents believe that the best option for the Mystics is to relocate to a new market. In such a scenario, Monumental Sports & Entertainment would likely sell the Mystics to a new owner. Unlike the 2000s, when teams folded due to a lack of interested buyers, there are multiple markets and potential ownership groups looking for a WNBA team, including Toronto, Louisville, Florida and Portland, where the WNBA turned down an expansion team request at the 11th hour. To be clear, this scenario is very unlikely to happen.</p>
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<p id="TgDgNj">That’s what I have for this week. Thanks again for responding!</p>
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https://www.bulletsforever.com/2024/3/17/24103748/sb-nation-reacts-washington-mystics-fan-surveyAlbert Lee