Ya'll remember when we beat the Cavs?

Everyone snickered because it was our Super Bowl....our funny money "championship"....nice try, but our small piece of joy and glimmer of hope in the midst of a shockingly tragic season can't be taken away.

So to celebrate the memories, and in the absence of a traditional game blog (what happened to those anyway?), I present the Wizards vs. Cavs, in screen shots:

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Gilbert Arenas worked the refs from the get-go. Can you see him as a politician when he matures to a gray-haired quinquagenarian?

Once he made it to the bench, Arenas proceeded with his coaching duties, consulting Phil Hubbard, who was born in Canton, Ohio and once played for the Cavs BTW.

Big Ernie Grunfeld prayed/meditated/mentalized for something good.

Gruns usually plays it cool, you don't want to play poker with the guy.

But even Ern has his moments of angst.

Mike Brown sported the "lesbian eyeglasses" that the Wizznutzz were talking about.

JaVale McGee salutes after big plays....it's kinda his thing.

And hey, the Wizznutzz were in attendance.....isn't this Jaarko the intern who humped a bucket to the go-go beat outside of the Verizon?

Chuck Barkley was three sheets to the wind and talking trash about the Wiz by the half.

Keep on for the second half.

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A great man once said that a picture is worth a thousand words...I could be wrong, but I think that great man was Jesus.

And, my game blogs, which have become noticeably sparse lately, tend to be very, very lengthy.

So, in lieu, I present what went down last night via screen shots.

Enjoy America.

Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier came out in Bobcats colors....
and they didn't look like they were effing around.

Chris Miller yearned for more text messages
.....he even kept sending texts for the Wizards techies to put on the jumbo tron.

One said: <3 U Agent 0 - Letz B 2GetHer

The game was crappy in the beginning....Larry Brown started to doze off.
The assistant in charge of putting 5-hour energies in his IV had the squirts.

Effing A....Gilbert went down again. Surprise, surprise.

Oh wait, that was another game against the Bobcats.

"Can it be that it was all so simple then?" -Wu-Tang

Ed Tapscott was confused nonetheless.

Then Dominic McGuire tried to make an underhand, two-handed pass on a 4-1 break. He telegraphed that thing like Samuel Morse....

[turnover ya'll]

Comcast's Kelli Johnson did her best impersonation of the Ravens logo.

Nick Young caught this sweet alley-oop from Javaris Crittenton,
but there was only like one dude on the Wizards bench to see it.

via flickr/wolfpix

Caron Butler....out, among others. Dominic McGuire is the starting two, going along with Mike James, Antawn Jamison, Andray Blatche, and Darius Songaila.

The Hawks.....tired after not arriving in DC until 6:45 am and losing to the Cavs in the ATL by one point the night before.

Who will have energy?

Q1

ATL Poss 1: Al Horford beats both Andray Blatche and Darius Songaila for an offensive board and put-back.
ATL Poss 2: Hawks break, Josh Smith major dunk.
ATL Poss 3: Smith paint runner on AJ.

Andray Blatche has fallen in love with the J and has luckily hit two. 6-4 Hawks.....and then Andray bumbles an easy pass on the break.

9:21: Mike Woodson looks very sad/tired.

Remember kids, in the NBA, kick balls must be intentional to warrant a whistle -- that should translate to casual pickup games among mere mortals.

7:37: Wiz have played great D on the last couple of possessions, moving to spots well as Atlanta swings the ball around the court....unfortunately, this time ends in a Josh Smith jumper at the shot clock buzzer. 8-6 Hawks.

5:30: Neither team seems offensively comfortable at this point. 10-10 tie.

4:00: Hawks get 5 straight on a Marvin Williams runner over AJ and a Mike Bibby three as the Wiz are scrambling trying to cover mismatches. 15-10 Hawks.

3:52: JaVale McGee checks in for D-Song.

2:38: McGee shows no court awareness or respect in the passing ability of Mike Bibby who finds a seam that JaVale left open for Al Horford - c'mon kid, gotta have more active hands.

2:09: Blatche hits his 3rd jumper, 4-4 total FGs, 8 points. 19-16 Hawks.

There's a Lady Zaza sighting.

Mike James hits a nice FT line J off a Jamison pick....Wiz get a steal and James just missed a three at the buzzer. 24-22 Atlanta after one.

Q2

Nick Young, Javaris Crittenton, Songaila, McGee and McGuire to start the 2nd.

11:00: Kids look like they have the idea of ball movement, but a tough baseline turnaround J from McGuire is not ideal.

10:30: Young tries to dribble in a tight spot....turnover.

10:00: Easy as a Marvin Williams three and it's a 7-2 Hawks run to start the 2nd -- timeout Tapscott.

9:17: JaVale blocks a Horford turnaround, McGuire recovers....McGee sprints, McGuire runs the transition right down the middle like he should and finds an open passing lane for Crittenton who throws down a stuff. 31-26 Hawks.

McGee is throwing a lot of intimidation Al Horford's way.

6:39: Blatche checks back in to join McGee, Jamison, James and Young.

6:05: Wiz are bobbling the ball everywhere, shot clock running down, but James uses his vet savvy to get to the hoop and draw a foul. 1-2 FTs - 37-29 Hawks.

Nick Young wasn't doing much.....see ya. Return Crittenton who gets penetration to the hoop and the rock to McGee for a dunk.

4:31: McGuire picks a bad Hawks pass....plays with his head up and gets a long pass to Crittenton who gets another dunk in transition. 38-33 Hawks. 6 assists for the Taser already.

3:54: McGuire ties his career high 7th assist on a lob to Jamison. 40-35 Hawks.

3:13: Wiz create an overload, Jamison with the ball on the left wing....swings it to James who hesitates then drives and finds McGee in the short corner who skies for the dunk And1. Only someone JaVale's length could have covered that distance.

2:56: Maryland's Vasquez at game.

2:28: Crittenton is tearing up after missing the last game with the flu.....leaps to somehow put a short Jamison miss back in one motion. 43-40 Hawks.

The Wizards have simply been out working the Hawks for the past couple minutes....what a rarity to see from this team.

1:03: Jamison trey ball and the Wiz take their first lead 45-43.

Minor confusion from Wiz D to end the half as Marvin Williams gets a corner trey. Still, a 16-8 run to close out the 2nd thanks to McGee (7 pts.), Crittenton (4-5 FG, 8 pts., 3 rebs.), McGuire (8 assists, 0 turnovers), Jamison (13 pts.), and James (7 pts.) -- with a lil' Blatche (8 pts.) on the side too.

46-45 Hawks at the half....keep reading.

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via truthaboutit on flickr

Delay of game? Well, everyone is looking for the Pres who's not yet in the house. The refs are all but ready to toss the jump ball, but send the teams back to their corners. Makes sense to wait. Tapscott gives a smile....everyone seems loose, but anxious.

Obama enters.....people greet...Mike Wise makes an appearance.....and Obama says, "Let's go, let's get this game started."

Q1

Wiz start out with a spring in their step, including a long Dom McGuire jumper just inside the three point line....space courtesy of a screen and aggressive roll by Jamison.....to put the Wiz up 8-2 at the 9:30 mark.

9:07: When doubling the ball works......Songaila steps out hard on Rose like he usually does, Mike James is there too.....the rook gives it up, D-Song jets, James flips it to him and it's an easy bucket. 10-2 Wiz.

8:10: Gawd....we can only dream. Yes, the Wiz missed two threes on this possession, which ultimately ended with a Caron Butler mid-ranger on a third chance, but it was the quick ball movement and the effort on the two offensive boards that we've been craving more of. 12-2 Wiz.

6:00: Steve Buckhantz is interested to see if the Wizards can keep up the frenetic pace on offense.

1:27: Blatche and a bald-headed-banded Nick Young make the first subs for McGuire and Songaila....and Crittenton for James about a minute later.

0:18: Nick Young drives and hits a very tough fading shot, but I must admit cringing at how much he dribbled the ball on that possession. The Wizards started the game moving the rock so well, why not keep that up? 27-16 Wizards.

And the first ends 27-18 after two late Chicago FTs with 0.9 seconds left after a silly foul. The Bulls actually ended the 1st on an 8-2 run. Jamison had 13 points, Wiz have 9 second chance points as a team.

Q2

9:21: Working the ball around a little better.....get the ball to Young on the wing who's really working hard to post up Ben Gordon. Young hits a very tough turn-around fader and gets the foul -- 3 point play -- Young has the last 7 points for DC -- 32-21 Wizards.

7:57: Nick Young ties up Brad Miller for a jumper ball...can he win the tip? Nope.

7:30: Steve Buckhantz calls the Wizards out for not being as patient on offense as they were in the 1st quarter -- looking for a difference between the vets and the youth? -- Bulls go on a 6-0 run, Tapscott calls a timeout. 34-27 DC.

5:45: Wiz pressure....D-Song swarms the loose ball.....slings it up to McGee who makes a crafty layup avoiding the D on the break.....and then salutes the POTUS.

How can Joakim Noah be an NBA player and have a completely crappy FT form release?

4:00: BTW - my man D-Song is 5-5 from the field with 10 points already.

3:40: Pecherov...Big Oily is making an appearance....good stuff, matching up against Noah.

Unfortunately, the once 15 point lead is down to two points....42-40 Wiz. Bulls have been fueled by Wiz fouls and 10-11 FTs in the 2nd.

McGee salutes after some FTs....looks to be a planned theme.

Big Oily Watch: Tyrus Thomas throws down a monster slam on him.....something about Stewie and the Bulls .

1:30: Amazing oop from Butler to McGee who is able to contort, catch and throw it down with one hand.....and another salute. 49-42 Wizards.

The half ends with the Wiz up 49-45. Wiz up on the boards, 26-21 (9 offensive for DC).

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via flickr/vernhart

Well, here we go, the back end of the season.....one of 29.

The good news: we may get a peek at Andray Blatche tonight. As a professed Blatche hater (well, not really), I'm really pulling for a strong showing for the rest of the season.

Q1

Well, the first shot is by Mike James, an open three set up by minor penetration....and he makes it. How 'bout that?

9:00: Wiz get a steal....Butler and Jamison run the break....Antawn misses a tough shot, but there's Dominic McGuire, doing a great job running the floor with the follow. 7-2 DC.

6:30: The Wiz only have 12 points for far (Minny with 7) but I really like the way they're moving the ball -- I'm seeing dribble penetration and a pass....or quick passes after a pass to get the D moving.

First time seeing Kevin Love in an NBA setting. He's a bigger body than I thought....almost an opposite hour glass shape -- 6 boards so far with 4:30 left in the first.

Huh, Mark Madsen is still in the league? Remember how he was the "Mad Dog" at Stanford?

Aaaaand it looks like JaVale McGee has gone Mohawk on us.....or as least an abnormally high fade. He looks like Lance Corporal Hal Dawson from A Few Good Men.

You gotta love the change of pace that Crittenton provides when he comes in the game.....the type of guy who can just grab a rebound and go.

0:35: Case in point: McGee help-side block, McGuire recover, gets to the ball to Javaris in the middle who jets and passes to AJ who draws a foul. 25-14 Wiz.

0:33: Butler picks Miller's pocket....and dunk. 27-14.

10-2 run closes the first. Butler with 8 points (3 steals), Jamison with 10 pts (5 boards) -- 27-16 Wizards (6 team ASSISTS)...good ol' times (so far).

Q2

11:31: Andray makes an appearance with a long open two. 29-16 Wiz.

10:40: Old Blatche flashback.....jumps in the air, no one to pass to.....turnover.

Chris Miller and Phil Chenier exchange words on the fresh legs of the Wizards.

9:27: Wow...one of the better moves I've seen McGee make -- corner left wing against Love.....faces up....jabs baseline and dribbles right into the paint....uses his length to get towards the hoop, and his arms to get a long sweeping scoop shot at the rim and over Love. 33-19 Wiz.

7:00: Crittenton again with a good dribble in traffic and leaves the ball for Andray with a running for a dunk. In general, Andray looks a little ginger when running, but he's hustling. Wiz up 16.

(Shhhh....don't tell anyone, but this team looks fun to watch)

5:29: Even Songaila is getting in on the action with post position and an abuse of Love. 42-26 Wiz.

You have to wonder about the purpose of Mike James now.......warm body?

Wiz are playing really well, but they still need to do a better job of taking care of the ball - a bit careless a couple times.

1:30: And in tune with that, a turnover and a 19 point lead suddenly has been cut to 11 - 47-36 Wiz.

0:55: "Amazing how the wheels can come off for a team so quickly" says Steve Buckhantz....another turnover and move points prompts Tapscott to call a timeout. Lead down to 7, 47-40 Wizards. -- Hey, what did we expect?

For the record: 1 turnover in the first quarter, and the Wiz just committed their 9th of the 2nd quarter (illegal screen by McGee - his 3rd foul).

JEEZ....the Wiz were up NINETEEN with 3:38 left and are now only up 5 with 35 seconds left. (and another turnover....Crittenton with too much dribbling).

Wiz would get a tech FT (Telfair) and a Blatche bucket to go into the locker room up 51-42.

Minny shot 28.9% FG - Wiz at 47.5% - but committing 10 turnovers in the 2nd and giving up 11 offensive boards is a killer.

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Antawn Jamison has no hope.

Crittenton gets the start for Butler....and not Nick Young. Mike James, Songaila, Jamison and McGuire are hanging too.

Q1

11:51: Jamison takes it on the Chauncey Billups mismatch and over Nene to start. Man, that guy has no quit (until he gets on defense).

Small Wiz lineup tells us that Denver is switching on all ball screens...so says Hubie Brown.

9:27: Hey Crittenton hits a two...doesn't look like he gets a ton of lift on his shot though. 6-4 Wizards.

Dahntay Jones is killing Mike James to start.....all 2-point jumpers. He has Denver's first 6 points.

Grandpa Hubie says that 12 Wizards losses by 6 points or less points is "encouraging"

8:16: Jones is just jumping right over James and nailing Js....hasn't even dribbled yet. 4-4 FGs - 10-8 Nuggets.

Fast-Paced start to the game -- each team has 14 with 5:30 left....Wiz are moving the ball well. Mike James' D is meh.

4:00: Jamison gets a dunk.....an Mike James gets a trey. What is this I hear? Cheers from the 8K in the Verizon? Wiz up 21-14.

Of course, the Wiz have had a couple careless turnovers....to be expected I suppose.

2:54: Carmelo J and then back to back dunks by K-Mart and Birdman....Hubie calls Jamison out for taking a bad shot. Just like that, it's 21-20 Wiz.

Anthony dunk....easy when he's allowed to get position down low. That's three jams in a row.

ESPN goes 'inside the huddle' - Tapscott has to remind his team that the keys are defense and driving the ball....our team is led by the Captain of the USS Obvious. Then again, guess you have to remind the young guys....even though these are basic principles of basketball.

0:19: Uh oh...Hubie calls Dominc McGuire out for body language after he got an offensive foul called against him....it was a good call, he had his arm out on 'Melo.

16-2 Nuggets run to close the first.....30-23 Denver.

Q2

15 consecutive Nugget points after Pecherov fouls Birdman for two FTs.....things got a little testy on that one two. I'm not sure who would win between Big Oily and the B-Man. 35-23 Denver.

10:56: McGee fade...bucket. Man, that guy will take the toughest shots.....he ain't passing the ball out the post.

10:17: Anderson dunk...McGee's man.

10:00: McGee bad off-balance double clutch shot, miss. That's cool....get yours kid.

Great, the youth are playing.....but how does that help their development when they can't be made to care and are playing for themselves?

9:36: Nuggets have 6 dunks so far.

The Wiz look like they're trying to hustle on offense......but not on the other half of the court.

7:11: Dunks, dunks, dunks.

New Slogan: Character, Commitment, Connection, Hanging of Heads.

Wiz taking a pickup game attitude...playing for self (it's as if I can't iterate this enough). Way to go Tapscott

6:15: Ha! Ha! Funny guys.....good one! (every player on the Wizards bench NOT in uniform is laughing at something.....the rest look grim as all get out) 49-35 Nuggets

5:18: Dom McGuire with a nice oop dunk from Dixon.

Kleiza drives it right down Jamison's throat from the corner for a bucket.....Jamison then, a bit off balance, pushed McGee out of his way. Guess it's the Rooks fault that your defense stinks likeBigfoot's D*ck. 51-35 Nugs.

Hubie Brown is calling out McGee for going soft on Nene.....C'mon kid, get some viagra or something. So what if you get a foul....if you don't get physical, Nene's gonna keep rolling over you. (Good point by Grandpa Hubie)

Layup drill by Nugs.

Please, get rid of Tapscott and get a coach who will whip these soft MFs into shape!!!!

0:34.9: Hey....Crittenton takes a give and go from AJ and dunks it...nice work kid.

Wiz had the ball with 9 seconds left...can't even get off a shot. 68-48 Denver at the half.

NINE (9) DENVER DUNKS AT HALF.

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Ok, in all fairness, Devin Harris has torched plenty of teams this year....that's why he's an All-Star. And the Wizards, well, we already know they were working with a losing equation before the numbers were crunched.

But don't make it easy on the guy. His finally tally of 26 points wasn't astounding, but he did have 19 at the half. Many times, Mike James was looking like a prime candidate for the next episode Crappy Defender 911.

So tonight's game changer is the birth of Devin Harris. He grew up to be drafted and immediately traded by the Wizards....and that probably gives him just a bit of extra motivation.

Note on Game Changers:

Want to do these for every game from here on out, whether they're posted here at Bullets Forever or at Truth About It. Sometimes they will be serious, sometimes they will be silly like this one.

The first one was Willie Green's 16 points in the first quarter last Friday against Philly. The second was a big Nick Young bucket in the win against the Clippers.

For the Memphis game, I was just going to take a screen shot of the jump ball and put thought bubbles containing pictures of ice cream cones, tropical islands, etc. over the heads of the Wizards -- I know, silly, zinger style.

However, my DVR started randomly erasing Wizards games -- guess he's tired of containing all the suckiness inside.

At this point, I would just like to request that ESPN not show this Friday's game against the Nuggets. To be on national television at this point is an insult to NBA fans, Wizards fans, and the nation of basketball alike.

via flickr/Keith Allison

Q1

1st Clippers possession - It strikes me as odd how little guys block out in the NBA......it's almost an after-thought. Well, at least for the Wizards. In this instance, Brian Skinner remained untouched as Jamison and McGuire kind of stood around, looking at the rim...and Skinner ended up with an easy offensive board tip in.

Mike James hits his first shot, a three -- sad to say, this is a good thing. 4-3 LA.

9:08: James gets called for a carry.....needless to say, the movement on offense for the Wiz is very casual.

I'm an NBA first. I have some friends, and it's completely understandable, who favor the college game over the pro -- the college players seem to play like every possession counts. And I'm sure that some good NBA teams, like the Spurs, occasionally take possessions off. But, for the most part, they run a tight, professional ship.

To my point: the uninspired play of the Wizards just might make me watch more college ball to better balance out my entire basketball experience. The long and short of it is that the Wizards really, really suck......and it's easy to tell just from watching a single possession.

6:30: But, LA sucks too....they keep turning the ball over (5 so far, 4 in the last two minutes), so the Wiz have gone on an 8-0 run in 1:30. 11-8 Wiz.

4:00: Butler just picked up a nice assist on a pick and roll with D-Song, and now he sees an open lane and takes advantage. He's looking composed on the offensive end......maybe he's resigned to the season's fate, calmed down, and is just playing his game. 17-11 Wizards.

Two straight three's from Steve Novak (uh Jamison?) - 19-17 Wiz.

1:44: D-Song miss layup.....D-Song snatch ball away.....D-Song make layup.....D-Song no quit.

Wha-Wha-What? Did I just catch a glimpse of Andray Blatche in a three-piece suit?

Baron Davis to Javaris Crittenton: "When you reach, I teach." 24-22 Wiz.

J-Critt bumbles the last possession...c'mon kiddo. The Wiz are kinda-sorta looking halfway decent against another crappy team. 26-22 after 1.

Q2

Gordon gets a layup blocked by McGee, but somehow gets the ball back TWICE, ending in a lay-in. 26-24 Wiz.

11:00: McGee napping....leaves his assignment, Gordon, open for three. Buckets. 27-26 Clips.

9:10: JaVale misses a one-hand dunk attempt.....two-hands would have been nice.

Checking in.....nothing spectacular going on here.

Brian Skinner's chin pubes annoy me. They're dyed blond....some high school B.S. if you ask me.

Clippers keep turning it over.....they look like the Wizards of the West. 38-35 Wiz, 6:24 left.

6:08: DeShawn Stevenson missed trey....Caron Butler really wanted that one to go in....stood up on the bench while it was in the air and everything.

Oh silliness.....the Wiz only have four players on the court during a Camby free-thow attempt. Get up Nick Young, you're still in the game fella. (cue the Debbie Downer....wamp-wah....sound).....maybe Nick was over there trying to get a candy bar.

1:21: Hey, Nick Young is doing things.....like a three-point bomb.

Nick again, baseline jumper, the next time down the court......do your thing kiddo. 11 points for Young. 53-45 Wiz.

Back to reality....Nick tries to force a drive and bumbles the ball out of bounds.

Back to awesomeness...Wizard run, a little sloppy....but Nick Young gets it for a sweet baseline slam.

And Mike James for a three-ball bucket at the buzzer! (after a made Clipper shot with 1.2 seconds left)

Look at us go! The Wizards are marginally winning for the time being. Go team go! 58-47 at the half.

Staty Stat:

• Nick Young - 13 points in the last 7 minutes.
• Thank you for those 15 turnovers Clippers (Wiz only had 6)
• Caron Butler has 7 assists
• 14-6 on fast-break points for DC

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