Open thread: Regular season game 25

by Mike Prada on Dec 21, 2007 2:46 PM EST in Game Threads

I'll have all the relevant stuff later, but start making your picks here.

The line is Wizards by 4.5, and the over/under on the Big 2 is 43.4 points.

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The question is....

Will Eddie Jordan change the starting line-up? He seemed to indicate that he would not....a noble little experiment.

"Hey Nick Young...just know that I'm still starting you because I'm behind you and I've got confidence in you. Now, don't make me look like a fool."
-Me Inside EJ's Mind

If Tuff Juice went 2 spot, would we like him trying to hang with Joe Johnson as opposed to DeShawn Stevenson? I would say no.
If Mason Jr came in at the guard, do we have that much more confidence in him guarding Anthony Johnson than Nick Young? Well....maybe a little.

-- Pachulia didn't do much in his 7 minutes against us earlier this year.

But last year, he had 27-12 (not to mention 4 assists and 3 blocks) against the Wiz in one Hawks win; 9-7 in a Hawks loss; and 8-14 in another Hawks loss.

The year before, he averaged 13.25 points and 7.25 rebounds in 4 games against the Wizards.

Moral of my tale: this is much more than that cat should be getting stop this dude Brendan Todd.

It will not be a good sign for the Wiz if the Hawks are getting inside buckets tonight.

www.truthaboutit.net

by Kyle Weidie on Dec 21, 2007 3:18 PM EST reply actions

Two teams basically without a point guard

Call me slow-to-adapt, but I don't believe in the Hawks being legit just yet. Sign me up for Wiz/Over.

BTW, whatever happened to Blatche's gaudy scoring lines. Is it a conditioning thing? Teams picking him up better? He's still getting the blocks, but has been quieter in every other regard.

by sierradave on Dec 21, 2007 3:36 PM EST reply actions

wiz/under

The Hawks just have too many raw players who can't really put it together (marvin williams, josh smith, pachulia). A team like the Hawks could really benefit from a quick unselfish pg.

I think Blatche has possibly hit his "wall" this season. He does not really move enough on offense to demand the ball. When he gets it, good things happen but he seems content letting Butler/Jamison take care of the scoring load. This is not really a critique of Blatche but just an observation. He will be a good offensive player someday in this league, but he is still very young and needs a little more confidence offensively.

by finkad01 on Dec 21, 2007 4:42 PM EST reply actions

wiz, over

hawks are playing well lately. got burned on the chicago game. hopefully wiz come out on top tonight without AD and gil.

by DarrellWalkerFan on Dec 21, 2007 6:00 PM EST reply actions

hawks, under

just have a bad feeling

by Aldo on Dec 21, 2007 6:06 PM EST reply actions

Hawks/over

No AD and GA = no dice. close win if we get one at all

I've been known to be right.

by Icantfeelmyface on Dec 21, 2007 7:29 PM EST reply actions

Jesus

The Wizards are doing everything in their power to give this game away.

by sierradave on Dec 21, 2007 9:09 PM EST reply actions

Punched in the Mouth

The Hawks are a young, strong, and hungry team. They came to play and they played physical. They literally out-muscled the Wizards. They played like a team full of tough juice. Credit Randy Ayers for for the Wizards hanging tough in this one. If this were last year, and the Hawks played like they did tonight, it would have been the Hawks by 20.

The Hawks gave the Wizards offense very little room to breathe. The Wizards kept trying to run the Princeton, but nobody was getting open. In the end, they either settled for a contested jumper or drove to the lane (an improvement over last game). Yet even when the Wizards drove, they were just as likely to not get the foul call as they were to get one. The refs were, for the most part, letting the two teams play. And if they didn't get the foul call, the Hawks were immediately grabbing the rebound and running the fast break. No second chances for the Wiz tonight.

The Hawks, like the Bulls on Wednesday, are a team full of young, tall, and tough players who can clog the lane and get rebounds. This seems to be the Wizards Achilles heel this season. Definitely something the Wizards need to work on. Other than Caron, this young Wizards squad is very short on toughness. They have to want it more than the other team. They have to take that punch in the mouth and still convert. Tonight, they just took it. The Wizards got punked tonight.

The good news is, as physical as this game was, nobody appeared to get hurt. Chalk this one up as another learning experience and move on. The Wizards are still clinging to a game over .500 in their 17th game without Gilbert. All things considered, not too bad.

"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 Dec 21, 2007 10:14 PM EST reply actions