Wizards 92, Sixers 85

by Mike Prada on Feb 15, 2007 3:54 AM EST in Recaps

Sierradave was there, and he'll probably give a better recap than me, but here's what I took away from this nonetheless.

It's a win, and it wasn't pretty. I'm not convinced that the Wizards would win many games like this, especially when they play higher-quality teams. But still, it's a win, and it was good to get after the turmoil of the previous week.

Defensively, this was one of the best Wizards' efforts this season. The Sixers shot only 38 percent, and Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala shot a combined 8 of 30. The Wiz also forced 18 turnovers and made guys like Rodney Carney beat them. Without Jamison, these are the types of wins the Wizards need to get. Jamison's the only guy who truly is not going to become a better defender. Everyone else has the ability. They just need to tap into it.

The two guys that stuck out at me were Darius Songaila and Antonio Daniels. Songaila was awesome tonight. He was able to stretch out their opposing 4s, and when he got the ball, he was either hitting shots or drawing fouls. I don't see him shooting 7 free throws again, but he did exactly what Ernie Grunfeld paid him to do in the offseason. Daniels' line didn't look impressive, but he did a lot of the little things. The Wizards were +11 with AD in the lineup tonight.

Andray Blatche also played a pretty good game, although he was -7. Anytime he can get you 10+ rebounds, that's going to help a lot. You're going to get boneheaded plays from Andray sometimes, but 10+ boards more than makes up for it. Calvin Booth also played really well when he was in there. Eddie didn't put Jarvis Hayes at power forward, and the guys made sure it paid off.

I really didn't like how Arenas or Butler played. I thought Arenas was going to come out strong, but he really was just the same Gilbert of the last month. Anytime Arenas shoots more three-pointers (9) than free throws (8), there's a problem. Arenas, and by and large, the Wizards offense, are not nearly as effective when they aren't shooting free throws. Butler's struggling with the exact same problem. Both are volume shooters to a certain degree, but that's only dangerous when they're also going to the rim. This has to change for the Wizards to pick it up in the second half of the season.

The Wizards nearly blew this game because of Eddie Jordan's love affair with Michael Ruffin. Readers of this blog probably don't know that Michael Ruffin is my least-favorite Wizard. I'm sure Ruffin is a nice guy, and there's nothing wrong with having him on the team. I just don't understand why he plays at all. He's not much of a rebounder, he definitely can't score, he's slow, he can't defend, and he's not an enforcer. He's just a body that can pick up 6 fouls, and while he had to play by necessity last year, the signing of Songaila and the improvement of Blatche should have tethered him right at the end of the bench. Instead, Ruffin is playing crunch-time minutes, and Songaila, who was carving up the smaller Sixer defenders, is on the bench. Huh? How does that make sense? I'd rather see Jarvis in at power forward that Ruffin.

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Ruffin

It was frustrating seeing him play in the 4th while Blatche never got back in. Blatche was much more effective on defense and the boards then Ruffin ever is.

by riskus on Feb 15, 2007 9:32 AM EST reply actions

Blatche

I agree with riskus: I would've loved to see Blatche get more minutes. Since he's not cinsistent for now, I could definitely live with him being an "energy guy". A guy who's more "athlete" than "basketball player" right now. But on another note, did Jarvis Hayes look anymore expendable than he did last night? What did he do?

http://www.myspace.com/pluto1911

by Brian Taylor on Feb 15, 2007 4:38 PM EST reply actions

Bench stepped up

This game was UGLY and just glad the Wiz pulled out the W. I do not know how to describe it but something is just off with this team right now. Maybe its in the body language, energy level, facial expressions, etc. Its hard to pinpoint. Does anyone else sense this? They NEED the All Star break to recharge the batteries. Any good team would have beat them by 10-20 points last nite.

How many airballs did Agent 0 shoot last nite? Not only was he missing but some of his jumpers were not even close. I was shocked to see Taylor actually make a jumper when the game mattered. It probably was the first time all season. However, he still belongs in the DLeague.

by Mac G on Feb 15, 2007 5:06 PM EST reply actions

He knows his role, though

Ruffin proved his defensive inadequacy in the playoffs last year, for sure. The best players in the league have a field day with him. What I like about him though is that he gives a lot of hustle on the boards and is comfortable in his role. Hayes takes a lot of ill-advised shots. When Ruffin gets a board, unless he can immediately dunk it, he looks to pass the ball back to a playmaker.

Even when they were ahead by 10, it never felt like the Wizards had control of this game. I'd like to see Blatche get more minutes too, but one error could have cost them the game. Ruffin gave the team exactly what you'd expect: no big breakdowns on D, a couple of offensive boards, and passes that kept the possession alive.

by sierradave on Feb 15, 2007 5:11 PM EST reply actions

I agree

Ruffin also set this nice pick for Arenas that let him eventually split the two defenders and explode towards the basket.

Ruffin is less likely to make a lazy pass or dribble it out of bounds than Blatche. So Ruffin's got more experience than Blatche.

As for why Ruffin over Songaila, I can think of two reasons. First, EJ trusts Ruffin more, since he's been with the team for years and knows the "system" much better. Second, Songaila is still building up his conditioning and was probably quite tired at that point. Ruffin is probably is better shape right now since he was out for less time.

by miestersean on Feb 15, 2007 6:01 PM EST up reply actions

Ruffin came back after Songaila

So I don't buy the conditioning argument.

To a certain degree, I understand the whole "Ruffin won't screw up" argument, but why not then put in Booth instead of Ruffin? At least Booth is somewhat of an offensive threat, and he knows the system just as well.

Ruffin's a nice guy, and a great 12th man, but he really shouldn't be getting minutes. The main argument for playing him is that he does the "little things," but then how do you explain his abysmal plus/minus stats? He's also been pretty bad in limited time this year.

People say the same types of things about Shane Battier, but his plus minus stats back it up.

Ruffin's a good guy who tries hard, but this is the NBA, not an intramural league. Play Blatche, Songaila, or Booth instead during crunch time if you want to go small.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Mike Prada on Feb 15, 2007 9:12 PM EST up reply actions

As an addendum

Last year, the Wizards had no choice but to play Ruffin. Songaila was in Chicago, Booth was hurt, Blatche was too young, and Etan Thomas was really inefficient.

This year, they have other options. Blatche is developing, Booth is healthy, and Songaila is here. There's no reason to play Ruffin when you have those options in reserve.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Mike Prada on Feb 15, 2007 9:14 PM EST up reply actions