Regular Season Game 82
Wizards (40-41) at Pacers (35-46)
Conseco Fieldhouse
8 PM
CSN
Previous Results:
Wizards 117, Pacers 91.
Wizards 112, Pacers 96.
REMINDER: Be sure to vote for rookie of the year and the sixth man award in the SB Nation Reader's Choice Awards.
After six months of the regular season, it all ends tonight against the Pacers. We went over the playoff scenarios, but suffice to say, the only chance the Wizards can avoid either Detroit, Chicago, or Cleveland is to get a win tonight. Then, the Wizards need the Bulls to beat the Nets in a game that's now going to be on ESPN.
The good news is that Indiana is probably the only team in the league who's playing worse than the Wizards right now.
Washington will close the regular season tonight at Indiana against a Pacers team capping off a dreadful season that has included several embarrassing off-court legal incidents, a major trade that produced few positive results (forwards Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson were sent to Golden State for center Troy Murphy and forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. on Jan. 17) and a batch of injuries to key players such as all-star center Jermaine O'Neal and guards Jamaal Tinsley and Marquis Daniels.
By the way, as if you needed any more evidence that Ron Artest is the league's biggest team killer, look no further than this fact. The two teams most likely to be blown up this summer are the team that traded him (Indiana) and the team that traded for him (Sacramento). That's pretty crazy.
Anyway, in this game, I'm hoping the Wizards can jump ahead early like they did against Atlanta. Then, they can give a banged up Antonio Daniels a breather, and they can rest guys like Antawn Jamison, who played his heart out last night.
Remember, a win doesn't guarantee the sixth spot, but it keeps hope alive.
Pacers blogs: Indy Cornrows is all you need.
I'll present the lines for the contest, but it appears that nobody's going to be able to catch our two first-placers. Congratulations to Seth and thebigc1982 for their victory! Send me your mailing addresses so you can receive your Gilbert Arenas poster. And for those of you that didn't win or entered late, fear not, because there will be a similar postseason contest as well.
Wizards at Pacers: Wizards by 1.
Over/Under on Blatche's minutes: 13.
This is an open game thread, so let's unleash a bevy of jokes on former Dukie Mike Dunleavy.