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So...who saw that coming?

By Jake Whitacre

Box Score
Game Flow
Post Recap
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Les Bullez recap
Hornets 24/7 recap
At the Hive recap
Big Easy Buzz recap

Highest Plus/Minus: Antawn Jamison (+19)
Lowest Plus/Minus: Andray Blatche (0)

Sadly, I had no TV access last night so I had to follow this one GameTracker as it was happening.  I couldn't recommend the experience any less if it was humanly possible, especially considering how great the win last night was.  Despite that, I still have a few notes from the game though:

  • Did Steve go slightly overboard here?  I'm going to say yes with some reservations.  It was deflating sure, but you can't dilute the classic call of DAGGER!!! with shots that are impressive, but ultimately meaningless.  We need a new word for these kind of shots.  GUT SHOT!!! ?
  • I'll be the first to admit that I thought putting Songaila in the starting line-up was a bad move, but it's working far better than I anticipated.  Of course, we're still dealing with a very small sample size right now but it's looked good for the first two games.  Songaila has provided stability (read: he doesn't do anything great, but he doesn't screw things up either) for the starting 5 and Blatche has given the second unit a boost a la Manu Ginobili.  Obviously, this move is about trying to get the most out of Andray which concerns me because I thought that putting him in the starting line-up was supposed to be the move that motivated Andray.  The coaching staff can't just think of new ways to motivate AB every other week.
  • Thankfully, Oleksiy doesn't need any of that rotation motivation to get going, he just needs to see this and he's good to go.  If you think it wass just a mere coincidence that the Wizards went on a 19-0 run just minutes after Steve and Phil's "moment" you're kidding yourself.
Maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but I think that was the best win of the season.  Sure, the wins over the Celtics were mighty impressive, but you have to remember that Rajon Rondo sat our the first game and was less than a 100% in the second game.  Not to mention Caron Butler was still healthy in those games and neither one of them was decided by 17 (!!!) points.

The Wizards have another big game on Wednesday at home against Orlando who has a pretty firm grip on the Southeast division lead.  I'm not saying that a win here would spark a run to take the division, but it sure couldn't hurt.  Make sure you have your pencil and paper ready.