Sitting up in the nosebleeds, where you can see the whole court, kind of gives you a new perspective on the team. I figured the team's problem was that nobody did the little things and nobody had any attention to detail, but watching this game, that truth was just staggering.
So many missed defensive rotations. So many dumb turnovers killing any positive momentum we created. So many poor shots. So many times where guys just don't run hard through their cuts. So many weak screens, or times when people slip the screen unnecessarily because they want to get the pass and shoot.
Then, there was the end of the game. Kyle beautifully broke down the staggering lack of detail on the final play of the game, one that cost them the win, but it was the possessions before as well. When the Wizards should have been clamping down on defense to put the game away, they were allowing Earl Watson and Tyler Hansbrough to complete lob passes for dunks. Simply unacceptable.
I'm firmly convinced this is a roster construction problem. Right now, everyone wants to be the guy who saves this team. There are only two guys on the team who truly don't care what kind of role they play in the team's success -- Brendan Haywood and Mike Miller, who is injured because the Wizards decided to run him out when he was clearly injured instead of making sure he was okay. Everyone else wants credit. They won't say it, but they play like it. On an NBA team, only so many people can be the shot-makers. You need guys who have no egos to blend in with the ones who do.
An addition-for-subtraction trade needs to happen pronto. It could be anyone. The ones who remain just need that wakeup call, that message that nobody is safe from getting dealt.
Four Factors (Bold=very good | Italics=very bad)
| Team | Pace | Off Eff | eFG% | FT/FG | OREB% | TOr |
| Indiana | 96 |
118.8 |
47.8 | 31.1 |
34 |
14.6 |
| Washington |
117.7 |
59.8 |
18.3 |
34.2 |
17.7 |
Snap Reaction: It's nice that we shot well, but how the heck do you let Indiana get to the free-throw line that much? Who do they have that can draw fouls? Ridiculous.
Lineup Details, via Popcorn Machine
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Highest individual plus/minus: Nick Young (+14 in 14:00)
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Lowest individual plus/minus: Randy Foye (-12 in 7:12)
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Best five-man unit: Gilbert Arenas/Nick Young/Caron Butler/Antawn Jamison/Andray Blatche (+9 in the third quarter)
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Worst five-man unit: Gilbert Arenas/DeShawn Stevenson/Caron Butler/Antawn Jamison/Brendan Haywood (-6 in the second quarter)
Snap Reaction: It's becoming clear that Nick Young is winning the Young/Randy Foye death match we all anticipated coming into the season (okay, just me). So why does Young only play 14 minutes? That's right, DeShawn Stevenson took the rest of the shooting guard minutes. How Young doesn't have a regular rotation spot is beyond me. Also, why doesn't Dominic McGuire get all of Stevenson's minutes?