This was a really bad loss, probably worse than the Milwaukee game only because of the venue. There were a lot of disturbing trends. Among them (briefly):
- John Wall's utter lack of aggression. Wall had a lot of assists, but he has to realize that you have to be a threat to score and drive in this league. Early in the second quarter, he had a wide open layup, and instead decided to kick it out to Al Thornton for a 20-foot jumper. That was a harbinger, as he constantly looked to pass, even though Steve Nash was on him. For all of his speed, Wall is still not very good at being deceptive in the half court. Nash was able to stay in front of him a lot, and that shouldn't happen.
- Andray Blatche's continued inconsistency: Blatche started the game like gangbusters, but did nothing after the first quarter. His concentration completely waned in the second half, as he was the primary reason Channing Frye went bonkers from three. It's easier said than done to stay close to shooters, but you still have to find a way to do it, and he couldn't, consistently. He was correctly taken out, and then never got his game back offensively. It just goes to show how poorly he deals with adversity.
- JaVale McGee's lack of focus: Robin Lopez was killing him early, and while I'm not wild about pulling him for the entire second half, his play was pretty bad. He's so athletic, and can be a difference maker, but he still isn't doing it every night.
- The lack of defensive communication: Joe Glorioso of Wizards Extreme pointed this out on Twitter, but it's true - it didn't look like anyone was talking defensively. How this happens now is beyond me.
- Kirk Hinrich may be hurt: Michael Lee reports that he headed to the locker room and couldn't lift his arm. Paging Lester Hudson...
And now Boston is coming into town. Womp womp.