The bass might’ve gone to 11 tonight at Verizon Center. There was so much vibration going on in the arena that for just a moment, I was a tad big nervous about the temporary platform in the corner were a bunch of scribes sit to watch the game. This was no weeknight walk in the park. This was supposed to be a team putting the NBA on notice that it was back, that .500 was in sight, that the plethora of early-season struggles were about to be put in the past. It certainly felt like that — until the Wizards spotted Toronto a 10-0 lead in under two minutes and missed 14 of their first 15 shots.
Flip Saunders knew the first question would be about the last shot in overtime, but he knew that the 109-107 loss came much, much earlier.
How lacking was the energy? Saunders had to call on Earl Boykins at the 6:03 mark of the first quarter.
How poor was the Wizards’ shooting? At halftime, Brendan Haywood was 0 for 6, Antawn Jamison was 0 for 4, and Nick Young was 0 for 4.
Young actually changed his shoes at halftime. “The first ones I started off with were bad luck. DeShawn [Stevenson] told me to change my shoes to the ones that were making you get 20 points a game so. A certain person told me to wear them. I start off 0 for 3, we were losing by 20 almost so I have to throw those away.”
Jamison had a bad rebounding game vs. Charlotte. He had a horrendous shooting night vs. the Raptors, finishing 4 for 16 (1 for 7 from three). But wait, he did hit his only 3-pointer in overtime. Is that consolation? Probably not.
Lastly, about that last shot. Gilbert Arenas vs. Jarrett Jack. Jack won. “I just tried to out think him, but he out thought me,” said Arenas.
What about all that dunking Arenas was doing all summer?
“I don’t know,” said Arenas. “I just don’t think about dunking no more. I just figured, we’re down two, I beat my guy to the basket, and I’m thinking he’s going to jump to try and block the shot so I try to beat him to the punch jump in to him, let his weight push me back to the rim and get the and-one.”
Arenas agreed with Saunders that this was the Wizards’ most disappointing loss of the season: “Yeah, because we had more mental breakdowns. We just couldn’t get a stop when wanted to. We cheated too much on this team, and they made us pay.”
You agree?
