The Washington Wizards received their chance to prove NBA title worthy.
A sellout crowd ringed Verizon Center on Tuesday while the downtown streets were gridlocked. Scalpers worked the sidewalks. Lots of government workers still donning coats and ties sipped their beers. The buzz was there.
Too bad they played the game. Pacific Division leader Phoenix led by 20 points in the first quarter and surpassed 100 by the third in the 127-105 victory. This wasn’t a rematch. It was a knockout.
Agent Subzero — you coulda been a contender.
The Wizards are currently the big game in town. The Redskins stink. The Nats are going to stink. The Capitals are … well … hockey. No men’s college basketball team looks to repeat George Mason’s Final Four run. Indeed, Maryland may miss the NCAA men’s tournament for the third straight year.
We’re down to the Wizards and Maryland women’s basketball, which is finally drawing big crowds too after taking last year’s national title.
Fans are finally heading downtown to see pro basketball. The Wizards reached midseason 24-17, which somehow close to the Eastern Conference’s best mark.
The Wiz could be something special, though. Gilbert Arenas is an All-Star and Caron Butler is an impressive wingman.
Phoenix showed the difference between aspiring and outstanding, though. It wasn’t a contest; it was a clinic.
“Life goes on. It’s just one game,” Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said.
Granted, but what a missed opportunity to show the pro game can be as exciting as college basketball. You want madness — go to Maryland where ACC basketball means a steady roar. Wiz fans were stunned silent until the fourth quarter. There was no drama in the stands, no college frat boy antics besides one balding GS-er who won the dance contest. At least the crowd largely stayed to the end despite the blowout. Hey, you want every minute of the experience when spending big money to attend.
The Wizards have a chance to rule this town. The Redskins’ 35-year dominance is crumbling. Die-hard fans are steadily giving up on owner Dan Snyder’s system of free agency foolishness. Some of the hardest-core zealots I thought incapable of missing a Redskins game aren’t renewing their tickets. Some didn’t even watch the final games last season.
Those fans could adopt the Wizards. Forget the Phoenix loss — there will be more big games over the next three months. The Wiz just need to keep giving everyone a reason to believe.
They probably will.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
