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Respectablity is Reached?--Washington Wizards 2014-2015 Regular Season (1 Viewer)

tom22406 said:
TobiasFunke said:
wdcrob said:
Is it possible to improve by adding a shutdown defender and/or lane clogging big guy as your 7th/8th players? Or are those depth guys basically irrelevant to the +/-? Don't really know much about the guts of the NBA.
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Sure, anyone that sees court time can improve the team's numbers, and to my eyes the Wiz bench is a bigger problem defensively than the starters. Plus 3 of the 5 starters aren't going anywhere for a while and one of the two who could leave is their best defender, so it'll be hard to upgrade defensively there.

The defense isn't really all that bad though. It's 12th in the NBA in efficiency this season, although obviously playing in the East helps there. Their biggest problems in my opinion are the long twos and the FT line. They're second in the league in 3 point % but only 11th in eFG%, which tells me they're taking too many long 2s. And they're also bad at getting to and converting at the line- 25th in both FTA/game and FT%.
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We were discussing this a while back about how bad the bench was and how it was dragging them down early so instead of replacing the starters it would be better to address the real problem of the bench play and lack of quality depth.

I don't see Ariza returning either unless he takes a discount and at his age I'm not sure why he would do it.
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Maybe if Brad Stevens would stop pointing out how amazing he's been in media sessions. Nobody else seems to be talking about it. Second-best player on the team. Pipe down, Brad.

I agree it's either him or Gortat. I'd prefer Ariza, but I think Wall prefers Gortat and he'll get what he wants. We can just hope that Ariza's ridiculous 3 point shooting is mostly a function of Wall getting him wide open looks that will go to whoever gets the minutes.

 
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Nene!

I think I mentioned this before but if you're free tonight you should come to Verizon for the game. If you think the Pacers will get their #### together for the playoffs as most do, this is the biggest regular season Wiz game in years, and because it's not a big name opponent and it's a weeknight there's a ton of good cheap tickets left. Place is unfortunately gonna be half empty for a huge game, but hopefully it'll at least be loud.

 
Kudos to Ariza and those (specifically Tobias) who believed in his long range game when doubters Ike me suggested he would fall off significantly in the last 30 games. His blistering March ensured that he would crack the 40% range from distance for the season, which is absolutely golden when combined with his defensive value.

All that said, his next contract will already be an albatross by this time next year. Someone is going to overpay.

 
I almost hate to say this but maybe getting the 7 seed won't be such a bad thing for the future of this team.Sure they will likely get ousted in 5 games 1st round but it also may get Wittman fired and hopefully Grunfeld as well but I think Wittman for sure.

Should have beaten the Bobcats both times and somehow managed to lose both times in a week's time.The defense that let Jefferson walk right down the lane to end regulation was pathetic as was the offense they tried to run in OT but this is kinda who they are right now.

ETA:The 1st half was also horrible last night going down 20 but they fought back so that was a plus.

 
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tom22406 said:
I almost hate to say this but maybe getting the 7 seed won't be such a bad thing for the future of this team.Sure they will likely get ousted in 5 games 1st round but it also may get Wittman fired and hopefully Grunfeld as well but I think Wittman for sure.

Should have beaten the Bobcats both times and somehow managed to lose both times in a week's time.The defense that let Jefferson walk right down the lane to end regulation was pathetic as was the offense they tried to run in OT but this is kinda who they are right now.
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That's what I consoled myself with too, as I watched them go 1 for 15 from three, and watched them screw up the PnR defense in the Cats' final possession of regulation with a foul to give, and watched Ariza miss a wide-open Bradley Beal 15 feet from the hoop on the inbound of the final possession of regulation so he could force the ball to Wall near midcourt, then watched them not score a field goal in OT. I'm done with Wittman.

Making the playoffs was the goal, but the way the East has shaken out this year it was virtually impossible to miss the playoffs as long as you tried to win and weren't a ####show. I don't know that seventh in the East and a 4 game or 5 game playoff exit should really be considered a success, if that's how it goes down.

 
TobiasFunke said:
tom22406 said:
I almost hate to say this but maybe getting the 7 seed won't be such a bad thing for the future of this team.Sure they will likely get ousted in 5 games 1st round but it also may get Wittman fired and hopefully Grunfeld as well but I think Wittman for sure.

Should have beaten the Bobcats both times and somehow managed to lose both times in a week's time.The defense that let Jefferson walk right down the lane to end regulation was pathetic as was the offense they tried to run in OT but this is kinda who they are right now.
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That's what I consoled myself with too, as I watched them go 1 for 15 from three, and watched them screw up the PnR defense in the Cats' final possession of regulation with a foul to give, and watched Ariza miss a wide-open Bradley Beal 15 feet from the hoop on the inbound of the final possession of regulation so he could force the ball to Wall near midcourt, then watched them not score a field goal in OT. I'm done with Wittman.

Making the playoffs was the goal, but the way the East has shaken out this year it was virtually impossible to miss the playoffs as long as you tried to win and weren't a ####show. I don't know that seventh in the East and a 4 game or 5 game playoff exit should really be considered a success, if that's how it goes down.
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With just a little better coaching they could have turned around some of those 8 OT loses and also 14 L's to sub .500 teams.This team should be so much better record wise IMO with at least 45 wins and should push 50 given how weak the East is.

 
tom22406 said:
TobiasFunke said:
tom22406 said:
I almost hate to say this but maybe getting the 7 seed won't be such a bad thing for the future of this team.Sure they will likely get ousted in 5 games 1st round but it also may get Wittman fired and hopefully Grunfeld as well but I think Wittman for sure.

Should have beaten the Bobcats both times and somehow managed to lose both times in a week's time.The defense that let Jefferson walk right down the lane to end regulation was pathetic as was the offense they tried to run in OT but this is kinda who they are right now.
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That's what I consoled myself with too, as I watched them go 1 for 15 from three, and watched them screw up the PnR defense in the Cats' final possession of regulation with a foul to give, and watched Ariza miss a wide-open Bradley Beal 15 feet from the hoop on the inbound of the final possession of regulation so he could force the ball to Wall near midcourt, then watched them not score a field goal in OT. I'm done with Wittman.

Making the playoffs was the goal, but the way the East has shaken out this year it was virtually impossible to miss the playoffs as long as you tried to win and weren't a ####show. I don't know that seventh in the East and a 4 game or 5 game playoff exit should really be considered a success, if that's how it goes down.
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With just a little better coaching they could have turned around some of those 8 OT loses and also 14 L's to sub .500 teams.This team should be so much better record wise IMO with at least 45 wins and should push 50 given how weak the East is.
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Yup. Wittman threw the players under the bus a bit in the postgame last night, too. Must be a thing with Leonsis employees, Oates has been doing the same thing.

 
As I posted in the Nats thread, the range in emotions while flipping between both games last night was pretty extraordinary.

I agree that Wittman should be gone. I found myself recently daydreaming about what the team would look like if someone like Shaka Smart coached them. I don't think the "diamond" could work in the NBA (particularly over a full season), but I think he would find ways to put their athleticism and skillset to better use, and Smart borrows a lot from Donovan, where Beal was obviously successful. Smart may fail miserably, but it would at least be a fun failure to watch.

 
Thank you Heat for resting your top guys and making that as easy as possible on the Zards.

Just a win in Boston or a Cats loss to the Bulls from staying away from the Heat in the 1st round and I'm really hoping the Raptors can finish strong against the Knicks as well and avoid playing the Bulls 1st round.

So best case scenario is a Cats loss,a Raptors win and a strong finish in Boston.Worst case is a loss in Boston,Cats win and we get maybe 1 win against the Heat.

Well at least we get a sniff of the playoffs for the first time in quite a while no matter what goes down.

 
No surprise to anyone in this thread, but Goldsberry just wrote what an amounts to a mash note to Wall on Grantland over Wall's ability to create corner 3s. The money quote:

When it comes to corner 3s, Trevor Ariza is Art Garfunkel; John Wall is Paul Simon. They make beautiful music together, but Ariza is just kind of standing there while Wall is busting his ###.
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Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
No surprise to anyone in this thread, but Goldsberry just wrote what an amounts to a mash note to Wall on Grantland over Wall's ability to create corner 3s. The money quote:

When it comes to corner 3s, Trevor Ariza is Art Garfunkel; John Wall is Paul Simon. They make beautiful music together, but Ariza is just kind of standing there while Wall is busting his ###.
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I posted on this theme a couple times but I had no idea he was that good. 109 assists to corner 3s- 20 than any other player in the league, 43 more than any other human player (LeBron is second).

Really makes you wonder what this team could do in the hands of a skilled coach who could limit the long twos and the late game isos.

 
So it comes down to this.

Wiz win tonight they are at worst the 6 seed or have the Cats lose,a Nets loss against the Cavs gives them the 5.

Wiz loss and a Cats loss they get the 6,a Cats win and it's 7 and the dreaded Heat matchup.

Go Wiz and Cavs!!!!5 seed would be great!

 
5 seed here we come!As good as you could have hoped for tonight and for any playoff run staying out of the Heat's bracket as long as you can.

Bring on those stinking Bulls!!

 
tom22406 said:
5 seed here we come!As good as you could have hoped for tonight and for any playoff run staying out of the Heat's bracket as long as you can.

Bring on those stinking Bulls!!
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:thumbup:

I barely remember what it's like to watch a playoff series, but I kind of remember that by the end of it you usually hate the other team and its best players. I can't even imagine how much we're all going to hate Noah in two weeks.

 
As a Bulls fan I've been having nightmare flashbacks of that 2005 Wizards-Bulls series. Anyway, this one should be competitive and entertaining!

 
This will be fun, but it lacks the extra oomph of the hysterical LeBron/DeSean Stephenson beef of those Wiz/Cavs series. Soulja Boy, crab dribbles. I'll miss it all.

Also, as someone pointed out on Twitter Wittman/Thibs is pretty much the definition of one coach playing checkers while the other is playing chess. Let's pray that the series doesn't come down to in-series adjustments.

 
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
Also, as someone pointed out on Twitter Wittman/Thibs is pretty much the definition of one coach playing checkers while the other is playing chess. Let's pray that the series doesn't come down to in-series adjustments.
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We'll see. Thibs really isn't one to make a lot of adjustments. He's more about proper execution of the game plan and his current system. You'll see the same defensive techniques and same offensive sets over and over and he'll stick with (basically) the same seven man rotation.

 
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
This will be fun, but it lacks the extra oomph of the hysterical LeBron/DeSean Stephenson beef of those Wiz/Cavs series. Soulja Boy, crab dribbles. I'll miss it all.

Also, as someone pointed out on Twitter Wittman/Thibs is pretty much the definition of one coach playing checkers while the other is playing chess. Let's pray that the series doesn't come down to in-series adjustments.
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Unless this is a four game sweep, there will be some oomph. There always is. Over/under on the inevitable Nene and Noah fight is probably around the second quarter of Game 3.

 
TobiasFunke said:
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
This will be fun, but it lacks the extra oomph of the hysterical LeBron/DeSean Stephenson beef of those Wiz/Cavs series. Soulja Boy, crab dribbles. I'll miss it all.

Also, as someone pointed out on Twitter Wittman/Thibs is pretty much the definition of one coach playing checkers while the other is playing chess. Let's pray that the series doesn't come down to in-series adjustments.
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Unless this is a four game sweep, there will be some oomph. There always is. Over/under on the inevitable Nene and Noah fight is probably around the second quarter of Game 3.
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Under.

 
1 down :towelwave:

Nene couldn't be stopped and Noah really had no answer for him which was a huge plus for the Zards.Wall and Beal both struggled but they somehow fought back and took a game they normally lose.Can't say enough how good Miller has been since they brought him in,his minutes last night were HUGE so we finally get something good out of Vesely after all :thumbup: .

Bulls looked lost on offense late with nobody wanting to take the shot and the Zards D played very well in the 2nd half limiting the offensive rebounds and forcing tough shots.

 
The Wizards CAN beat anybody. They just have to play like last night. Miller was such a great pickup. He really solidifies the second-team offense and allows our best/fastest athlete (Wall) to rest into the 4th.

ETA - Miller also doesn't turn the ball over, which is nice.

 
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tom22406 said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dQ7GZFHgBI

2-0 and a huge thanks to Kirk Heinrich.The switch with Ariza taking Augustin was money and took away the only real threat from the outside.

:towelwave:

ETA:A big FU to the NBA for starting this game at 9:30,working on 2 hours sleep right now
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Me too. Just ridiculous. There's a whole Western Conference, no reason for a Chicago-Washington game to tip at 9:40.

Shout out to Hinrich- takes a special kind of player to be the most annoying dooshbag on a team that starts two Duke guys and Joakim Noah.

 
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Had to DVR and watch this morning. Wizards almost gave it away in the second half with their FT shooting, but Beal and Nene came through in the 4th and OT. As Kerr said during the broadcast, Chicago just isn't as talented.

On the downside, Wall and Beal are just terrible at fighting through screens. There's no excuse for a legit franchise guy like Wall to be torched by a guy like Augustin.

 
thecatch said:
Had to DVR and watch this morning. Wizards almost gave it away in the second half with their FT shooting, but Beal and Nene came through in the 4th and OT. As Kerr said during the broadcast, Chicago just isn't as talented.

On the downside, Wall and Beal are just terrible at fighting through screens. There's no excuse for a legit franchise guy like Wall to be torched by a guy like Augustin.
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FT shooting has been an issue the entire year and needs to be corrected.Wall has to play D consistently every night and last night he just wasn't on his game.For a guy his size and quickness he should eat up Augustin on the defensive end but just got abused.

Bulls up in the 4th in both games and still down 2-0 says this series is not over by any stretch but you gotta love the results so far.Booker last night turned in some great minutes and Webster chipped in with some good buckets as well.

And oh yeah,Go Hawks!!!

 
As seen on Twitter

Well, it's only taken 6 quarters, but I now hate every Bulls player, everyone from Chicago and would probably vote against Obama now.
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I haven't seen that many illegal screens since the 2004 Olympics. Gibson and Noah are more like pulling guards than screeners.

 
Great quote from Beal here.

I'm down with the Bao Bao nickname and I'm slowly coming around on House of Guards, but Fat Pie would be a pretty solid nickname too.

 
When's the last time a Washington sports team over-performed in the post-season?

I'm a native, but haven't lived there since the mid-90s, so I'm sure there's some I'm forgetting.

98 when the Caps made the finals? Though getting swept kind of diminished that.

Redskins' 05 Wild Card win at Tampa Bay? Not really that big a deal.

Fun team to watch, I hope they keep it going. Would be awesome if tanking comes back to cost the Nets somehow.

 
The_Man said:
When's the last time a Washington sports team over-performed in the post-season?

I'm a native, but haven't lived there since the mid-90s, so I'm sure there's some I'm forgetting.

98 when the Caps made the finals? Though getting swept kind of diminished that.

Redskins' 05 Wild Card win at Tampa Bay? Not really that big a deal.

Fun team to watch, I hope they keep it going. Would be awesome if tanking comes back to cost the Nets somehow.
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Wiz beat the Bulls as a 5 seed in 2005, but that Bulls team wasn't on a late season surge that made them the clear favorites vs the Wiz and had other teams tanking to duck them like this one. If they pull this off it would be bigger than that I think.

 
3-1 series lead after a great home win without Nene(who I'm still pissed at).

Bulls had no answers on offense with the exception of Gibson who was a beast today.

Bullets Fever baby :cool:

 
So glad they closed it out today. Game 6 would have been a nerve racking situation. Very weird to be invested in basketball again. My GF is pretty freaked out about it.

 
Beating the Bulls at their own game this series was pretty sweet,I have to admit.Anything the Bulls wanted to do the Wiz did a little better and were very lucky they weren't swept.

2nd playoff series win since 82' says a lot about where this franchise has been the last 30 years but now they have a legit shot to make the ECF's no matter who they play 2nd round and especially if it's the Hawks.

Also have to give Wittman some love for how he handled the team against the Bulls since I have railed on him for the better part of his tenure here,he coached a better series than Tibs did and I never thought I would say that.

Have to enjoy this while I can with this franchise but man that felt good!

Saw a tweet that had 19 of 20 ESPN analyst's picking the Bulls to win the series so to all of them a huge :doh: and another to the Nets for tanking the last game to let the Wiz into this situation.Maybe just maybe this could be the year..................................................................................................................................

Nah,I won't go that far :P

 
Fun times. Thread title needs to be updated to edit Semi? Or would that be counting chickens before they hatch?

 
The offensive rebounds in the last couple of minutes were ridiculous. There were 3 on one possession. When Butler missed that layup I was wondering if the bulls were even trying anymore.

 
The final 3 or 4 minutes was one of the most un-Boulez things I've seen in a long time. Actually, Miller's missed free throws were very Boulez. But to keep getting all those offensive boards is exactly the kind of thing that has historically happened TO this team, not BY this team.

The officiating was getting a little ridiculous there in the late going. The reversed call that went against Nene, followed by Noah setting picks that would have been flagged for holding in the NFL but didn't draw a whistle made me very nervous.

Fun stuff and a likeable team. I hope they can keep it going to the ECF.

 
The_Man said:
The officiating was getting a little ridiculous there in the late going. The reversed call that went against Nene, followed by Noah setting picks that would have been flagged for holding in the NFL but didn't draw a whistle made me very nervous.
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I still wonder why they let him get away with setting so many illegal picks.Very FEW of them are ever legit screens and he rarely gets called on them.

 
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