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2007 NBA Blog

By: Joshua Fischman

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Inconsistency Reigns in Washington - December 3, 2007

The kitchen has been very busy, but it's about time for me to whip up another NBA blog. Since my last Wizards entry, the team has been as inconsistent as ever. During the eight-game stretch, Washington has gone 4-4. I've selected an MVP from the winning team for each of these games, as well as a Loser of the Game from the losing team. Below are notes on each of the eight games:

Nov. 20 vs. 76ers - The Wiz beat the Sixers at home by 15 points on the strength of MVP Andray Blatche's career-high 26 points. The big man pulled down 8 boards as well. The Loser of the Game was Andre Iguodala, who scored only 10 points and had only 3 rebounds. The rising star also disappointed on the defensive end, not picking up a single steal or block. Iguodala also allowed Antawn Jamison to score 19 points on 8-16 shooting from the field.

Nov. 21 at Bobcats - The Wizards won a nail-biter in overtime (114-111). MVP Caron Butler and his teammate Antawn Jamison combined for 66 of the team's points and Wizards center Andray Blatche had a career-high 5 blocks. The Loser of the Game was Jason Richardson, who only had 10 points and picked up 5 fouls.

Nov. 23 vs. Warriors - The Wizards lost a very winnable game by a score of 123-115. Despite the productive offensive efforts of the team -- led by Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and talented rookie Nick Young. Game MVP Baron Davis and the Warriors were too much for the Wizards to handle. Davis finished the game with a ridiculously impressive line of 33 points, 15 assists (not to mention only one turnover) and 11 rebounds. The Loser of the Game was Brendan Haywood. The 7-footer only had 4 rebounds in the game.

Nov. 24 at Grizzlies - For the second straight day, the Wizards lost a close game in which they scored almost 120 points. The Grizzlies won 124-118. Antawn Jamison's 41 points -- on an incredible 18-22 from the field -- were not enough to help the Wizards defeat the Grizz. The MVP of the game was rookie Grizzlies guard Juan Carlos Navarro, who scored a career-high 28 points. The Loser of the Game was the man who was guarding him for most of the game: DeShawn Stevenson.

Nov. 26 at Mavericks - Rocking the ugliest gold uniforms I can imagine, the Gilbert Arenas-less Wizards beat the Mavericks 110-98. The Mavericks, who were previously undefeated at home, lost in a blowout. What a strange night! Game MVP Caron Butler scored 35 points and was a perfect 5-5 from three-point land. Mavs guard Jason Terry was the Loser of the Game, scoring only 3 points on 1-9 shooting from the field.

Nov. 28 at Spurs - The Wizards could not make it two in a row on the road against Texas teams, losing to the Spurs 109-94. The Loser of the Game was Antawn Jamison, who was 4-15 from the field in the game. Tony Parker was the MVP, flirting with a first career triple-double. The French guard scored 29 points, 11 assists (with only 2 turnovers) and tallied 8 rebounds.

Nov. 30 at 76ers - Wizards rookie Nick Young had a chance to win the game on a three-pointer, but his shot missed and Washington lost 85-84. The game was quite ugly, with the teams shooting a combined 40% from the field and an abysmal 17% from behind the arc. Game MVP Andre Iguodala did it all, except score. The Arizona alum only had 8 points, but he also had 7 assists, 12 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks. The Loser of the Game was Antawn Jamison, who missed 15 shots in the game.

Dec. 1 vs. Raptors - The Wizards barely defeated the short-handed Raptors (101-97). Toronto was without star forward Chris Bosh and point guard T.J. Ford only played 13 minutes in his second game back from injury. The Loser of the Game was Andrea Bargnani, who only scored 4 points and was 2-13 from the field. The co-MVPs of the game were Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. At halftime, the Wizards retired the jersey of Earl "The Pearl" Monroe.

More December reports to follow soon.

Celtics First Loss - November 21, 2007

The Boston Celtics received their first loss of the season on Sunday at the hands of the 10-2 Orlando Magic. However, I see only positives coming from this loss for Celtics fans! First of all, the loss shows that the Boston Celtics are a real team made up of human beings. The loss shows that the Celtic players are not robots, which are incapable of losing games. I honestly wasn't sure if the team was made up of robots until Sunday's loss. I had assumed that the Celtics left-over players from last season were transformed during the off-season from losing machines to winning machines and that GM Danny Ainge had turned K.G., Ray Allen and the other additions into flawless machines.

Aren't you glad that the players are not robots? I, for one, would not want to watch robots play basketball. Sports, basketball in particular, are about drama, emotion and unpredictability. Watching basketball robots is no fun at all. What fan would want to watch a fixed game played by machines?

So, Celtics fans, gladly take the loss. This loss is worth it because now you know that you are watching real live, emotional, flawed human beings. Now you know that anything can happen. The Celtics may lose tomorrow night. They may win. Who knows? They could play the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night only to witness a huge brawl started by Celtics coach Doc Rivers and Golden State coach Don Nelson. Don Zimmer may even end up jumping into the melee. Anything can happen.

What else did I see that I liked for Celtics fans? Well, the Celtics were down by as much as 20 points to the Magic, but they didn't give up. By all accounts, this Boston team is very resilient. Paul Pierce had an opportunity to send the game into overtime with time expiring, but his shot missed. Despite the fact that they lost, Boston's big comeback showed fans what they should expect from this team. Every game played by the Celtics will be hard-fought until the very end; whether the team is winning by 30 or down by 10.

Another good sign from the loss is that Pierce, K.G. and Ray Allen are not the only Celtics who are scoring. In the loss, point guard Rajon Rondo contributed 18 points on 8-9 shooting from the field.

Also encouraging was the fact that the Celtics players were saying all the right things after the game. This team really has it together, including a humble approach to answering questions from the media. After the loss, Kevin Garnett said, "We're not perfect. We didn't think we were going to go 82-0. But we are a team of character. We do play hard. We do play together - just not perfect." The humble superstar is absolutely right: the Celtics are not perfect. What they are is a team of character that plays hard and plays together.

This is precisely why they are so much fun to watch. The only certainties are that the players are going to play together as a team and that the individual players' fire and passion for basketball will also be on display. For example, watch K.G. this year. If you have, look me in the eye and tell me that he is not the most passionate team basketball player. He does everything for the team, yet, at the same time, he has so much passion for the game of basketball.

The Celtics win-loss record speaks for itself. Boston still has the highest winning percentage in the NBA after this loss (they are an incredible 9-1). The team is off to its best start since beginning the 1972-73 season with ten straight wins.

So, if you are keeping score at home, these are the positives that I see from the Celtics' first loss: a) the Celtics are not robots, b) the team never says die, c) the Celts are getting consistent scoring contributions outside of their Big Three, d) the players are staying humble and e) the team has the best record in the NBA. With all that in mind, the Orlando Magic made a huge statement on Sunday. With their victory over the Celtics, the Magic made an unofficial announcement to the Celtics and the entire NBA world. The Orlando Magic are legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference.

The Celtics are not a lock to make the NBA Finals. So keep watching the Celtics and don't sweat the loss. Take my word for it: it was a good time to get the Celtics' first loss out of the way!

Wizards Make a Comeback - November 19, 2007

I told you not to give up on the Wizards. The team has won four straight games and are now 4-5. So what has changed during the Wizards' four game winning streak? The Wizards have been playing much better defense and have been getting significant contributions outside of the Big Three.

Washington has also been blowing teams out. In their last four games, the Wizards have won by an average of almost 15 points per game.

Brendan Haywood has also stepped his game up as of late. The UNC alum has not only been pulling down boards, he's also scoring. Haywood had a total of seven double-doubles last season; this season he already has six in nine games.

Did you see the Wizards' last game on Saturday night? What, you missed it? I told you to be watching when the rook gets the call. With Gilbert Arenas out of action due to a sore left knee, rookie Nick Young put on a show for the home crowd. L.A.'s finest scored 17 points in only 14 minutes of play; stroking two three-pointers and sinking three free throws along the way.

The scoring display had to be a relief for Young, who had been shooting 24% before that game. Although Arenas is expected to return for the Wizards' next game (on Tuesday), don't expect the rookie to crawl back into his cocoon anytime soon. Saturday was Nick's coming out party. Expect the Trojan-for-life to be much more confident on the court. You know what that means...more flashy dunks and a lot of shot attempts! His defense should improve as well. In the meantime keep watching the Wizards and check back at The Deli for my second Celtics blog...coming soon!

First Celtics/Wizards Blog - November 10, 2007

What could a 4-0 basketball team have in common with a team that's 0-5? And yes, there is something. Both the undefeated Boston Celtics and the winless Washington Wizards have a trio of scorers who are simply amazing to watch. The Celtics have Paul Pierce, KG and Ray Allen. The Wizards boast Agent Zero Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. Boston and Washington are two of three teams to have three players averaging over 20 points per game this season. But the commonalities end there.

The Celtics are good. The Wizards suck. The fans in Boston cheered their team's fifth win on Friday while the Verizon Center was filled with boos in acknowledgement of the Wizards' 0-5 start. The Celtics play great team defense. The Wizards haven't even heard of "D". The Celtics lead the NBA in point differential per game by a landslide. The Wizards are dead last in that category. The Celtic bench has plenty of solid role players who can come in and provide a spark. Do the Wizards even have a bench? Or does their starting five just sit on the court during timeouts?

Is it too early to give championship rings to the Celtics? Yes, it is absolutely too early for that. With that said, the men in green look great on the court. And it's not just because of their sharp uniforms.

The Celtics are the only undefeated team in the Eastern Conference and appear to be staying there for the rest of the season. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen seem to feel at home in Boston while Paul Pierce, who looks a lot more comfortable this year, is still the team's leader. The Truth no longer has to carry the team on his shoulders. When Celtics GM Danny Ainge pulled the trigger on the big Allen and Garnett trades this off-season, Pierce's burden was immediately lifted. He now has a couple of All-Stars to help him out. And guards Rajon Rondo and Eddie House have provided solid contributions out of the gate as well.

Is it too early to tell it like it is? Of course not. It is never too early to speak the truth. The Washington Wizards look awful. However, three of the Wizards' first five games have been on the road and their first five opponents have a combined win-loss record of 18-7. Maybe I should cut them some slack. But there has not been one bright spot on the entire team. No Wizard has exceeded expectations yet. Everyone has underperformed. However, the fact that the Wizards' front office has not yet cancelled the rest of the season is an indication that the team is not giving up anytime soon.

For coach Eddie Jordan, it must be back to basics with this team. The Wiz need to fix their defense, manufacture scoring outside of their big three and wake up to the fact that many teams in the East have greatly improved their rosters. But don't lose hope, Wizards fans! Don't refuse to watch your team. First round draft pick and high-flyer Nick Young is exciting to watch; as is the man of a thousand nicknames, Gilbert Arenas. They're exciting enough to keep this writer's eyes glued to the TV screen for an entire blowout. Even if Nick Young only gets in for a few minutes, be sure to watch when the rook gets the call.

Until next time, keep your eyes open for some crazy happenings around the league. All I'm saying is that the NBA is an alternate universe in which "natural" laws like gravity do not always apply. So witness the unexpected phenomena which doesn't always make the sports page and anticipate my next blog...coming soon!

Revisiting the 2003 NBA Draft - November 8, 2007

Four years later, the 2003 NBA Draft inspires far more questions than it yields answers. The one certainty of the event is that it was the first taste of the NBA for many of the league's young stars.

The first overall pick, LeBron James, is often considered the best player from the draft class. But even the most ardent of LeBron supporters admit that Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony are very close. After all, D-Wade has a championship ring and King James does not. Plus 'Melo and Wade have improved their numbers over the last two seasons, while LeBron suffered a four-point drop in his points per game average last year as well as a noticeable decline in assists per game last season.

Fourth overall selection Chris Bosh is a bona fide star in the NBA as well. Over the last five years, the NBA game has become increasingly controlled by big men. With bigs like Yao Ming, Amare Stoudemire and Dwight Howard controlling the game, who is to say that Chris Bosh will not pass LeBron, 'Melo and D-Wade in the court of public opinion as the best player from the 2003 draft?

The rest of the draft class was exceptional as well. Fans often forget that Kirk Hinrich, Chris Kaman, T.J. Ford and Josh Howard were also selected in the '03 draft. Fans and experts alike recognize Hinrich as a very talented point guard. But everyone is wondering: "Can Hinrich lead a very young team to the NBA Finals?". The Baby Bulls certainly have the talent to be a very good team, but does Hinrich have the leadership ability of draftmates LeBron and D-Wade to lead his team to the Promised Land?

Chris Kaman is probably the biggest question mark of this draft. In fact, listed at 7'0" the big goof may be the biggest question mark of all time. Oh wait, that honor goes to second overall pick Darko Milicic, who is also 7'0" and outweighs Kaman by ten pounds. In his young career, Kaman has been so inconsistent that Clipper fans and coaches don't know whether to get excited about what's to come or gouge their eyes out.

At the draft, Darko's selection as second overall was highly criticized. And now a scan of Darko's career numbers begs questions such as: "What the hell were the Detroit Pistons thinking?". Darko is now on the Memphis Grizzlies, his third NBA team, and does not seem to be heading anywhere special with his career...certainly nowhere a number two pick is expected to head.

T.J. Ford should be a question and not a name. General managers might ask their head coach the question "T.J. Ford?" when they want to know if they should go after a tiny point guard that will get the team a ton of assists and solid scoring but will shatter his knee taking a shower. Ford could be a star, but he is fragile. That said, almost every head coach would want T.J. Ford on his team. Ford's talent is worth the gamble, but questions still surround the former Longhorn. Will injuries ruin his career? Can T.J. Ford lead the league in assists?

With Josh Howard, the question is: "When will he be recognized and praised for how good he is?". In 2006-07, Howard averaged 18.9 PPG and 6.8 RPG while serving as an invaluable defender against the league's top shooting guards and small forwards. Yet this guy keeps getting ignored and overlooked. Howard's entire pro career has been that way...he was drafted 29th overall in the 2003 draft. Then he serves an instrumental role in pushing the Mavericks to the NBA Finals, yet he still gets no respect.

The 2003 NBA Draft was a very talented class. Many other good players were also selected that year, such as Jarvis Hayes, Mickael Pietrus, Luke Ridnour, David West, Boris Diaw and Nick Collison. And does anyone remember who was selected 28th? Right before Josh Howard? Give up? It was the Brazilian Blur, Leandro Barbosa. What an amazing draft class!

As talented and rich as the draft class of 2003 was, the questions remain. So take part in the debates and get excited while this draft is still fresh in our minds. Because a draft like that is not likely to be seen again any time soon!

Hooray, Lute Olson is Gay - November 8, 2007

University of Arizona men's head basketball coach is taking a leave of absence due to personal reasons. In other words, the Hall of Fame coach is gay. But don't refuse to watch the Wildcats or call Olson a homophobic epithet. Celebrate the legendary coach's acceptance of his true self...pour some champagne.

Olson said in a statement on Sunday that his leave of absence is not due to a "health scare, but rather a personal matter that needs my undivided attention". In a single, ambiguous statement, the gay community knows that it instantly acquired 589 collegiate wins, 23 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, four trips to the Final Four and an NCAA title. And now the gay community has very possibly the most loved old guy in the state of Arizona. The state must decide between Coach Olson and Senator John McCain and, let's be realistic about this, the people love sports way more than politics!

The world is becoming increasingly, yet gradually, accepting of homosexuality. It's about time. The 73 year-old coach will be able to bring the cause of gay rights to basketball and colleges everywhere. But why did Olson take the leave of absence and not admit that he is gay yet? The answer is obvious: Coach Olson thinks he can tackle homophobia once and for all in a matter of weeks. The notorious family man cannot afford to have his family exposed to hate due to his coming out. Don't count on seeing Coach Lute Olson roaming the Wildcat sidelines until all homophobia is purged from the planet!