Wizards Are Winning
Last Monday, the Washington Wizards reached a milestone in their long rebuilding project. Their victory Monday over Portland brought their record to 24-23 and gave the franchise its first winning record at any point in more than four seasons.
Washington had played 355 games without getting over .500. This season, the Wizards had seven opportunities to get themselves a winning record and they failed each time prior to Monday’s breakthrough. Not a single player on the Wizards roster was with the organization the last time Washington had a winning record.
By the end of the week the Wizards once again fell below .500 but still but remained firmly in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.
The last few years have seen the Wizards make strides in assembling a team that could take the next step towards the playoffs. John Wall and Bradley Beal form a strong nucleus that will help the team attract free agents in the future.
Given the production they are currently getting from their feisty backcourt and the lack of quality teams in the East, Washington fans might not have to wait too much longer to see this team compete in the playoffs.
Randy Foye Buries Clips On Buzzer-Beater
On Monday, the Los Angeles Clippers were in Denver to take on the Nuggets. Though both teams were suffering from injuries to their marquee players, neither team was willing to back down from the other.
Both teams came out firing and refusing to yield. In the first quarter alone there were six ties and seven lead changes. In the second quarter, the Clippers adjusted and utilized their size advantage down low to build a 39-27 lead.
Just when it seemed that the Clippers might run away with the game, Ty Lawson and the Nuggets went on a run and ended the half with the lead at 62-60.
The third quarter was back and forth with no team holding more than a five-point advantage. Denver had a one-point advantage heading into the fourth where things remained tight right until the very end.
Matt Barnes hit a 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds remaining to give the Clippers a 115-113 lead. After the basket, Brian Shaw called a timeout and drew up the final play for Denver.
The play was designed to have J.J. Hickson inbound the ball to a cutting Wilson Chandler, but the length and athleticism of DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin disrupted the play.
Hickson found his second option in Foye, who received the ball on the wing and was surprised to see Griffin leak out to defend him. Foye brought the ball to the middle of the court and shook his way to a step advantage on Griffin.
With the clock almost at zero, Foye pulled up and heaved up a shot from 30 feet that fell through the basket as time expired. It was Foye’s first ever buzzer-beating game-winner and, appropriately, he was gang-tackled by his teammates in celebration.
Lakers Beat Cavaliers With No Bench
On Wednesday, perhaps the most bizarre game of the NBA season took place between the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Lakers limped into Cleveland without the services of Pau Gasol, who suffered a strained groin. Gasol is only the latest addition to the list of the Lakers’ walking wounded.
Steve Nash, who returned to action last week for the first time since Nov. 10, was held out of the contest with the Cavs to allow for rest and recovery. Additionally, Jordan Hill and Jodie Meeks were also inactive for the game due to injury.
That left only Nick Young, Steve Blake, Kendall Marshall, Jordan Farmar, Chris Kaman, Ryan Kelly, Robert Sacre and Wesley Johnson available for game action.
Things went from bad to worse for the Lakers when Nick Young left the game in the first half with a twisted knee. To add to the circus for the Lakers, with the game still on the line in the fourth quarter, Chris Kaman fouled out and Jordan Farmar left the game with leg cramps, leaving the Lakers with only five available players.
Things went from ridiculous to bizarre when Robert Sacre was assessed his sixth foul. The game came to a halt after the foul as the officials conferred and Steve Nash, who was in street clothes, dashed to the locker room to change into his uniform.
Fortunately for D’Antoni, he didn’t have to use his ageing, oft-injured point guard. The officials informed D’Antoni of the arcane rules governing situations such as these. The rules state that each team must play with five players on the court.
Since the Lakers did not have any other players to plug in when Sacre fouled out, Sacre was allowed to stay in the game with the stipulation that every foul committed by him would be treated as a technical with the Cavs shooting a free throw and receiving the ball.
Unbelievably, the Lakers were able to hold on and defeat the Cavs 119-108. Steve Blake was able to collect his first career triple-double as the Lakers set a franchise record for made 3’s in a game with 18.
It was the Lakers’ first win in two weeks and it couldn’t have come in a more strange fashion. The indignity of losing to the Lakers under such circumstances was too much for the Cavs to bear.
The next day, owner Dan Gilbert fired GM Chris Grant.
Pistons Fire Maurice Cheeks
The Detroit Pistons fired head coach Maurice Cheeks after the team went 21-29 through the first 50 games of the season. The Pistons entered the season with heightened expectations after the acquisition of Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings last summer.
Detroit has now had nine head coaches since 2000.
Kevin Garnett Has 2,000th Block of His Career
Kevin Garnett recorded the 2,000th block of his career on Monday moving him into 20th place on the all time list. He has the third most blocks among active players, behind Tim Duncan and Marcus Camby, and ranks 20th on the all time list.
Pacers Finally Win In Atlanta
The Indiana Pacers logged their first win in Atlanta against the Hawks since Dec. 22, 2006.
Chris Paul Returns
On Sunday, Chris Paul returned to action for the the Clippers. The All-Star point guard had been out of the lineup since separating his shoulder in a game against the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 3.
On Sunday night, the Clippers absolutely dropped the hammer on the Philadelphia 76ers, taking a 69-30 lead into halftime and finishing them off in the second half to the tune of a 123-78 victory.
Paul only played 23 minutes in the blowout, amassing seven points on 3-6 shooting to go along with eight assists, four steals and two boards.
