Quality Shots

I don't know what the best part of this video is, the Arenas buzzer-beating three-pointer from the parking lot to win the game, or the fact that this YouTuber just held a camera up to his TV and that you can even see that he's watching the Sugar Bowl on the picture-in-picture.

The D.C. Sports Bog had some great postgame coverage that shows how a good reporter writing in blog style can be way funnier than what they can actually put in the game recap. I especially like Brendan Haywood's Double Dribble reference, if only because Double Dribble was the basketball equivalent to Blades of Steel.

For me, the best part of this shot was that I was actually watching the game. How bittersweet is it to wake up and only see the day-after highlights of some amazing local game?

I missed Alex Ovechkin's "The Goal," and even though it's still "simply sensational" ('sup Joe Beninati?) in highlights, it sucks to sit there wondering why in the world you missed watching it on live TV.

When someone IMs me at 9:30 p.m. with a "DID YOU SEE THAT!?!?!" there's nothing worse than having to say, "uhh ... what?"

With Arenas' shot, I would have been able to say, "HELL YES I SAW THAT ZOMG!!!!!!1111one"

If only I had any friends to IM me ... maybe I would if I stopped saying "ZOMG."

Wizards Snap Mavs' 12-Game Win Streak

The Wizards shot lights out last night and looked like a team that should be at the head of the pack in the weak Eastern Conference, not a 7-10 team in fourth place in their own division.

The Wiz made almost 50 percent of their shots from the floor, including over 40 percent of their three-pointers in a 106-97 win over the Mavericks last night. Washington took the lead early in the first quarter and led by 22 going into the fourth, so the game was never really as close as the 9-point difference indicates.

At times both Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood looked like real NBA centers, combining for 21 rebounds.

The Mavericks came into the game having won 12 in a row dating back almost a month (and after starting the season 0-4).

When will the Wizards win their first road game this season? In New York on Wednesday. In Philadelphia on Friday. Sometime on the four-game road trip from Dec. 17 - 22. At Charlotte on the 27th or at Milwaukee on the 30th. 2007.    Free polls from Pollhost.com

Washington is now 7-2 at home and 0-8 on the road, which is an excellent opportunity to do the first ever poll in Beltway Sports Beat history!

So will they parlay that big win over the Mavs into the momentum to get back toward .500, or will they go in typical Wizards fashion and suffer a let-down loss just when you think they're getting back on track?

Personally, I have faith that the Wiz can beat the Knicks in Madison Square tomorrow.

For what it's worth, at the moment Gilbert Arenas is tied with Kobe Bryant for eighth in the league in scoring, averaging 26.1 per game.

Gil averages 33.7 points at home and just 17.6 on the road. Talk about a dropoff...

(By the way, the NBA has a great page for statheads here. If you ever need to know how players rank when it comes to free throw shooting on three days rest, that's the place to go.)

Wednesday night's game is at 7:30 on Comcast Sportsnet. How it's going to compete in the local ratings with that crucial University of Maryland men's basketball match-up against Fordham, I have no idea.

Wizards Open Season Tonight

Last minute post!

Washington Wizards at Cleveland Cavaliers, tonight, 8 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet and ESPN.

The Wizards will be starting Etan Thomas at center instead of Brendan Haywood, which should be an improvement if Thomas can stay healthy.

IF

(Get it? That's a big 'if'... Ha!)

The Wizards also look for improved defense with DeShawn Stevenson replacing departed Jared Jeffries, who may have been a decent player, was certainly funny looking, and definitely wasn't worth the 5-year, $30 million deal the Knicks gave him.

It's a rematch of last year's first round playoff match-up, which has been said over and over again, so enjoy that talk all night.

Go all in.