My Wizards Optimism Rides On Tonight's Game

Defying all reason -- no Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler, an ugly game-one loss, facing Lebron in the playoffs -- I am still optimistic about the Wizards chances in this series.

Not "I think they're going to win" optimistic ... more like "I think they can win" optimistic, which is better than they're getting from most people.

For three quarters on Sunday Cleveland looked like crap. They failed to pull away from the Wizards, who seemed to botch every open, in-tight look that was giftwrapped for them by the Cavs' defense. Cleveland did pull away in the fourth and ended up winning by 15, but the game made me more confident that the Wizards can steal an early win in this series and keep themselves in it.

Unfortunately, an "early win" means tonight.

The task of any road team in a seven-game playoff series is to take one of first two games in the other team's building to wrestle away home court/field/rink advantage, so for the Wizards tonight is their opportunity. Their only opportunity.

It would be especially big because it would ensure that the series will get to at least a fifth game, which could be long enough to get Butler back in the lineup.

Caron had his cast removed on Monday but is supposed to avoid contact for a week to 10 days. Even on an ambitious schedule there's almost no way he's cleared to play in game four on April 30, but Caron prides himself on his toughness -- or is that tuffness? -- and based on no inside information or real facts at all I wouldn't rule out a game five or game six return even though Eddie Jordan apparently has.

And it's that type of irrational hope that sums up my optimism. If the Wiz can eek out a win in C-town tonight then win one of their two home games, they could get Butler back with the series not yet out of reach.

But if they lose tonight you can kiss all that goodbye and I'll start posting about the Orioles again.
 

Could Wizards Turn Tough Breaks Into Inspiring Run?

It looks bad for the Wizards, I know, but part of me feels like the injuries were what they needed to start playing like a team (and I know Jshuane Melton, Wizards beat writer at DC Sports Box, agrees).

Maybe it didn't need to be quite as bad as what they got, but in the last two-plus weeks, the Wizards have rallied around each other and started playing good team ball.

Image from CBC.ca

The results haven't shown up in the standings, but they've played admirably despite the absence of their all-stars.

The only blowout loss the Wizards took with both Arenas and Butler out was Sunday against Chicago.

Other than that, the Wiz fell to Charlotte by eight (in the game Arenas was injured in), Cleveland by five, New Jersey by six (in overtime) and then four, Miami by three and Orlando by six.

They're losses, but they're solid efforts and they're enough to give the most ridiculous of optimists (me) some hope.

There was so much optimism before April 1. Then things started going wrong.

The Wizards won that night in Milwaukee to get to 39-33 but all-star Caron Butler fractures his hand and is done for the regular season. The Wiz get embarrassed in their next game, April at Charlotte. Trying to regroup without Butler, the Wizards lose to Charlotte again on April 4 at Verizon Center, but Gilbert Arenas' torn knee ligament is more of a crushing blow than the final score.

The Wizards have lost eight of nine going into tonight's regular season finale, and only a win against lottery-bound Indiana will get them to the break-even point.

Tonight's results will decide where the Wizards will be seeded going into the playoffs and who they will face in round one:

Image from washingtonpost.com

A loss tonight coupled with an Orlando win over Miami would drop the Wizards to the eighth and final playoff spot and pit them against Detroit in the first round.

However, if the Wizards win tonight and the Nets lose to the Bulls, the Wizards get sixth place and would face Toronto, the Atlantic Division champs.

If all stays as is, the Wizards would take on the second seed Bulls, and we all saw how that went on Sunday.

Unfortunately, Arenas' only shot at a return is if the Wiz make the finals. Butler's situation is slightly better -- he targets a possible second-round return -- but the team has to get there first.

As easy as it is to say, "They suck, they've lost their all-stars, they'll play the minimum," I'm not quite ready to write them off.

After Arenas went down, Jamison stepped up huge in the first four games. He recorded double-doubles in each and averaged almost 29 points. Then he stumbled for the next three games, averaging under eight points per game. Wearing down from trying to carry the team, perhaps? I would have thought, but then he broke out for 48 points on the Magic last night.

Jarvis Hayes has also stepped up, getting into double digits in scoring in all but one of the past eight games, including 29 at New Jersey and 20 at Atlanta.

Is there realistic hope that the Wiz can pull off a shocking upset over either Chicago or Detroit? Probably not. Jamison would have to score 40 every night and Hayes would have to shoot approximately 100 percent from the field.

But Toronto's a different story. They get a third seed by default for winning the Atlantic Divison, which is probably the worst division in the NBA this year.

I take that back. There's no probably about it.

I like the Wizards chances against Toronto. Not that I'd put money on it, but out of the three available opponents that's the one that that the Wiz could most likely beat. (And I know Juan Dixon wants to face Washington, but I'm not particularly offended. Who wouldn't? If Shaq and Dwyane Wade were both hurt everyone would want to face Miami.)

If they go into the playoffs playing the kind of team basketball they've been playing lately, the Wiz might just make it out of the first round. Then if Butler really does return, who knows what could happen?

At the very least, here's rooting for a great story.

Caron Butler Disses Gilbert Arenas, Picks Steve Nash as MVP

When you have mad street cred like I do, you can use post titles that include words like "disses" and "mad street cred" without looking like a complete poser nerd. OK maybe not.

Caron Butler was on the Jim Rome Show today, and after they talked a little about the absolute beating that the Suns laid on the Wizards last night, Rome asked if Steve Nash is the MVP this year. Caron Butler said he thinks so. (I don't have a link or anything, but trust me that it was said on the radio.)

Image from TSN.ca

I didn't think twice about it until I realized the implication Butler was making with that response: Caron apparently thinks his teammate Gilbert Arenas is not the MVP.

I have to think Gil is going to give "Tough Juice" some hell for that in the locker room.

You've got to go with your teammates when people ask these kinds of questions. When Jerry Stackhouse came on later in the show, he picked teammate Dirk Nowitzki. When a fan asked Alex Ovechkin who the best goalie in the NHL and the world is during a washingtonpost.com chat today, Ovie said, "Kolzig. I'm glad I don't have to play him."

Way to cover your ass, Alex. Caron, take notes.

Arenas has my vote even if he doesn't have Caron's.

Yeah, Nash has won it the last two years and he's averaging a double-double this year, but Arenas averages 10.2 more points per game and he's the leader on a less-talented team. (Caron and Antawn Jamison are good but Nash has five teammates who average double-digit points, including a powerful post presence in Amare Stoudemire.)

If the Wizards win their division -- and certainly if they come in first in the Eastern Conference -- Arenas deserves serious MVP consideration.

Gilbert Arenas Goes Off On Another Western Conference Opponent

WASHINGTON WIZARDS: Just five days after shoving 60 points in Kobe Bryant's face in an overtime win in Los Angeles, Gilbert Arenas a.k.a. Agent Zero a.k.a. HIBACHI! went for 54 points in an overtime win over Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns.

The win, by the way, snapped the Suns' 15-game winning streak. Take that you scrawny, round-bacon eating chump.

The 144-139 OT win was the Wizards' 10th in 13 games, bringing their record for the season to 14-12.

Caron Butler added 34 points of his own and Antawn Jamison scored 15, giving the "big three" a grand total of 103 points. That'll do.

The one thing I took away from the game, though, is that I REALLY want to see a seven-game series involving the Suns and the Wizards. Could you imaging a series where 250 points are scored every night? Don't blink, you might miss 20 points ... by one team.

Talk about entertaining basketball. I got tired just watching it.

The Wizards are off until the day after Christmas when they take on Memphis at Verizon Center at 7 p.m.

Terps 8-0, Caps and Wizards End Skids

I don't know what happened last night, but all the planets must have aligned just right because all three local teams playing won their games!

The Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team held off Illinois for a 72-66 win in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, despite being without surprise senior standout Ikene Ibekwe. The Terps led by as much as 15 in the first half but watched their lead dwindle while they couldn't get anything going for much of the latter three-fourths of the game on offense.

Freshman guard Greivis Vasquez provided the spark for the Terps, who are now 8-0 and will get another test when they face Notre Dame at the Verizon Center in the BB&T Classic on Sunday.

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The Capitals snapped their six game slide with a 5-2 win over Tampa Bay. The Lightning chucked 50 shots on Olie Kolzig, but he stopped 48 of them and the Caps took the win.

Alexander Semin scored a goal and added an assist in his first game back after missing four games with a shoulder injury. Alex Ovechkin scored an empty netter for his 16th goal of the season.

The Caps host the Dallas Stars tomorrow in a game that will feature the return of native son and former Caps captain Jeff Halpern. Elliot of Elliot in the Morning says the fans should boo Halpern to acknowledge him, but I think the fans will give him a nice round of applause.

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The Wizards managed to snap their four game skid with a 96-95 win over the Atlanta Hawks. The Wizards were tied with just over a minute left in the game, but they managed to pull out the victory despite Gilbert Arenas getting called for charging twice in the last 90 seconds.

Caron Butler went 15-for-15 from the free throw line, including the conversion of a three-point play to put the Wizards up 96-93, which was enough for the win.

The Wizards hope to build on the victory on Friday when they host Charlotte.