WE Recap: Wizards vs. Pacers 4/4/12

 

	1	2	3	4	FINAL
Pacers	37	15	34	23	109
Wizards	28	23	23	22	96

TOP PERFORMERS
Wizards			Pacers
Jordan Crawford	PTS	28	Danny Granger	PTS	20
Kevin Seraphin	REB	10	Louis Amundson	REB	8
Shelvin Mack	AST	4	Darren Collison	AST	11
Shelvin Mack	STL	2	Jones / Barbosa	STL	2
N/A	BLK	0	Roy Hibbert	BLK	4
John Wall	TO	5	5 tied	TO	2
Shelvin Mack	+/-	+9	Louis Amundson	+/-	+14

Wizards Player of the Game

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Brian Cook. He shot 4/6 and had a three pointer to add to his 10 points. It might have possibly been the ugliest (almost) double-double in NBA history, but he nonetheless found a way to produce tonight. However, being the top performer in such a lackluster game like this is really no award. What was impressive was his intensity on the boards as he grabbed nine rebounds, three of those on the offensive end. Kevin Seraphin was the only person to outrebound him on either team.

WE’s to Watch/WE Spotlight

Jordan Crawford had a first quarter for the ages. He has 16 points and shot over 50% in the first. While he eventually cooled off in the second half, he still wound up with 28 points, five three pointers and a pair of assists. If he could have kept this flow throughout the game, there’s no doubt this would have been a very different fourth quarter.

Danny Granger shot a ridiculous 75% from the field to contribute to his team’ overall 58% shooting for the game. When his shot went up tonight, there was really no doubt it was going in. His play seemed to spark the rest of the team to make their shots and ultimately doom the Wizards (even though they still shot 46.4%). His 20 points and five boards proved deadly once again in a series versus the Wizards that has been quite easy for them.

The Good

Well, there really was not much good in this game but to pick something, it would have to be the second quarter as Washington outscored the Pacers 23-15. The Wizards answered runs by the Pacers and brought Indiana’s 87.5% shooting in the first down to 58% by the half. A lot of this had to do with the defensive play of Kevin Seraphin, Cartier Martin and Jordan Crawford. By the end of the second, Washington had pulled within one point of the Pacers and it looked like the game could be a tight one down the stretch.

The Bad

John Wall. While he managed 13 points, he shot a dismal 4/15 with only three assists. He’s been somewhat streaky this season, but tonight’s play had a lot to do with the fact that he could not get any foul calls from the referees on many of his drives into the lane. His demeanor on the court said a lot about his play, however, which leads me to the next aspect of the game…

The Ugly

Demeanor. Watching the Wizards play tonight was borderline embarrassing. Not because they couldn’t make the shots or just couldn’t keep up with a team currently seeded fourth in the East, but because many of them seemed disinterested. Lazy turnovers, half-effort defense, and a general sense of fatigue plagued a few players, which then spread like wildfire to the rest of the team. If a team has ever needed an off-season to get themselves together, this is the team.