In the DC area, and even lately, nationally, there has been some debate about whether or not the University of Kentucky men’s college basketball team could defeat the Washington Wizards.

This needs to stop right now.

I just can’t wrap my head around the immense national scrutiny for the Washington Wizards. There is no question that the team hasn’t performed to anyone’s expectations the past few years, but as I recall it was only four years ago that the Wizards were threatening a first-round upset against the Lebron James led Cleveland Cavaliers.

But some people really think that with the Wizards’ record the past two years, that this unbelievable UK team could actually beat a completely professional National Basketball Association team.

This Kentucky team is great, and I’m not trying to downplay their success at all. They have rivaled some of the great teams of NCAA past with their straight-up dominance of nearly everyone they’ve come across.

But there is no way that this team could beat even the second-string rotation of Shelvin Mack, Kevin Seraphin, Roger Mason Jr., Cartier Martin and Jan Vesely.

No matter what Tony Kornheiser thinks.

Everyone has seen what these guys have been able to do in this second-half of the season and combined with the starting lineup of John Wall, Jordan Crawford, Nene, Trevor Booker and Chris Singleton, there just is no way.

What really blows my mind about this discussion is that the Charlotte Bobcats haven’t come into play, whatsoever.

Does anyone realize that they have the worst record in the NBA and probably will finish as having the worst year in franchise history?

It’s time to stop this absurd conversation, congratulate the University of Kentucky’s men’s basketball team for their accomplishments, criticize the Washington Wizards for their lack to close games in a professional league against the best-of-the-best the world has to offer, and move on.

Wizards Player of the Game

I’m going to go with Kevin Seraphin and Chris Singleton.  Seraphin has continued his inspiring play. No Wizard has taken advantage of their increased playing time like Kevin. He has become a monster on the boards and a put back specialist. Singleton had one of if not his best game of the season, adding 8 boards to his 15 points and the best part was that his 15 points came on 5-8 shooting.

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John Wall had a decent game finishing with 15 points and 11 assists. He didn’t struggle from the field going 4-8 but he wasn’t as aggressive as WE would like him to be especially in a game where two starters were out.

Jose Calderon also had a pretty good game 15 points and 8 assists. He didn’t torch the Wizards like he has been known to do; there wasn’t anything spectacular from, just steady point guard play. He seems to get the better of Wall in their matchups.

The Good

The front line. Even with Nene and Trevor Booker both out for the game, and after getting down early The Wiz Kids never gave up and were able to overcome a 15 point lead and make the game competitive in the end.

The Bad

Rebounding. The Raptors dominated the Wizards on the boards and while the discrepancy doesn’t look that bad 43-31, the timeliness of said rebound killed the Wizards. With the game winding down and the Raptor’s leading by 3 with just over a minute to play. The frontline which played so well failed to box out Amir Johnson for a put back dunk.

The Ugly

The Wizards close out. I have watched this team improve all season long, they have cut up the knucklehead plays, improved their effort and hustle, but the one area the Wizards continue to struggle is fourth quarter play. The Wizards have started to play teams close, giving them hell until the last 3 minutes of the game when they forget how to play. I’ll chalk this up to the growing pains of a young team but it sure is ugly.

AT  

Sunday, April 1st, 2012
6:00 PM ET
TV: Comcast SportsNet HD
Steve Buckhantz, Phil Chenier  
Radio: 106.7 The Fan - http://bit.ly/5yZqu8
Dave Johnson, Glenn Consor
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Go Wizards!!!!!!

The Wizards have been slapped around by the Philadelphia 76ers this season, as they’ve been beat by 31, 13 and then 20 points so far.

Well, last night, the Wizards decided that enough was enough and that it was time to punch them back.

After a slow start to the game in the first quarter, the Wizards saw Trevor Booker go to the locker room in some visible pain, and one might believe it could have been all over from there.

But alas, the Wizards stated capitalizing off of Philly’s five turnovers and succeeding on the fast break, which ultimately led to the Wizards holding an eight-point lead by the end of the first quarter and a field goal percentage of 50%.

A key to holding Philly to only 15 points in the first quarter was ultimately the big-man pairing of both Kevin Seraphin and Nene in the lineup to provide that spark on the boards as well as a menacing presence in the post.

Nene continued his onslaught in the second half as he seemed red-hot, sinking 17-foot jumpers and scoring 10 of the Wizards’ first 12 second-half points, but was ultimately taken out in the fourth quarter after he ironically suffered the same injury that Booker was listed as having earlier in the game.

By the time Nene was out, however, things were wrapping up in the Wizards’ favor as Jan Vesely, Cartier Martin and Seraphin held things down in the absence of the two big guys.

While Vesely only had six points, he really proved his worth as he played the clean-up man, grabbing 11 rebounds, four of which were offensive boards. It was really a career night for him as this was really one of his first chances to be out there for an extended period of time (29 minutes).

In his post-game press conference, Randy Wittman (as well as every other player) credited the second unit in the second quarter for a huge chunk of their win. Shelvin Mack, Vesely, and Martin really proved themselves worthy of being on this team in the second, and allowed the big men to get some rest since they were able to not only hold onto the eight-point lead from the first, but extend it to a nineteen-point lead.

While the Wizards had that nineteen-point lead at the half, everyone in the arena had an aura of doubt to them as the Wizards had blown five games straight, many off of having 20-point leads.

But the Wizards really stayed strong and answered every one of Philly’s runs in the second half by keeping the ball moving and capitalizing on every single turnover and missed shot.

The play of Cartier Martin was absolutely essential to this win as he had 20 points, 6 rebounds and went 4-7 from three-point land. The guy was lights out and proved that he was even better than the Cartier Martin that Wizards fans saw last year with the team.

The most amazing stat? In the +/- category, every player went for positive numbers, with Cartier Martin at +20 for the game.

In a truly positive outing for the Wizards (sans the two big injuries, both of which are still day-to-day), Wittman can be proud of his team as they finally found a way to keep up the intensity throughout the game and to be able to hold on to a precious lead.

While the upcoming games against Toronto and Milwaukee are important to the team, one has to think that this team has really got it sights set for Wednesday as they will have a chance to finally play this was against Indiana.

They have the necessary tools, so now’s the time to fight back.

Wizards Player of the Game

After Cartier Martin's pleasant outing last night versus the Pacers, I was compelled to crown him the Player of the Game but opted to go with Nene. Tonight I will not shy away. In only two games this season, Martin has taken very little time meshing with his teammates. Martin was fantastic tonight matching a career high 20 points while nailing four 3-point shots.

WE’s to Watch/WE Spotlight

Jordan Crawford had a typical night, taking a game high 17 shots and matching that number in points, which also happens to put a halt to his streak of 20 point games at seven.

Jodie Meeks? 2 points on 1 of 8 shooting and 0 for 6 from 3-point. I might as well have put a big fat N/A here.

The Good

The Wizards' front court, which outscored the Sixers' 48-30. I absolutely love the combination of Kevin Seraphin and Nene on the floor at the same time. I mean, seriously, that literally can be called the Great Wall of Chinatown. Add a little Singleton, which coach Wittman does at times, and you've got yourself a potential 3-headed monster in the front court. It's definitely one of Wittman's better rotation schemes and it certainly played to perfection tonight. Nene and Seraphin combined for 30 points and 15 boards, shooting 14 of 21 from the floor. Singleton contributed with six boards, including two on the offensive glass.

The Bad

 Nothing too terrible to point out besides Coach Randy Wittman holding his head in disgust as JC dribbled the ball aimlessly for about 15 seconds before chucking up a shot, which happened to go in. It didn't make Randy feel any better.

The Ugly

Both Trevor Booker and Nene headed to the locker room at different points of the game. Ironically, they both got hampered by the same exact injury: a pulled left fascia. Booker's foot injury, which he had mentioned about recently, finally caught up to him tonight as he was seen limping into the locker room midway through the first quarter. Nene joined him later in the fourth quarter. Neither player returned.

             AT   

Friday, March 30th, 2012
7:00 PM ET
TV: Comcast SportsNet HD
Steve Buckhantz, Phil Chenier  
Radio: 106.7 The Fan - http://bit.ly/5yZqu8
Dave Johnson, Glenn Consor
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Go Wizards!!!!!!

Wizards Player of the Game

Playing with a sore back, Nene defied his nagging injury with 16 points and 13 rebounds. More importantly Nene was able to contain Roy Hibbert who dominated the Wizards down low in their previous matchup just over a week ago. Hibbert was held to just 9 points and 3 rebounds.

WE’s to Watch/WE Spotlight

Ahh Jordan Crawford. I received a text from a friend a few days ago which read "Congrats on getting Kobe. I just don't understand why he changed his name to Jordan Crawford." Now before we misinterpret that text, let me go ahead and clarify that this friend wasn't implying that JC plays with the caliber of a bona fide all-star and 5-time champion, but rather clowning him for the amount of head scratching shots he chucks up. Unfortunately for the Wizards, that was sorely the case last night, primarily in the final quarter as a few possesions down the stretch were wasted thanks to JC's "NOOOOOO" shots.

 Despite being a force on defense, accounting for 4 of the Pacers' 9 steals, Paul George was virtually ineffective on offense, getting into foul trouble early and finishing with only 7 points.

The Good

As impressive as Trevor Booker has been playing with that nagging sore foot, I can't shy away from Cartier Martin and his welcome back party last night. Signed to a 10-day contract a few days ago, Martin seemed as if he had never left, scoring 10 points on 4 of 7 shooting, including two 3-pointers. He also had 5 rebounds.

The Bad

John Wall and Jordan Crawford in the fourth. Their decision making down the stretch pried the offense away from Nene, who had been playing very well all night. Wall missed a game tying jumper late in the fourth and turned the ball over on an arrant pass which resulted in a backcourt violation. I love the fact that Wall has been put in clutch positions to win games, but eventually we'll need to see him respond.

The Ugly 

  The free throw shooting. The Wiz Kids missed nine freebies which was clearly a difference in the outcome of the game. In the wise words of my colleague Chuck Lamar "HOW YOU GON MISS A FREE THROW SHOT?! IT'S FREE!!!"

 AT     

Thursday, March 29th, 2012
7:00 PM ET
TV: Comcast SportsNet Plus HD
Steve Buckhantz, Phil Chenier  
Radio: 106.7 The Fan - http://bit.ly/5yZqu8
Dave Johnson, Glenn Consor
_________________

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Go Wizards!!!!!!

As the saying goes, "things happen in 3's." Well, unfortunately for the Wiz Kids, blowing double digit leads at home in the 2nd half has happened in 3's.

There's really no polite or politically correct way to say this: The Wizards choked. I mean, flat out choked last night's game away. If I didn't hate the Cowboys as much as I did, I would say it was a bigger choke than anything Tony Romo has done, but let's be honest, nothing is that bad.

It was a sloppy game from the start. With 4 minutes left in the first half and both teams failing to eclipse the 30 point mark, it was evident that we were in for a long night.

Wizards vs Pistons, March 26, 2012 – Verizon Center

Wizards Player of the Game

While Nene (8 pts, 9 rebs) had a pretty quiet night sitting the better part of both the third and fourth quarters, two huge plays in crunch time at the end of the fourth quarter make him the player of the game. After Rodney Stuckey sunk a three late in the fourth to give the Pistons their first lead since early in the second quarter, Nene sunk a hook shot from seven feet to put the Wiz back up. Then, with five seconds left in the game (and the Wizards down by two), Nene sunk another hook shot to tie the game up again.

So while the Wizards could not close the game out tonight, Nene showed that he has what it takes to be and can be relied on as a closer for this team; and that’s something all Wizards fans have been waiting for.

WE’s to Watch/WE Spotlight

Jordan Crawford registered his sixth straight game with at least 20 points as he went 9/16 from the field for 20 points. He managed to rack up some five assists and was also pesky on the defensive end as he lead the team with three steals. He’s beginning to become much more consistent with his game, but as Saam pointed out to me during the game, the Wizards are still 1-5 during Crawfords six-game streak.

Ben Gordon was essentially a non-factor in this game with Rodney Stuckey back in the line-up for the Pistons. With only six minutes of play, he managed three rebounds, one assist and went 0/4 shooting.

The Good

The third quarter. The Wizards have struggled in the third quarter, recently; but tonight they proved to be a much better team than the team that was out during the first half. They came out with guns blazing with an 8-0 run to start the quarter off. After a slow offensive 24 minutes before, the Wizards managed to get 21 points in just seven minutes. They continued to stay strong and hold off some of the Detroit runs during the quarter to remain up by eight at the end of the third.

The Bad

The first half. The Wizards managed to only shoot a dismal 35.7 percent from the field for only 35 points in the first half. Nearly everyone was getting good looks, but no one was making their shots. Thankfully for the Wizards, the Pistons shot an even worse 29.7 percent from the field and only racked up 30 points in the half.

The Ugly

The fourth quarter. It was all too familiar. With a lead of 8 points at the beginning of the quarter, the Wizards saw it begin to slowly dwindle down until it was tied, and then eventually when Rodney Stuckey ended the Wizards’ hopes with a 20 foot jumper to seal their fate. The Wizards just could not find any answers offensively as they went 5/16 in the quarter for a horrendous 31 percent. The most ugly part about it? This is their third game in four games that they’ve given up a sizeable lead in the fourth.

Post-game Interviews