Washington at Boston: Preview and Game Thread

[Bugs']

Washington (33-26) at Boston (33-29)

Game Info: 6:00 pm EST Sun Mar 13, 2005
TV: CSNB, FxNE

The Boston Celtics are starting to look like one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics try to wrap up a six-game homestand with a third straight win when they take on the Washington Wizards.

After struggling to stay close to .500 through most of the season in the mediocre Atlantic Division, Boston is playing its best basketball of the season. The Celtics, who lead second-place Philadelphia by three games in the Atlantic, have won six of seven games since re-acquiring Antoine Walker at the trade deadline.

Walker is averaging 18.7 points and nine rebounds in seven games with Boston. His presence has also made the play of Paul Pierce more efficient.

Pierce is averaging 22 points while shooting better than 49 percent from the field in the same span. He is shooting just under 45 percent for the season.

Even with Walker having his worst game since returning, Boston came up with one of its most impressive victories of the season on Friday as it beat Central Division-leading Detroit 115-113 in double overtime. Pierce scored a season-high 38 points, hit the go-ahead jumper with 23 seconds to go and blocked Tayshaun Prince's 3-pointer as time expired.

``This was a good win despite the circumstances,'' Pierce said. ``We showed a lot of heart. This was a really gutsy win for us and it says a lot about the team's character.''

Walker went 4-of-19 from the field for nine points and failed to score in double figures for the first time since Dec. 15.

He didn't seem to mind.

``We have so many different weapons,'' Walker said. ``When I was here 16 months ago, if I went 4-of-19, we wouldn't have won games like this. But we have more weapons now.''

One of those weapons is Ricky Davis, who is averaging 22.6 points in five games this month.

Washington has dropped seven of eight road games, and may be without forward Antawn Jamison for the second straight outing. Jamison had his consecutive games streak stopped at 386 after sitting out a 93-83 loss at New York on Tuesday with tendinitis in his right knee.

He is listed as a game-time decision.

Jamison is not the only player hurting for Washington. All-Star Gilbert Arenas missed practice Friday due to a sore left knee and fellow guard Larry Hughes has been bothered by back pain, though both are expected to play Sunday.

When they're all in the lineup, Jamison, Arenas and Hughes account for two-thirds of Washington's offense.

Boston has won five of the last seven meetings with Washington, including three straight at home.

[Sebowski]

Alright Kwame. How about stepping up for once this season. Without Jamison we need 20-12 from you.

[vnmenon1]

Isnt Kwame free after this year?

[hands11]

Originally posted by vnmenon1
Isnt Kwame free after this year?

I believe he is a retricted free agent which mean we can match anything offered.

[Bugs']

Originally posted by hands11


I believe he is a retricted free agent which mean we can match anything offered.

Yep :yes:

[Leonard Washington]

wiz by 7 ...oops wideopen 3 by boston

[Leonard Washington]

dang wiz down by 1...two 3's in a row and a steal/layup

[Leonard Washington]

wow boston went on a 10-0 in like 1min

[Bugs']

Damn, I was feeling pretty good about things until the last minute of the first half. We were up by 7 and the Celtics stormed back to take a 3 point lead...:doh:

Jared Jeffries has a double-double already. :notworthy

[Leonard Washington]

i like the way haywood's game is improvin

[Leonard Washington]

pierce always torches the wiz

[Bugs']

End of 3rd quarter and we are looking good. Up by 10. Brendan and Jared have been beasts on the boards tonight....

I'm concerned about Jamison, he is limping all over the court....

No Ruffin tonight? What up wit dat?

Let's expand this lead and pull away....would be a great road win.

:cheers:

[Leonard Washington]

who is this banks guy!?

[RedskinzOwnU]

why is steve blake so bad

[mad4comp]

Im gonna say this once, just once for today.

EJ AND HIS DUMB DOUBLETEAMMING CRAP DOES NOT WORK.........AND IVE COME TO A CONCLUSION THAT WITH ALL THESE FREETHROWS MISSED AND THE WAY WE COLLASPE IN ON A PERSON AND DOUBLETEAM CONSTANTLY, THAT EJ CANNOT COACH.

ALright :) im done.

[Mr. Grundle]

Yes, because missing free throws is a direct result of bad coaching. :rolleyes:

[mad4comp]

Originally posted by Mr. Grundle
Yes, because missing free throws is a direct result of bad coaching. :rolleyes:

My guess is they are practicing stealing more than free throws :rolleyes:

[Mr. Grundle]

Blame it on their junior high coaches. They've been shooting the same free throw since they were 10.

[TODD]

Game over when Arenas got fouled by LaFrentz with 50 seconds left. Didn't call it, we lose. Un-f'ing-believable.

[garg8050]

Tough loss!!! Why they went to zone on the drive by Pierce is beyond me. Why Haywood continues to try to draw charges instead of going for block shots is also beyond me.

Horrible no call on Arenas' drive. That was the game. A score there and the Wiz are up by 4.

Things are starting to slip a little. This team really needs to step up over the next 5-10 games!

[mad4comp]

Originally posted by Mr. Grundle
Yes, because missing free throws is a direct result of bad coaching. :rolleyes:

DId you just copy and paste your last line ?? great response buddy.

EJ is teaching this team how to get more steals rather than practice what our real deficiency is, FT shooting. Shows that he does not know how to coach the important things, im pretty sure every other team puts an emphasis on FT shooting since they seem to be shooting like 90% against us.

Next time please stare at a line and try to comprehend what im trying to say, instead of being a smart-a**.

[Mr. Grundle]

Yes I'm pretty sure all Wizards practices consist of EJ "teaching his team how to get steals". That is by far the stupidest comment I've ever seen on this forum. I'm ignoring you from now because I'm tired of reading the same idiocy every night, so don't bother replying.

Anyway....bad free throw shooting is just something we are going to have to live with. This isn't a team of spot up shooters, like Seattle. If they haven't got by this point in their lives, they never will. Look at Shaq. They just have to accept this as a weakness and build their gameplan around it.

[LA56Dawg]

and some of you numb nutts were predicting 10-0... F all you that jinxed us!!!!

[Skins11]

Ugh.

I think the 33-27 record reflects the Wizards state right now. Actually I think the Wizards are more of a 33-24 team... basically a team with some weaknesses.

Throughout the season we have seen the Wizards come back from behind to beat some bad teams. With some last minute heroics, we have been able to win some close games. Now without some of that luck, we are losing them.

The refs have made some incredibly questionable calls down the stretch that have been killer.

Our defense is struggling. There is no way that we should be letting the Knicks and the Hornets scrubs have their way with us.

[Leonard Washington]

at least we didn't lose b/c of 3pt shooting.

why doesn't peeler ever get any PT? the guy can shoot the three. i bet he's killing the starters in practice.

[Danny Montana]

Our defense has been a joke all season. When your team defense consists of just outscoring the opponent, you are going to have games like this. We have had difficulty putting teams away all season, and sometimes you're going to get burned.

Earlier in the year, we were the ones pulling out the come from behind victories. But it's a live by the sword, die by the sword type of thing.

Until this team learns how to play even average defense, we are capable of losing to anyone on any night if our shots aren't falling.

And like I said before: steals do not equal defense.

[hands11]

Originally posted by LA56Dawg
and some of you numb nutts were predicting 10-0... F all you that jinxed us!!!!

That would be me your talking about and I dont apprehiate your immuturity. Me being possitive on this team has nothing to do with them loosing. I dont control the bad calls, bad defense and the fact they cant make free throws.

I thought they would be heathier then they are. There was no accounting for Gil having a sore knee, Jamison being warn out, Etan getting the flu and Jefferies being set back with a bad knee.

Jefferies looked good. Haywood has steped it up. Kwame still makes the wrong move at the wrong time. We gets a ton a calls for us but they are still missing a ton. Just because we get 35FT doesnt mean they are calling a good game because it looks like we should be getting 50. A foul is a foul. Call it.

True, Haywood has to give up on trying to take a charge.
Kwame needs to make more shots and force less shots.
FT shooting is about practice and coaching. No way Hughes should be missing like that. Someone needs to work with him. His shot isnt smooth. Hes has a hitch in his shot. He stops his motion at the top, then shoots. This is coaching. EJ needs to get them help. Make this a priority. Gil should be helping since he fixed his shot. I dont hear EJ talking about this enough in the post game. Do you hear, We are working on our D and our FT for hours every practice. We have a coach working with them individually on FT. This is our priortity. If we make our FT, we would be winning by 10 every game. Our 3 pt perimeter D is terrible. What we are doing isnt working. Thats on me. We are changing some things to address that. No, you dont hear this.

The defensive problem is coaching and since I don't hear EJ talking about how his is working to solve the FT problem and I dont hear him putting pressure on these guys to do better, the FT shooting is a coaching problem also. It's like how Gibbs wont play you if you fumble. They standard is set from the top. Because EJ tolerate this, he has set the standard to low.

[TheSteve]

Haywood is the sissyman. He lays it up when he should dunk and dunks when he's all alone. He falls down when he should challenge and challenges when he has a easy foe.