Wizards Victimized by Lady Luck?
Written by DCist contributor Matthew Yglesias
Wizards fans in the Verizon Center for last Sunday's overtime loss to the Nets could smell victory as the Nets were forced to try and in-bound the ball facing a three-point deficit with only 2.7 seconds remaining on the regulation clock. Odor turned to palpable taste as guard Vince Carter launched a long shot on a short-arced trajectory that couldn't possibly fall in. And, indeed, the shot slammed into back of the rim at a low angle that seemed all-but-destined to send the ball flying out, giving the Wiz a solid 4-2 start to the season.
Instead of the expected clang, however, Carter's shot emitted only a dull thud before bouncing in, a consequence of the new ball the NBA is using this season which offers more forgiving bounces off the rim and backboard. Even Carter himself concedes that the league's classic leather ball wouldn't have fallen through the hoop under the circumstances. But the synthetic era has arrived, and Washington lost focus in overtime going down to a 105-93 defeat that didn't do justice to the tight conclusion.
DC area basketball fans are no strangers to close losses. Eddie Jordan's team saw its season end after losing a six game playoff series to the Cleveland Cavaliers in which they managed to outscore their opponents over the course of the run only to be eliminated due to a series of heartbreaking razor-thin losses. Nor were difficulties down the stretch unique to the playoffs, as the team went a disappointing 10-18 in games decided by six points or fewer during the 2005-2006 regular season.
Nor was the Nets game unique. The Wizards' other two losses this season, to the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers, both on the road, each came by just three points. As a consequence, the team's point differential is actually better than those of the three teams positioned directly above them in the Eastern Conference standings.
Is there a real problem here? Statistical analysts say "no" -- close game outcomes essentially reduce to dumb luck. After enough of these late-game defensive breakdowns, however, one starts to wonder. Isn't not letting the other team's best perimeter shooter get the ball in his hands behind the arc with less than three seconds to go a specialized skill, one the Wizards have distinctly failed to master?
Meanwhile, we're still puzzling over Coach Jordan's rotation. He went out on a limb before the season started and made Etan Thomas his starting center. Thomas has responded by playing almost shockingly well. Against the Nets he wracked up three blocks, four points, and six rebounds in just 17 and a half minutes -- valuable contributions for a team blessed with three big-time perimeter scorers but deficient in defense and rebounding. But he did it all in just 17 and a half minutes, despite being free of injuries or foul trouble. The even-more-useless offensively Michael Ruffin managed to secure more playing time than that. When your decisions are vindicated, they're vindicated -- let the poet play!
The road ahead gets tougher. Tonight, the Wizards travel to New York for a good chance at their first road win against the hapless Knicks. After that, it's a Friday trip to Detroit to face the formidable Pistons, and then home to DC for a difficult back-to-back game against a Cleveland team that seems to have Washington's number. Then on Tuesday, the greatest hoops nightmare of them all -- back-to-back road games in Texas a state that dominates the NBA even if its residents are all too busy watching high school football to notice. If the team can manage to maintain its .500 record through the coming week, it'll count as a major accomplishment.