With all the attention Gilbert Arenas has garnered over the last month of the NBA season, it’s easy to forget about his very capable teammates. Luckily for the Wiz, they were ready to pick up the slack last night when Gilbert had an “off” game. A look at the stat sheet might tell you the Bulls defense held Agent Zero to just 16 shots, but it wouldn’t show Gilbert’s determination to get his teammates open looks when the Bulls collapsed on him. Caron Butler was the big beneficiary, tallying 26 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. The bench came up big as well, outscoring Chicago’s reserves by six, all leading to a 113-103 win for the Wiz.
It wasn’t exactly the best game from the Bulls, a team many consider a title contender with the addition of big Ben Wallace. However, at times they looked totally lost on offense. Point guard Kirk Hinrich spent much of his night trying to get his teammates in the right positions on the court so they could run their offense. It seemed Ben Gordon turned the ball over much more than the three TO’s he was given on the stat sheet. Hinrich, Gordon and Andres Nocioni combined for 78 of the Bulls 103 points, while the Wizards had six players in double figures. There was even a Jarvis Hayes sighting! 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting from the field.
Surprisingly both teams brought a strong effort on the defensive end. The Bulls, of course, are known for this, but not so for the Wiz. However, they held the Bulls to 33% shooting in the first half and 42% for the game. During his post game remarks, head coach Eddie Jordan went out of his way to praise Arenas for his effort on the defensive end in the second half.
The Wiz took a three point lead into the half and rode DeShawn Stevenson’s four of Washington’s first five buckets in the third, building the Wizards’ lead to as much as 14 points. The Bulls fought back late in the quarter and tied it, but Hayes and Antonio Daniels scored seven points in the last 2:24 of the quarter to give the Wiz a lead they would not relinquish.
Post game, we caught up with Agent Zero and asked him about his swag.
DCist: “Gil, how would rate your swag tonight?”
Gilbert Arenas: [laughs] “It was a mellow swag until the end.”
DCist: : “Is there a scale? Can you get better than phenomenal or is that the top?”
Gilbert Arenas: “No, phenomenal is the top. Phenomenal swag is the top swag.”
DCist: “So mellow swag is in the middle?”
Gilbert Arenas: “Yeah, you’re just chilling.”
Arenas also went out of his way to praise Butler. “He’s doing so well, but the shine isn’t there because I’m playing so well. His numbers are unbelievable right now. He’s up in every category and we’re winning. There’s not a forward playing better than him right now.” Consider Gil’s “Caron Butler for the All Star Game” campaign officially launched.
