My beloved Wizards have managed to limp into the playoffs despite the fact that they have now dropped six in a row. This means they have handed the Miami Heat the Southeast Division title. They might as well have wrapped it up with a pretty bow and delivered it to Southern Florida. Fortunately for the erstwhile Bullets the woeful Pacers managed to lose to the even more woeful Sixers on Tuesday night. As of now that means the ‘Zards will be the sixth seed and they’ll be up against the Toronto Raptors in the first round. I can dig it. I saw them play the Raptors at Verizon Center last month and the outcome of the match could accurately be described as an ass-stomping. The ‘Zards won by twenty points, and led by as much as 28. Most of the stars sat out the entire fourth quarter. Gilbert scored like 22 points and he didn’t even play that much. The Raptors essentially lost to the B-team. So even without Caron Butler and Arenas, I think they might able to make it a series in the first round. They might even make it to the second round. But probably not. ‘Course, the playoff seedings still have some shaking out to do. The Wizards have four games left, and three of them are against teams they have no business losing to, even sans Butler & Arenas. They play the Hawks tomorrow, who are arguably one of the worst teams in the league. If they can’t beat that bunch of punters, it would be pretty sad. Then the Magic and the Pacers next week, neither of whom have much to recommend them. On Sunday erstwhile Bullet Scott Skiles and his team of punks come to D.C. for the ‘Zards final home game. (In fairness, since dumping Tyson Chandler the Bulls are less thuggadocious than they’ve been in recent years. Luol Deng, in addition to having one of the coolest names in the NBA, is a finalist for the NBA Sportsmanship Award.) I’ll be at that game, and while I’ll be disappointed if they lose, I won’t be angry. If they lose to the Hawks, however, I will be livid.
My friend Doug remarked that the Wizards playoff appearance this spring is merely prolonging the agony. We all know they’re f’ed. Oy gevalt, this sucks! This season was shaping up for a deep playoff run, despite some annoying inconsistencies. Specifically, I don’t get why they could keep beating the Pistons or the Suns, and then lose games to cellar-dwellers like the Pacers, Bucks or Celtics. And then we lose our superstar and pretty much the only player with any kind of defensive wizardry within a week of each other. Out for the season. Damn. Still, it’s important to keep this in perspective. This is not like being a Real Madrid fan. Madrid fans are so accustomed to uninterrupted success that if the team goes one year (or currently, three) without winning some kind of trophy, the fans are really pissed off. By contrast, with the possible exception of the Clippers, Southern California’s red-headed stepchild, the Bullets/Wizards have arguably been the worst team in the NBA over the last quarter-century. They are the only team that did not win a playoff game in the nineties. That’s right. They went an entire decade without winning a single playoff game. So the mere fact that they are in the post-season for the third year in a row should be cause for celebration. I hope they make it past the first round. But realistically, their chances of doing that are about the same as the number emblazoned on the jerseys that Gilbert Arenas will not be throwing into the stands after games: zero.
My friend Doug remarked that the Wizards playoff appearance this spring is merely prolonging the agony. We all know they’re f’ed. Oy gevalt, this sucks! This season was shaping up for a deep playoff run, despite some annoying inconsistencies. Specifically, I don’t get why they could keep beating the Pistons or the Suns, and then lose games to cellar-dwellers like the Pacers, Bucks or Celtics. And then we lose our superstar and pretty much the only player with any kind of defensive wizardry within a week of each other. Out for the season. Damn. Still, it’s important to keep this in perspective. This is not like being a Real Madrid fan. Madrid fans are so accustomed to uninterrupted success that if the team goes one year (or currently, three) without winning some kind of trophy, the fans are really pissed off. By contrast, with the possible exception of the Clippers, Southern California’s red-headed stepchild, the Bullets/Wizards have arguably been the worst team in the NBA over the last quarter-century. They are the only team that did not win a playoff game in the nineties. That’s right. They went an entire decade without winning a single playoff game. So the mere fact that they are in the post-season for the third year in a row should be cause for celebration. I hope they make it past the first round. But realistically, their chances of doing that are about the same as the number emblazoned on the jerseys that Gilbert Arenas will not be throwing into the stands after games: zero.
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