GT #52: Wizards (25-26) @ Rockets (35-17) 8 PM CSN

[keynote]

This is why Harden got a wide open layup...

[MikeTheKid]

This board has gone into full meltdown mode.

More like depression mode, I was so hurt watching that game I stopped posting, I thought Dick Bavetta, Joey Crawford and Tim Donaghy were calling the game!!!

[MikeTheKid]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/PhilJackson11/status/433823375765413888[/tweet]

[WashWiz54]

Peeked on the Houston board and a lot of them are proud of their victory? You guys know I'm the first to call a spade a spade and when the Wizards suck, however tonight was highway robbery. If I'm Houston, I feel dirty for how I won that game. Admittedly, the Wizards make me angry when we lose to sub-par teams, but this one? I'm just mad at inept officials, man. I wish Randy would of let his manhood hang and berated the refs at the end of the game. Screw a suspension, screw a fine, let the boys know you know it wasn't their fault.

James Harden is the one of the reasons I watch less and less NBA ball. He's the biggest whiner and flopper in the league today. I wish he played 20 years ago- Oakley, the Davis brothers, Horace, Rodman, Lambieer, etc. would of ended his career or at least his psyche within his first season. Go F yourself Houston and your diva ridden team. Sorry for being pissy but I watched tonight at the bar and may of had one or two extra

[SizzlinSimms]

Look guys, it sucked. It was a like I got my heart ripped out by that guy from the 2nd Indiana Jones movie. "KALI MA! KALI MA!" etc. and ****. We played bad. They played bad. If it wasn't for Ariza's onslaught of threes this game would not have been close. Where is our interior defense? Do we have any? Losing Okafor has killed that. We've become far too much of settling for jump shots. As the shot chart shows. Look at the difference. Houston is right by the rim, and the Wiz are scattered all around. Hack-a-Dwight back fired horribly. I would have loved to win the game but we did not deserve to win this game. We were going to steal the hell out of it, but horrible decisions by our players decide otherwise.

That foul was obviously going to be called on Ariza. The second Harden started to fall down I don't see how anybody could have thought otherwise. What destroyed was the defense on the last play, yes Dwight grabbed Wall's arm, etc. and it all sucks, but that **** happens all the goddamn time. I think the best we can look forward to is a 2nd round exit.

[dangermouse]

We get consistently d***ed by officiating. Even when we are at home, we dont get the home cooking like the Rockets did here tonight. Absolute BS.

Teddy should step up, say something, cop a fine. Thats the best part about guys like Cuban, they arent afraid to voice their opinion to the media, something the fans like me would love to do but dont have the platform to do so. Whats a couple of grand fine to Ted, really. For someone who was meant to come in and be a great owner, he isnt doing the things he should be. Changing the urinal cakes isnt enough mate.

[jangles86]

Yeah I think we may not have deserved to win it from the amount of offensive boards we gave up, but I honestly think we should of won had it not been for a cheating ass bitch harden and terrible refs.

[Brenice]

WTF

They fine zillionaire players $500 for flopping like that is a deterrent. If the league was being genuine, they should fine these bogus refs for calling fouls for notorious floppers like Harden. Just like hot-headed players like Rasheed have reputations and get quick techs, Harden should not be getting the benefit of the doubt. Fine the refs, not the zillionaire players.

WTF

What Harden did makes me want to

But it wasnt a flop. He hooked him. Its a foul, not a flop. Refs are supposed to catch that. Smart play by him. Terrible miss by the refs. But there is nothing to fine him about.

I wasn't talking about one particular play. I'm talking about his constant flailing of his arms every time he is in traffiic...and he gets free throws every time it seems.

[Brenice]

there comes a point where your coach or owner has to make a statment. Call it crying or whatever but I honestly wouldnt mind hearing one of them publicly saying something about the way we are getting treated by the refs in these games. I know we havent made the playoffs in years and have a jump shooting system but its crazy how when we touch guys its a fould but when we get hacked its nothing. Im also sick of Glen Consor on the radio getting mad at Nene and guys for complaining.

There is a differnce from whiney guys like Harden & Paul then a guy like Nene who truly gets hacked a ton and gets no calls. He should let the refs know about it but it wont matter until your coach or owner starts addressing it Take the fine. Beleive it or not, that stuff does work and refs/league do start taking more notice. We will get clowned on some sports shows for awhile but who cares. We get clowned anyways. As long as we start getting more respect from the refs, its worth it

And then people wonder why the defense(over the years) is weak. That's what happens when a team is playing under a tighter whistle than the opponent. You get paranoid of picking up touch fouls.

[mohammed10]

Just check the standings.

Don't look now, but the# 7 seed is now one more loss away....

[AFM]

I wonder if this will catch on with the rest of the league. Your team is down by 2, few seconds left. Why even bother trying to hit a 3 when you can just flop during the inbounds play?

[Dat2U]

Just check the standings.

Don't look now, but the# 7 seed is now one more loss away....

Were only 3 games from the 9th seed. Cleveland is the 11th seed and only 5.5 back after making up 3 games on the Wiz this week.

Problem for the Wiz is that it's playoffs or bust for the 9th, 10th & 11th ranked teams in the East. Detroit, NY & Cleveland all won't be tanking as people are trying to save their jobs as Ernie & Witt are here in DC.

Were still a Nene or Gortat injury away from watching this crumble.

[jivelikenice]

Just check the standings.

Don't look now, but the# 7 seed is now one more loss away....

Were only 3 games from the 9th seed. Cleveland is the 11th seed and only 5.5 back after making up 3 games on the Wiz this week.

Problem for the Wiz is that it's playoffs or bust for the 9th, 10th & 11th ranked teams in the East. Detroit, NY & Cleveland all won't be tanking as people are trying to save their jobs as Ernie & Witt are here in DC.

Were still a Nene or Gortat injury away from watching this crumble.

A lot is going to be determined in those first games out of the AS break. Toronto/ATL. You know Ernie is watching the standings too. I wonder if a panic move is on the way

[jivelikenice]

While Ariza had a great game, can they please stop trying to post him up? I don't know if that's on John or Ariza asking for the ball but even Phil knew those plays had no chance of working...

[MikeTheKid]

There talking about the Harden flop on First Take, both said that Harden flopped and Bavetta blew it

[tontoz]

Ordinarily i would be pissed about the ending but i just feel indifferent. It isn't about just one game. The only reason we had a chance is that Ariza went nuts from 3.

Beal/Wall combined to shoot 2-14 on long 2s. Nearly half of their attempts were long 2s. That is just bad basketball and they will continue to lose games they should win as long as that continues.

Harden might be a flopping bitch but do you know how many long 2s he took? ZERO

[jivelikenice]

The long 2 has become habitual for those guys. It would help them if they could open the lane a little but I still think they'd settle for too many long 2s.

[Nivek]

I'm tired of hearing the whining about refs, and (in particular) folks citing free throw differentials as evidence. The Wizards don't give opposing teams much reason to foul them -- they do what the defense wants them to do (take 2pt jumpers) more than any other team in the league. Most shooting fouls get called near the basket. Go to there. 3pt shots come with that extra point. When you've drawn the defense to the paint, pass the ball to there. Take that 2pt jumper when the shot clock is winding down and you haven't been able to get a good shot.

[AFM]

I'm tired of hearing the whining about refs, and (in particular) folks citing free throw differentials as evidence. The Wizards don't give opposing teams much reason to foul them -- they do what the defense wants them to do (take 2pt jumpers) more than any other team in the league. Most shooting fouls get called near the basket. Go to there. 3pt shots come with that extra point. When you've drawn the defense to the paint, pass the ball to there. Take that 2pt jumper when the shot clock is winding down and you haven't been able to get a good shot.

Nivek, you're right of course, but some of the fouls on Howard were absurd. There were fouls called on Gortat where he was standing there with his hands up and Dwight was going right through him and getting the foul. What is Gortat supposed to do? If the offensive player is going to play that aggressively in the post, the ref has to swallow the whistle.
I wonder when was the last time 3 starters from one team fouled out in regulation?

[Nivek]

I'm not saying refs don't make bad calls. They obviously do. I don't see anything systematic in their bad calls, though.

I still think the refs should be taken off the floor. I think the game could be officiated better from the sideline using HD monitors. Have 2-3 guys out there as peacekeepers/game-runners, but without any foul-calling duties.