GT #63: Wizards (33-29) @ HEAT (43-17) 7:30 PM CSN+

[jeffsays]

Can anyone explain why Otto played 3 minutes, scored a bucket and grabbed a board, and never got back in?

Webster was already in the game for Beal and Ariza picked up his 2nd foul in the 1st quarter.

On one possession, Porter was guarding LeBron, the Wizards overhelped and Allen got a wide open 3. Porter then switched onto Allen who eventually got an open 3 pointer off a few screens at the end of the quarter.

I honestly thought Porter did a great job on Lebron for that one possession. Drew Gooden came over and jumped the gun a bit. He wasn't quick enough to guard ray allen (we should have brought in temple) but he did well in his limited time out there.

[dangermouse]

Athreeza was Afreeza. Didnt do a great job on lebron either. And beal couldnt guard wade.

Yet Wittman never once changed matchups or tried anything different.

Why?

[mohammed10]

Athreeza was Afreeza. Didnt do a great job on lebron either. And beal couldnt guard wade.

Yet Wittman never once changed matchups or tried anything different.

Why?

Is that a rhetorical question? We all know Randy is not a good or even a below average game manager. He's downright putrid. He constantly gets outcoached and tonight was yet another example.

[deneem4]

The heat...2 time defending champs...best team in the league...jus lost 3 games in a row...Their star player, poster boy of the nba, #1 player in the league, was just embarrassed by their #1 rival chicago bulls, on 2 different clutch possessions...This was the playoff Miami heat...they came out full throttle, when was the last time wade played more than 2 games in a row?...i dont blame us completely for the lost, we had major screwup and could've played better but our coaching not ready for these type of moments...If this was a playoff game, I see us coming back and taking the next game...Lebron won't have that shot chart for consecutive games, and we wont be off with our shot like that...good try wizards, we'll get revenge in the playoffs

[payitforward]

I don't know what is with you guys....

If Miami plays us at home, in a game they feel they really have to win (like this one -- having lost a few), we really aren't likely to win. They led the entire game and when challenged they were able to put the pedal down on both offense and defense.

Miami is a much better team than we are. Memphis too is a lot better than we are. Those are the teams we've lost to in the last stretch. The only teams -- we are 8-2. The idea that we were "outcoached" last night is plain ridiculous. Why don't I hear people say that we outcoached the 8 teams we beat?

Every NBA coach (w/ only the rarest exceptions) is competent, and only a very few are meaningfully better than the others. This is not the NFL. The NBA is a players' league. You only have 5 guys on the court; it's a flow game; with 240 player minutes to work with, a couple of guys combining for 70 of them can have such a tremendous impact on the game that everything else is minor. Of course you get the best coach you can, just as you get the best players you can -- why not? -- but it's having the best players that really matters.

In our case, look back at the last 20 games and show me one win in which Trevor Ariza didn't have a good game. He went 2-11 last night. Martell had a good 4th quarter, and it kind of looked like we were threatening, but really we weren't.

My response to last night is the opposite of most of you, I guess. I was extremely impressed by the way we competed. I'm kind of blown away by what Drew Gooden is capable of, though I guess at least part of it is that he hasn't had to work himself all season; he's a little bit fresh. Gortat too was outstanding.

No surprise that we lost, but it was a great game all the same.

[fishercob]

1) PIF nailed it: The Heat playing at home, coming off of 3 straight losses were going to tough task. They are the better team and had the two best players on the floor. Our starters shot 21-60. Lebron and Bosh shot 20-24. Ballgame. The fact that it was as competitive as it was into the 4Q was impressive IMO.

2) Exhibit A as to why John -- as good as he is and as much as he is improved -- has a ways to go before superstardom. His shot wasn't falling -- fine. But then he needs to attack the basket and be sure to live at the free throw line. He has to value each possession; you simply can't turn it over 7 times on a night you shoot 2-8. Live and learn.

3) Ariza had a bad shooting night. He's going to have more; no one can expect him to keep up the pace he was on. He'll revert to the mean a bit. That's okay.

4) Drew Gooden continues to impress. Like Ariza, I don't expect him to keep making shots at this rate and thus am a wee bit concerned by the fact that he tends to shoot a ton. That said, he's a helpful player that we got for nothing. I am impressed that in his time off he seems to have added to his range. If he can shoot that 3 even in the low 30's, it helps the cause. Hopefully when Nene gets back Gooden takes Harrington's minutes. Al can go some things, but he can't do more things and he is decidedly NOT helping the cause.

5) As has been said, Miami is the absolute worst. The piped in crowd noise (which should absolutely be illegal) and the cheerleading PA announcer are the height of pathetic.

Onward.

[LyricalRico]

2) Exhibit A as to why John -- as good as he is and as much as he is improved -- has a ways to go before superstardom. His shot wasn't falling -- fine. But then he needs to attack the basket and be sure to live at the free throw line. He has to value each possession; you simply can't turn it over 7 times on a night you shoot 2-8. Live and learn.

And I don't put that all on John. There has to be something the coaching staff can do to get him going on nights like last night.

[fishercob]

2) Exhibit A as to why John -- as good as he is and as much as he is improved -- has a ways to go before superstardom. His shot wasn't falling -- fine. But then he needs to attack the basket and be sure to live at the free throw line. He has to value each possession; you simply can't turn it over 7 times on a night you shoot 2-8. Live and learn.

And I don't put that all on John. There has to be something the coaching staff can do to get him going on nights like last night.

Maybe they can scheme some to get him the ball with a head of steam towards the basket. But I think that's more of a feel thing from experience. He has to know and feel the fact that his team isn't scoring and that he needs to affect the game by getting to the line. The coaches can't do anything in the moment about John being careless with the ball.

[payitforward]

2) Exhibit A as to why John -- as good as he is and as much as he is improved -- has a ways to go before superstardom. His shot wasn't falling -- fine. But then he needs to attack the basket and be sure to live at the free throw line. He has to value each possession; you simply can't turn it over 7 times on a night you shoot 2-8. Live and learn.

And I don't put that all on John. There has to be something the coaching staff can do to get him going on nights like last night.

??

Every night? He doesn't get to vary around a mean? I don't see this. And, no, John Wall is not a superstar -- not even close. He is one of the top tier of players in the league at his position. That's already pretty good.

[DCZards]

I don't know what is with you guys....

If Miami plays us at home, in a game they feel they really have to win (like this one -- having lost a few), we really aren't likely to win. They led the entire game and when challenged they were able to put the pedal down on both offense and defense.

Miami is a much better team than we are. Memphis too is a lot better than we are. Those are the teams we've lost to in the last stretch. The only teams -- we are 8-2. The idea that we were "outcoached" last night is plain ridiculous. Why don't I hear people say that we outcoached the 8 teams we beat?

Every NBA coach (w/ only the rarest exceptions) is competent, and only a very few are meaningfully better than the others. This is not the NFL. The NBA is a players' league. You only have 5 guys on the court; it's a flow game; with 240 player minutes to work with, a couple of guys combining for 70 of them can have such a tremendous impact on the game that everything else is minor. Of course you get the best coach you can, just as you get the best players you can -- why not? -- but it's having the best players that really matters.

In our case, look back at the last 20 games and show me one win in which Trevor Ariza didn't have a good game. He went 2-11 last night. Martell had a good 4th quarter, and it kind of looked like we were threatening, but really we weren't.

My response to last night is the opposite of most of you, I guess. I was extremely impressed by the way we competed. I'm kind of blown away by what Drew Gooden is capable of, though I guess at least part of it is that he hasn't had to work himself all season; he's a little bit fresh. Gortat too was outstanding.

No surprise that we lost, but it was a great game all the same.

Thanks for this PIF. It brings a little sanity (and truth) to the insanity that typically rules these game threads. Maybe it will be a wake-up call for those posters who have emotional breakdowns in the midst of Zards games and foolishly call Wizard players morons or say that they "have a bball IQ of a hamster" for simply missing a shot or turning the ball over.

Love the response to the Wittman bashing and the suggestion that, if Witt is going to be blamed for every Zards loss, then he should also get credit for "outcoaching" the other coach every time the teams wins. That makes Witt 8-2 in the last 10 games.

Zards simply got beat by a better team last night, a team which happened to be the two-time champ, playing at home, desperate for a win, with the best player in the game on their squad, and with two other damn good players lighting it up. No shame in that kind of loss, especially since the Zards were competitive...even though their two most productive players (Ariza and Wall) struggled.

[jivelikenice]

^Losses happen. That's understood, but its easier to accept a loss when you put your best foot forward. You are not putting you best foot forward when a guy who has 14/17 throuugh 3 quarters does not come back into the game until there's only 4 minutes left. Tied when he sat out, down 7 when he got back in...and that lead swelled partially due to our inability to rebound. Do I think we would have won had he stayed in? Most likely not, but Randy didn't put them in a position to have that chance with his nonsensical rotations. And yes we're winning....We're 3 games over .500. I'm pleased with their recent stretch but to act like we've done good enough so we should accept poor gameplanning/coaching is foolish. This team SHOULD be where they are in the standings, if not better. They haven't exceeded expectations.

[FAH1223]

I don't know what is with you guys....

If Miami plays us at home, in a game they feel they really have to win (like this one -- having lost a few), we really aren't likely to win. They led the entire game and when challenged they were able to put the pedal down on both offense and defense.

Miami is a much better team than we are. Memphis too is a lot better than we are. Those are the teams we've lost to in the last stretch. The only teams -- we are 8-2. The idea that we were "outcoached" last night is plain ridiculous. Why don't I hear people say that we outcoached the 8 teams we beat?

Every NBA coach (w/ only the rarest exceptions) is competent, and only a very few are meaningfully better than the others. This is not the NFL. The NBA is a players' league. You only have 5 guys on the court; it's a flow game; with 240 player minutes to work with, a couple of guys combining for 70 of them can have such a tremendous impact on the game that everything else is minor. Of course you get the best coach you can, just as you get the best players you can -- why not? -- but it's having the best players that really matters.

In our case, look back at the last 20 games and show me one win in which Trevor Ariza didn't have a good game. He went 2-11 last night. Martell had a good 4th quarter, and it kind of looked like we were threatening, but really we weren't.

My response to last night is the opposite of most of you, I guess. I was extremely impressed by the way we competed. I'm kind of blown away by what Drew Gooden is capable of, though I guess at least part of it is that he hasn't had to work himself all season; he's a little bit fresh. Gortat too was outstanding.

No surprise that we lost, but it was a great game all the same.

Yes, Miami is the two time defending champions but they are a horrid rebounding team.

The Wizards shouldn't be happy about losing this game. The Wizards should have won this game. You have that many shot attempts more than them, you need to find a way to capitalize on them. The first quarter alone was where the game was lost IMO.

Wiz shot like 40% and lose by 9 while outrebounding them by nearly 20 and the only reason they won was because of the turnovers right there in the final period.

I'm not impressed with this Heat team. They managed to overcome adversity the last couple postseasons but they don't strike me as some dominant team that even our Wizards can't overcome without a little strategy.

[Higga]

No shame in losing to the Heat on the road. We blew them out earlier in our house, and they were coming off 3 losses in a row, so you know they were gonna come out motivated to play 110%.

Just keep beating the teams we're supposed to beat, and split the tough ones. That'll get us the 4 seed, maybe even 3.

[DCZards]

^Losses happen. That's understood, but its easier to accept a loss when you put your best foot forward. You are not putting you best foot forward when a guy who has 14/17 throuugh 3 quarters does not come back into the game until there's only 4 minutes left. Tied when he sat out, down 7 when he got back in...and that lead swelled partially due to our inability to rebound. Do I think we would have won had he stayed in? Most likely not, but Randy didn't put them in a position to have that chance with his nonsensical rotations. And yes we're winning....We're 3 games over .500. I'm pleased with their recent stretch but to act like we've done good enough so we should accept poor gameplanning/coaching is foolish. This team SHOULD be where they are in the standings, if not better. They haven't exceeded expectations.

Jive...not saying that mistakes weren't or aren't made by Witt, even last night. Although I believe that some of the criticisms of Witt's coaching are often nit-picking and Monday morning quarterbacking.

My point to those who blame EVERY Zard loss on Witt (and there are some posters who do exactly that) is: Shouldn't we also, at least occasionally, give Witt credit when the Zards win?

[pancakes3]

I'm glad to see that there are still some cooler heads prevailing. With how judgmental some posters are, you figure they go home and cut on themselves after losing pickup games. Flat out seppuku if it's a league game.

[dckingsfan]

My point to those who blame EVERY Zard loss on Witt is: Shouldn't we also, at least occasionally, give Witt credit when the Zards win?

Now how is that fair (sarcasm).

[jivelikenice]

I think he has gotten a little credit- but really how much credit do you expect a coach to receive for just having his team do what they SHOULD be doing? They have enough talent to be where they are, if not better.
*Trevor Ariza has been great.
*John Wall has been good but i think he'd still be doing more if he were coached properly. His lack of aggression and the "John shot too much tonight" narrative that occasionally surfaces has him gunshy and/or cofused on how to consistently attack offensively
*Beal has been very erratic.
*Nene is what he is.
*Gortat only really took off when Nene got hurt. The truth is he should have been featured like this early on. There have been countless games where he has 8-10 points in the 1st quarter and inexplicably disappears from the lineup of the offense.
*Chris Singleton getting a shot over otto at SF? Laughable

There will always be criticism of him because of his reliance on the midrange/long 2 game, his issues handling the rotation, his dismissal of analytics, the lack of shots going to the basket (leading to a bottom 10 FTA per game ranking), and his inability to get the team up for weak competition (especially at home) Those are his weaknesses and are common denominators in our losses so the criticism will be recurring.

Where I do give him credit is he has an ability to get the team to be resilient when it looks like things are on the verge of collapsing. Winning out west, winning w/o Nene, rebounding off bad home losses with strong road wins- those are his strengths.

Where I give him credit is

[jeffsays]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Wittman's terrible use of timeouts. He waits until we are down 10 and the other team has gained all the momentum. Spo called timeouts when the Wiz cut the lead to 5 last night because he sensed that his guys weren't playing right and that the wiz were going to go on a run. It's so aggravating watching him with his arms crossed looking perplexed as the other team is hitting everything and we keep turning the ball over.

[barelyawake]

Expect this to be the result against top teams in playoff mode until we get a low post threat whom the refs respect. Nene, to some extent, is such a player. Problem is obviously age, injury and fading respect amongst refs (as younger stars rise). Gortat will be mugged all day without calls during such games. This isn't moneyball, nor college ball. Names matter. Star calls run the NBA. Understand that before you ink Gortat to a long term contract expecting him to get the same treatment as star players during important games.

Without the low post threat, we are a jump shooting team. And until, and unless, Beal becomes an efficient star, our jump shooting isn't going to win against the best teams in the league. And without those two threats, teams can jam Wall all night.

Yes, we need a better coach. But, the above is much more important.

[dckingsfan]

I think that the list can be broken down as follows - add as you see fit (Witt Pros and Cons):

Cons
General offensive scheme
End of game scheming
Lack of good out of timeout plays
Slow to call momentum changing time outs
Wall hasn't improved fast enough
Beal hasn't improved fast enough
Too many long 2s

Pros
Wiz Play Hard
Wiz Play Good D
Wiz are in the playoffs
Wall has improved
Beal has improved
Ariza plays terrific in this system on both sides of the ball