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MUST WIN GAME.









- Crawford upgraded to QUESTIONABLE.

This is it, the crossroads of our star-crossed season.

The Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Generals Wizards are the two worst teams in the bubble. This is not hyperbole, it is statistical fact. They are also the two most injury- and virus-ravaged teams in the league. Both are missing their top 3 weapons, and in Brooklyn's case, much more. Still, our Nets sit 6 games ahead of DC in the standings, a testament of how truly putrid the rest of their squad is.

That said, they could easily pound us into the pavement today. Our defense has gone dormant for looong stretches, and simple movement from the opposition seems to unravel us. If the Wiz have one thing going for them, it's playmaking ability. If we win, we're a virtual lock for the postseason, 7 games up with 6 games to play. The Wards would have to get within 4 games of us, and the rest of their schedule is tougher than ours. If we lose, we might as well throw in the towel, shut down Caris and Jarrett, and pray that WAS win another game to force a play-in scenario. They can take the 8th seed from us, and in that case, we'd keep our lottery-protected 1st. The only problem is, the Wizards want to lose as much as we do!

Anyway, let's get into it with likely H2H matchups:

SHABAZZ NAPIER VS CHRIS CHIOZZA - past and present 3rd-string floor generals lock horns, and I have WAS with a decided advantage here. Shabazz has looked very solid lately, while the promotion hasn't gone as smoothly for Cheese.

ISAAC BONGA VS JOE HARRIS - long, athletic plus-defenders are SuperJoe's kryptonite. Lord knows that IF Isaac decides to assert himself offensively, Harris is powerless to stop. Still, I have us edging the matchup, mostly due to the hustle- and broken-play excellence that Joe seems to summon in these types of games.


TROY BROWN VS CARIS LEVERT - two very similarly skilled players, Caris and Troy have different roles in this game. Troy's job will be to slow down our #1 option, but he doesn't have to do a ton of heavy lifting offensively. Conversely, Levert will be relied upon to lead our team in scoring and assists, while putting in a defensive shift in passing lanes. I have said before that the troubling aspect of CLV in matchups against marginal starters is that he seems content to cancel out his opponent. Stars dominate tomato cans, yet guys like Jeremy Lamb, Dillon Brooks and others have hung career numbers on our homegrown dude. IF Levert lets Troy go off, nothing else matters in this game, we're cooked. I am *cautiously* optimistic that he will not allow it to happen.

RUI HACHIMURA VS , ugh, LANCE THOMAS - we have confirmed that Lance will once again start, which concerns me. He looked amazing for the first few minutes of our ORL game, but as he faded, so did we. Rui is a young, lithe and instinctive scoring machine. Ol' Man River is going to need to set a tone physically, but even with that, I don't see it being enough.

THOMAS BRYANT VS JARRETT ALLEN - Oh, Jarrett. If there were ever a game where we needed a dominant two-way performance from you, this is it. You can make this matchup unwinnable for WAS if you want, you're THAT good. But Bryant is no slouch. If his muscle inside and 3-point touch start affecting your confidence, we won't get the best out of you. Stay determined, and bend this game to your will.

BENCH VS BENCH - Jamal Crawford was just officially ruled out of playing today. Robinson has looked good for them lately, though we could say the same of TLC, now that he's playing in his normal position. Rodi could take over the 2nd unit, they don't have a great answer for his skill/strength/speed/shooting combination. I'd love to see TJ put in work, also.

SCOTT BROOKS VS JACQUE VAUGHN - two former PGs who've climbed the ranks into NBA head coaching gigs, I don't see a great disparity either way here. As usual, the coach who edges out their counterpart in ATO's, challenges and other small moments will win the day.

PREDICTION: NETS 98, WIZARDS 94

The Wizards might be pretty bad, but they will definitely be up to the challenge of a lesser opponent today. Brooklyn will have to have a strong offensive output today and hope never have this game very close. I really want to see someone else besides Caris be a focal point in the offense. Somebody, anybody not named Levert is going to have to have step up and be accountable if this team truly wants to see advancement in my opinion.

If the game comes down to BK forced to play defense in the trenches the Wizards could find themselves in a position to sneak one out. Let's face it, the Nets defensively is comical and doesn't scare anyone. That's why I feel like this game needs to be a blow out and not kept close. Just my .02 cents.

Tyler "Discount D'Lo" Johnson is going to start at PG. I like the move, puts Cheese back into the role more suited for him.

Big game.

This lineup with Lance isn’t good enough. No spacing.

Vaughn is a terrible coach if you don’t take a timeout after that. I’m sorry. I’m not impressed whatsoever.

Missed our first game back. Hadn't realized Lance was starting.

Terrible start to this one.

No defense once again and it’s not a surprise.

As I expected, Washington with guys like Bryant and Hachimura are dogging the Nets. This is why i told yall not to sleep on WAS. Our roster is really bad

MrDollarBills wrote:As I expected, Washington with guys like Bryant and Hachimura are dogging the Nets. This is why i told yall not to sleep on WAS. Our roster is really bad

I mean they're outworking us, which says less about talent, and more about who wants it more.

DarkXaero wrote:

MrDollarBills wrote:As I expected, Washington with guys like Bryant and Hachimura are dogging the Nets. This is why i told yall not to sleep on WAS. Our roster is really bad

I mean they're outworking us, which says less about talent, and more about who wants it more.

Exactly.

It’s less of a talent and issue than people realize. The eye test tells me there’s no preparedness and no effort defensively due to no accountability.

Atleast Kenny yelled at people. Vaughn is a statue.

Better production as the lineups get better. Lance Thomas should be getting zero minutes.

DarkXaero wrote:Better production as the lineups get better. Lance Thomas should be getting zero minutes.

Why did we entrust a Knick fan in our starting lineup?

Strong end to the quarter after a horrific start. Hope to get some separation in the 2nd quarter.

This Wizards squad is awful.

Joey corkscrew and cheese roll.... lol

Big J looking really smart out there today

Cheese Roll does look better in a smaller role.

Allen has impressed at times, but he's getting bullied too much for my taste. They're gonna punk him before the game is over.

“Cheeze Roll”

“TLC. Oui from 3.”

Ian Eagle needs a lifetime contract.

This is the only game we have a chance to win here. Better step it up.

Holy f**** the fro is showing a lot of aggression out there!!!