GT #78: Bobcats (39-38) @ Wizards (40-37) 7 PM CSN (4/9/14)

[nuposse04]

If Indy even regains 50% of their early/mid season identity I wouldn't want us to play them. Save for John Wall they are better then us at EVERY position.

As to the game...CHA is beatable, if we actually play for a full 48 minutes. Should be an interesting one.

[dlts20]

If Indy even regains 50% of their early/mid season identity I wouldn't want us to play them. Save for John Wall they are better then us at EVERY position.

As to the game...CHA is beatable, if we actually play for a full 48 minutes. Should be an interesting one.

well it also depends on what you are trying to do or accomplish. Is your main goal just to put up a good performance, is it just to win 1 series, or is it legitimatly trying to win 2 series?

I say that because you might end up having to play Indy in the 1st round or 2nd round. At what point would they be easier to beat? In the 1st round while they are playing like there current crap or in the 2nd round when they have the confidence off of winning a series and know they are one series away from the Heat.

Basically Im saying that if at some point you will have to play them in the 1st or 2nd round, you might want to get them now instead of later when it truly doesnt matter when you play Tor, Chi, or BK

[dlts20]

posted this in the Nene thread:

Washington Wizards forward Nene has returned to practice after being sidelined six weeks with a sprained knee.

Nene practiced Monday for the first time since he was injured Feb. 23 in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Coach Randy Wittman said Nene did "almost" everything the Brazilian would do in a regular practice.

The coach said he would wait to see how things go on Tuesday before deciding whether Nene plays Wednesday against the Charlotte Bobcats, a pivotal game for playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/04/07/ ... rylink=cpy

[nuposse04]

If Indy even regains 50% of their early/mid season identity I wouldn't want us to play them. Save for John Wall they are better then us at EVERY position.

As to the game...CHA is beatable, if we actually play for a full 48 minutes. Should be an interesting one.

well it also depends on what you are trying to do or accomplish. Is your main goal just to put up a good performance, is it just to win 1 series, or is it legitimatly trying to win 2 series?

I say that because you might end up having to play Indy in the 1st round or 2nd round. At what point would they be easier to beat? In the 1st round while they are playing like there current crap or in the 2nd round when they have the confidence off of winning a series and know they are one series away from the Heat.

Basically Im saying that if at some point you will have to play them in the 1st or 2nd round, you might want to get them now instead of later when it truly doesnt matter when you play Tor, Chi, or BK

My entire argument is somewhat hypothetical. I'm ASSUMING INDY will return somewhat to form. W/e that form is, will be enough to beat us I imagine. If we face em in the first round, we lose, if we get by TOR we still lose. There is no winning scenario IMO with these playoffs unless LBJ/Bosh blow out their respective knees. We simply wont advance with things as they are right now. But...seeing as how I think we still fair a better shot against the raps the the pacers...I'd rather have all of Canada hate us. That and **** Drake's soft ass.

[dlts20]

I want the Raps too. I dont care about the NBA TV thing. The Raps are the talk of all fan forums now. Everyone sweats them and all there own fans are cocky. I would love nothing more then to end there dream and surprise everyone even if it will be the least talked about series in the playoffs

[dlts20]

If Indy even regains 50% of their early/mid season identity I wouldn't want us to play them. Save for John Wall they are better then us at EVERY position.

As to the game...CHA is beatable, if we actually play for a full 48 minutes. Should be an interesting one.

well it also depends on what you are trying to do or accomplish. Is your main goal just to put up a good performance, is it just to win 1 series, or is it legitimatly trying to win 2 series?

I say that because you might end up having to play Indy in the 1st round or 2nd round. At what point would they be easier to beat? In the 1st round while they are playing like there current crap or in the 2nd round when they have the confidence off of winning a series and know they are one series away from the Heat.

Basically Im saying that if at some point you will have to play them in the 1st or 2nd round, you might want to get them now instead of later when it truly doesnt matter when you play Tor, Chi, or BK

My entire argument is somewhat hypothetical. I'm ASSUMING INDY will return somewhat to form. W/e that form is, will be enough to beat us I imagine. If we face em in the first round, we lose, if we get by TOR we still lose. There is no winning scenario IMO with these playoffs unless LBJ/Bosh blow out their respective knees. We simply wont advance with things as they are right now. But...seeing as how I think we still fair a better shot against the raps the the pacers...I'd rather have all of Canada hate us. That and **** Drake's soft ass.

I think everyone "was" assuming that but its been going on so long that now people are starting to think that they might not return, or atleast not by the playoffs. I think most people who want to play the Pacers is because they think they are not returning to that level just yet. If they did return then people woldnt want to play them.

Again though, if its a team like Mia, OKC, or SA then you have more faith because they have done it before and have super special players or atleast coaches. Indy has neither so you just arent 100% sure they are capable of flipping that switch

[hands11]

If Indy even regains 50% of their early/mid season identity I wouldn't want us to play them. Save for John Wall they are better then us at EVERY position.

As to the game...CHA is beatable, if we actually play for a full 48 minutes. Should be an interesting one.

well it also depends on what you are trying to do or accomplish. Is your main goal just to put up a good performance, is it just to win 1 series, or is it legitimatly trying to win 2 series?

I say that because you might end up having to play Indy in the 1st round or 2nd round. At what point would they be easier to beat? In the 1st round while they are playing like there current crap or in the 2nd round when they have the confidence off of winning a series and know they are one series away from the Heat.

Basically Im saying that if at some point you will have to play them in the 1st or 2nd round, you might want to get them now instead of later when it truly doesnt matter when you play Tor, Chi, or BK

Good thinking...

or this.

CHA jumps IND while they are down.. http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400489777
Wiz take down CHI - http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400489431, http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400489458

MIA beats ATL
BRK beats TOR

Round 2
Wiz vs BRK
MIA vs CHA

Round 3
Wiz vs MIA

[Kanyewest]

Good thinking...

or this.

CHA jumps IND while they are down.. http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400489777
Wiz take down CHI - http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400489431, http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400489458

MIA beats ATL
BRK beats TOR

Round 2
Wiz vs BRK
MIA vs CHA

Round 3
Wiz vs MIA

No matter what happens, Miami will play the Winner of the 4/5 seed, not the lowest seed possible.

As long as we are playing this game...

Round 2
Washington vs Charlotte
Brooklyn vs Miami

Washington beats Charlotte http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400489381

New Jersey beats Miami (they are 3-0 against Miami this season)

Round 3
Washington beats New Jersey- Wizards are 3-0 against New Jersey this season

Round 4
Washington beats OKC http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400489571

[hands11]

Good thinking...

or this.

CHA jumps IND while they are down.. http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400489777
Wiz take down CHI - http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400489431, http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400489458

MIA beats ATL
BRK beats TOR

Round 2
Wiz vs BRK
MIA vs CHA

Round 3
Wiz vs MIA

No matter what happens, Miami will play the Winner of the 4/5 seed, not the lowest seed possible.

As long as we are playing this game...

Round 2
WAS vs CHA
BRK vs MIA

WAS beats CHA http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400489381

BRK beats MIA (they are 3-0 against Miami this season)

Round 3
WAS beats BRK - Wizards are 3-0 against BRK this season

Round 4
WAS beats OKC http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400489571

Even better. Thanks.

SO WAS vs OKC for the finals. Wizards win..

DURANT COMES TO DC 2016

DYNASTY IS BORN

[noworriesinmd]

If Indy even regains 50% of their early/mid season identity I wouldn't want us to play them. Save for John Wall they are better then us at EVERY position.

As to the game...CHA is beatable, if we actually play for a full 48 minutes. Should be an interesting one.

well it also depends on what you are trying to do or accomplish. Is your main goal just to put up a good performance, is it just to win 1 series, or is it legitimatly trying to win 2 series?

I say that because you might end up having to play Indy in the 1st round or 2nd round. At what point would they be easier to beat? In the 1st round while they are playing like there current crap or in the 2nd round when they have the confidence off of winning a series and know they are one series away from the Heat.

Basically Im saying that if at some point you will have to play them in the 1st or 2nd round, you might want to get them now instead of later when it truly doesnt matter when you play Tor, Chi, or BK

Good thinking...

or this.

CHA jumps IND while they are down.. http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400489777
Wiz take down CHI - http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400489431, http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400489458

MIA beats ATL
BRK beats TOR

Round 2
Wiz vs BRK
MIA vs CHA

Round 3
Wiz vs MIA

And I was called crazy when I proposed this over the weekend

I want to avoid MIA until the ECF. I believe Indy is beatable in the first round....not so much if they get past the first.
The CHI/BKNY series will be brutal. The winning will be "hardened", but weakened.

[hands11]

^^^

Well that's what being in the playoff provides. Once there, anything can happen.

Its not like they are coming in shorthanded. They should have everyone back. Nene is currently the only player they need to add back.

But as much as I would enjoy the Wizards making it to the finals, I still want to see Tim Duncan get one more ring before he retires so WAS vs SAS and a loss would also be fine.

[jeffsays]

^^^

Well that's what being in the playoff provides. Once there, anything can happen.

Its not like they are coming in shorthanded. They should have everyone back. Nene is currently the only player they need to add back.

But as much as I would enjoy the Wizards making it to the finals, I still want to see Tim Duncan get one more ring before he retires so WAS vs SAS and a loss would also be fine.

I love Timmy but my heart couldn't take a loss like that. But I would feel a little bit better knowing it's Tim Duncan.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using RealGM Forums mobile app

[nate33]

This is the real test to determine if we have the mettle to handle a difficult playoff series. If we can't beat Charlotte at home in a must-win game for playoff seeding, we don't deserve to even be in the playoffs.

[dobrojim]

Not sure I go quite as far as saying we won't deserve to be in the playoffs if we don't
win Wed night. We deserve it if we are among the teams in the top 8. Simple.

The other simple thing is beating CHA. Keep Big Al and Kemba in check.
I don't think they have any one else who can really hurt you, maybe G Henderson.
I don't fear McRoberts or MKG. OK, easier said than done as far as stopping AlJeff
and maybe kemba too. But we probably should have won all 3 games against them
this year but had #sowizards collapses in each game we lost. That and some truly
$hitty reffing the last time they were here leading Wall to get fined for his comments
after the game.

I'm guessing they'll win, the 'zards that is.

[dobrojim]

If Indy even regains 50% of their early/mid season identity I wouldn't want us to play them. Save for John Wall they are better then us at EVERY position.

As to the game...CHA is beatable, if we actually play for a full 48 minutes. Should be an interesting one.

I'm not sure I buy that Wall is the only player among starters that has the edge.
Hibbert has been pretty bad lately. And a modestly healthy Nene would be closely
matched with West. DS and PG I'll give you, but Ariza might be able to neutralize PG
enough to put too much pressure on the rest of their team to score.

[hands11]

This is the real test to determine if we have the mettle to handle a difficult playoff series. If we can't beat Charlotte at home in a must-win game for playoff seeding, we don't deserve to even be in the playoffs.

Specially after how they lost to CHI.

But even if that does happen ( not ideal ), it isn't the end of the world because its Nene's first game back. To beat CHI or CHA, I think they need Nene.

So it depends on how he looks the first game back. If he looks great and they lose, then I would worry. It they lose and he just looked rusty, not as big of a deal. Not good, but not as big a deal.

WAS vs CHI has a ton to do with Nene and the Wizards have 5 games to get him ramped up which is just about right and pretty much ideal timing. He should be rested and other aches healed. As long as that knee is feeling good, this should be a healthy, hungry Nene we are getting back.

[Higga]

This game will determine our playoff seed. I think we come out and play a great game and win. Bobcats need to be put in their place.

[dlts20]

yeah, I wont cave on this team with an L in this game in Nene's 1st game back and we still dont know if his role or the lineups will be the same that Witt runs when the playoffs start. It could be an adjustment period

[rockymac52]

I was starting to consider whether we'd be better off as the 7 seed vs Indiana or the 6 seed vs Toronto/Chicago/Brooklyn. Obviously Indiana has been the elite team all season, but their post-all-star stats paint a very ugly picture for the Pacers. They seem like they're a mess recently, and all sorts of sub-par teams are handling them. It could be a great opportunity for us to sneak by them at the right time.

BUT THEN I REMEMBERED SOMETHING...

The Wizards are in love with the midrange jumper. 40.9% of their jumpers are considered midrange by Synergy (defined as between 17 feet from the basket and the 3 point line, AKA long 2s). That is the highest rate of midrange jumpers in the entire NBA. To make matters worse, the Wizards are only the 24th most efficient team on midrange jumpers. It's an inherently inefficient shot, that the Wizards are even more inefficient than most other NBA teams at, yet we still attempt more of these shots than any other team in the league. It's very troublesome, no matter who our opponent is.

But to make matters worse, let's look at the Pacers' defensive stats against midrange jumpers. 34.7% of jumpers taken against the Pacers are from midrange, which is the 2nd most in the NBA. The Pacers are below average defending midrange jumpers from an efficiency standpoint (20th in NBA), but they're not horrible. Notably, the Pacers are excellent defending 3 pointers, close jumpers, and all shots around the basket. The 20th ranked D against midrange jumpers appears to be one of their only weaknesses defensively. However, it's a trap, and it's misleading. This is because the midrange jumper (long 2), is widely considered the least efficient shot in basketball. While it might be a small weakness of the Pacers relative to other teams, it still results in a very low PPP, which is ultimately all that matters. Furthermore, since the Pacers are so good at everything else defensively, teams are baited into taking more midrange jumpers, because oftentimes that's the best look they can get. This strange split is what has made the Pacers so good on D this season (or at least it's a large part).

It just so happens that our offensive style plays in perfectly to their defensive style. We'd likely be taking midrange jumper after midrange jumper, over-relying on what appears to be their weakness, when in reality, anytime a team forces its opponent to take a midrange jumper, they're already in good shape.

So although it's tempting because the Pacers are imploding before our eyes, I think it would still be a terrible matchup for us, primarily for this reason.

[dlts20]

Rockymac, that maybe true but what are Chi & Tor stats against those J's? The bottom line is this system sucks, its made even worse by Witt starting Book or Nene along with Gortat so there is no spacing, and all of this is scarily actually what Witt wants. He doesnt get upset about it. He wants our long 2's. Also, where did you find those jumpers stats? I would love to look at them