Raptors at Wizards tonight!! Game Thread

[nate33]

I missed the entire game. It sounds like Dixon was tanktastic down the stretch. I'm happy he was there to take the hit for the team. What a gutty performance.

How exactly did Dixon ensure the loss? I understand it was two inexplicable turnovers, but how did they happen?

[RickRoll_inDC]

That was by FAR the greatest tank job that I've ever seen. I was literally ROFL. How anyone (yes, even the wizards) can let someone go on a 17-3 run in the last 5 1/2 minutes, I'll never know.

I actually thought that we were going to pull off the win the way that absolutely everyone was blocking shots towards the end. It was brutal, but I enjoyed it.

[dlts20]

dlts20, your reading way more into Gil's first two games than you should. No player is going to display 100% of their athleticism or explosion coming off of what Gil had to go through. It's not realistic. He's barely played the last two seasons. In fact, its likely going to take up to a year before Gil really starts exploding to the basket and finishing around the rim like he did before. His balance is way off. Not to mention he's nowhere near in basketball shape. He still lacks the confidence in that knee, whether its healthy or not, and we've heard nothing contrary about the condition of the knee other than its healthy.

He looked fine to me, just a step and a half slow. But that was to be expected. I didn't see him dragging his knee around like last year. I just see someone being real cautious about playing and still unsure of what he can do and cannot do on a court yet.

An offseason of playing will help him (but not on asphalt please!). Heck, it would probably be nice if he could play in the summer league, but fact is he should be fine come next October. He may only be a half a step slow by then and he'll have a full training camp & preseason to get himself ready for the season.

Yeah but when he came back last year he was super explosive until he couldnt hold up in the playoffs. I really hope youre right but Im truly worried now. I think we have the worst medical staff in the league and I was scared when he said that his knee was still hurting for a long time after the surgery and he couldnt bend it all the way. Then he said a specialist healed him and almost immediatly he was going full go in workouts and squating a million pounds. Why let him do that so soon? It was a long time after the surgery but it was just days after he got really healed. They shouldve rested him for 2 more months after the specialist healed him. Last year when he came back he would come off the bench, get the ball, and take off a hundred mph. He did it the whole time until he couldnt hold up anymore in the playoffs. Thats when he started to look bad and when he came back this year he was the same as the playoffs. His always going to have good stats because he's an elite player but he couldnt move. Then you have the team coming out saying that he has general soreness but dont worry because its not the knee. Its like they made a point of specificaly saying that its not the knee. Why should we beleive them when they always lie for Gil. They always come out at the end and say that Gil wanted us to keep quiet or something like that. I just dont like it

[Higga]

epic tanking!

[yk24]

I missed the entire game. It sounds like Dixon was tanktastic down the stretch. I'm happy he was there to take the hit for the team. What a gutty performance.

How exactly did Dixon ensure the loss? I understand it was two inexplicable turnovers, but how did they happen?

LOL, great new word.

[queridiculo]

I missed the entire game. It sounds like Dixon was tanktastic down the stretch. I'm happy he was there to take the hit for the team. What a gutty performance.

How exactly did Dixon ensure the loss? I understand it was two inexplicable turnovers, but how did they happen?

The first inexplicable turnover didn't necessarily have a direct impact on the game, but was part of the reason for the terrible 4th quarter closing stretch.

Check the highlights at http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=was it shows the final sequence including turnover.

[dobrojim]

Would it be a reach to say that we won't be seeing Dixon on this team anymore after we lose up in Boston?

barring fantastic (unlikely) trade(s) in which we unload a really bad contract or 2,
it has been a foregone conclusion that Juan wasn't going to be a Wizard next year
since pretty much the beginning of the season.

[dobrojim]

I'm all for lotto balls and am, but I haven't been this embarrassed at a team in my lifetime. You guys can jump for joy and glee over a tank game, but that was f****g ridiculous and I for one am ashamed to be a Wiz fan.

Now come on, I could list a half dozen worse than this, starting with the Ruffin celebratory throwing the ball in the air game.

I'm somewhat embarrassed, but not that much. I'm more embarrassed for Taps
since he probably had Juan out there for vet leadership rather than play the
inexperienced Critter.

It was a tanktastic loss.

Re Ruffin vs TOR, he wasn't throwing the ball up to celebrate, he was trying to
kill the clock since he so feared being fouled and bricking the FTs. In either case,
it was clearly worse. Esp since we were battling for playoff position.

[dobrojim]

I missed the entire game. It sounds like Dixon was tanktastic down the stretch. I'm happy he was there to take the hit for the team. What a gutty performance.

How exactly did Dixon ensure the loss? I understand it was two inexplicable turnovers, but how did they happen?

one play he drove the baseline from the right side, and then threw the ball back
out towards the (higher part of the) sideline from where he had driven. The Raps got a
fastbreak bucket on that. The second one, he picked up his dribble in the backcourt, then
surprised Haywood trying to lead him to the basket. Except Haywood was not
expecting that at all.

A real PG doesn't make either of those plays.

[Ruzious]

The only question was what ET told Dixon down the stretch - Go out there little Juan and tank one for the team. Show the kids the true meaning of fabtankulous.

[DaRealHibachi]

Beretta90 must be proud...

[closg00]

The predicatable Caron iso to end a quarter/game allowed the Raps defense to collapse on Caron ensuring our defeat, it was a thing of beauty the basketball gods must be confused.

[beretta90]

i know ur all sayin its juans fault. n i admit he played like shyt. but the fact is hes not a point guard n should never be playn poin. hes a 2 guard. all his succesful games he played in. he was the 2 guard. every year at md he was there 2 guard. haywood was layz for not looking for the pass. bishs open jumper wasnt juans fault. that was haywoods dumb fault. n caron butler should not have taken the last shot. hes not jordan so he shouldnt be taking every game winner. kick it out to dixon or young cuz they were open. ur not the hero caron. ur juss a ball hawk. every game all game the big men r selfish cuz everytime there down low, the defense zones in on the paint and juan n nick young n butler will be wide open. and i kno juan wont miss a wide open shot. out teamates r greedy. specially jamison n butler. if juan took 20 shots a freakin game hed be praised on here for his scoring

[daSwami]

Weird vibe in the arena last night. place was rocking at times, the the crowd was actually into the game, and even started the wave at one point and it lasted way too long. 300 level was packed (I guess there was a free ticket giveaway of some sort.) Overall, a very fun event to attend. minus the dixon blunder, the game was fairly well-played on both ends. It was fun to watch Butler go head-to-head against Marion. I understand why the ball was in Butler's hands at the end of the game. matrix seemed sort of flat-footed on defense last night, which is not his norm. I still love his overall game, and would love to see him in a Wiz uni next year (doubt its even possible.) I feel like the raptors would be a playoff team had they had a healthy Marion all season instead of enduring the JO debacle.

[DaRealHibachi]

i know ur all sayin its juans fault. n i admit he played like shyt. but the fact is hes not a point guard n should never be playn poin. hes a 2 guard. all his succesful games he played in. he was the 2 guard. every year at md he was there 2 guard. haywood was layz for not looking for the pass. bishs open jumper wasnt juans fault. that was haywoods dumb fault. n caron butler should not have taken the last shot. hes not jordan so he shouldnt be taking every game winner. kick it out to dixon or young cuz they were open. ur not the hero caron. ur juss a ball hawk. every game all game the big men r selfish cuz everytime there down low, the defense zones in on the paint and juan n nick young n butler will be wide open. and i kno juan wont miss a wide open shot. out teamates r greedy. specially jamison n butler. if juan took 20 shots a freakin game hed be praised on here for his scoring

I would say JD's 2 turnovers did more damage than Haywood leavin someone open who hit 10 3pts this season... on a 24% clip at that...

[Blazing_royale]

seems like theres always a guarantee of an epic show-down between the wizards/raptors in late game situations.

-Carons fake cross to seal the deal
-Bosh for 3
-Griffin air ball; and Mo pete for 3 OT
-AP nails a 3 to make it OT

and than there were others i forgot.

[DaRealHibachi]

seems like theres always a guarantee of an epic show-down between the wizards/raptors in late game situations.

-Carons fake cross to seal the deal
-Bosh for 3
-Griffin air ball; and Mo pete for 3 OT
-AP nails a 3 to make it OT

and than there were others i forgot.

lol, you mean ruffin throwin up a wastefull attempt of running down the clock, Mo Pete catches and drains it for 3...

Edit:

There we go.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5bqF4VDSx4

[miller31time]

Edit:

There we go.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5bqF4VDSx4

AHHHHH. MY EYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ZonkertheBrainless]

permaban