GT #73: Hornets (30-40) @ Wizards (40-32) 7 PM (CSN/99.1 FM) [3/27/15]

[FAH1223]

YOUR Washington Bullets are 40-32 AND 9-17 in their last 26 games. 25-11 at home, 15-21 on the road. With 10 games left in the season, they are 8 games shy of being the 9th seed and 1 and a 1/2 games back from homecourt advantage in the first round. Which do you prefer? I prefer what gets Ted Leonsis to #FireGrunfeld. This will be a recurring theme.

The Wiz are coming off one of the worst losses of the year when Randy Wittless had Martell Webster guarding George Hill and totally screwed up a trap coverage with Nene that led George Hill to blazingly drive to the basket to win the game. John Wall had a season high 34 points but it was not enough. What's best for the Wizards is a total collapse down the stretch so that changes can occur this offseason, they have more games on their homestand including a Sunday game with the Rockets that should prove to be entertaining and embarrassing for DC.

Bradley Beal will probably not play. Will update lineups when info is out.

The BobHornets are coming off a tough L to the Brooklyn Nets. They are half game behind the Celtics for the 8th spot along with the Pacers and Nets. This is a huge game for playoff positioning and Al Jefferson is not 100% healthy but he does love playing in DC.

Expect the Wizards to get punked once again by a physical team. The Wizards destroyed the Hornets in Charlotte on 3/9 with the score of 95-69.


-------------------------AT-------------------------


Last game:
Pacers vs. Wizards (L) 103-101
Nets vs. Hornets (L) 91-88


Lineups:











Bench:

[LyricalRico]

Must win if they still want to try to get home court in the first round. A loss here and I'd start siding with the "start resting guys" group.

C'mon Wizards!

[TGW]

Same as the Pacers game—I'd put money on the Hornets to cover the spread or outright win.

[Tricky_Kid]

Hornets win. We are losing with them almost all the time.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Not entirely sure I care.

[JWizmentality]

F*ck this team...except Wall. I like him.

...and Hump Dawg. I like him too.

[gambitx777]

Do we really want them to rest guys right now..... I mean we all want Wittman canned! If we rest Wall, NENE, PP and Beal come back healthy and every one gets it together. We could make a playoff run..... Sure I would love that ...... But I want Wittman gone more.

[Illmatic12]

F*ck this team...except Wall. I like him.

...and Hump Dawg. I like him too.

I like most of our players honestly, it's a good group of guys. I just can't stand the fact that they are coached by Randy Wittman.

The only Wiz player I dislike is Drew Gooden.

[hands11]

Not entirely sure I care.

Over under on

How many 3s we shoot ? Bar set at 15

Gortat shot attempts Bar set at 10

Nene mins .. Bar set at 22

Will I Am Dunks .. Bar set at 1

Times that I curse at Witless for being an idiot. Bar set at 10

[hands11]

F*ck this team...except Wall. I like him.

...and Hump Dawg. I like him too.

I like most of our players honestly, it's a good group of guys. I just can't stand the fact that they are coached by Randy Wittman.

The only Wiz player I dislike is Drew Gooden.

Really. Wow. Gooden is a pretty likable guy and he has done the team well. And dirt cheap. If not for Gooden, we would never see any stretch lineups. And almost every game he gets nice offensive tap backs. And he isn't afraid to shoot from 3. And he takes charges.

Why would you hate on Gooden ?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I like the players as a group. Every player seems to be likable. Each wants to win.

[JWizmentality]

I like the players as a group. Every player seems to be likable. Each wants to win.

I am sure they all want to win...They just suck at it. And they've been taught awful basketball.

[Illmatic12]

F*ck this team...except Wall. I like him.

...and Hump Dawg. I like him too.

I like most of our players honestly, it's a good group of guys. I just can't stand the fact that they are coached by Randy Wittman.

The only Wiz player I dislike is Drew Gooden.

Really. Wow. Gooden is a pretty likable guy and he has done the team well. And dirt cheap. If not for Gooden, we would never see any stretch lineups. And almost every game he gets nice offensive tap backs. And he isn't afraid to shoot from 3. And he takes charges.

Why would you hate on Gooden ?

I feel like he brings losing intangibles (poor defense, terrible shot selection with no conscience, lack of effort/hustle), that become more pronounced when the team is struggling. Just my opinion.

By all accounts he's a nice guy and well-liked around the league, but I really don't enjoy watching him play basketball for the Wiz.

[Tricky_Kid]

Honesty I don't know what to think. I'll watch tonight game but win or lose it doesn't matter anymore. Randy will stay and I really can't stand his ugly face with those yellow old teeth. A little bit harsh I know but i hate him as our coach !

[hands11]

I like most of our players honestly, it's a good group of guys. I just can't stand the fact that they are coached by Randy Wittman.

The only Wiz player I dislike is Drew Gooden.

Really. Wow. Gooden is a pretty likable guy and he has done the team well. And dirt cheap. If not for Gooden, we would never see any stretch lineups. And almost every game he gets nice offensive tap backs. And he isn't afraid to shoot from 3. And he takes charges.

Why would you hate on Gooden ?

I feel like he brings losing intangibles (poor defense, terrible shot selection with no conscience, lack of effort/hustle), that become more pronounced when the team is struggling. Just my opinion.

By all accounts he's a nice guy and well-liked around the league, but I really don't enjoy watching him play basketball for the Wiz.

Interesting.

I actually enjoy him out there. For one, it mean Nene isn't out there and the floor is more spread. And it means we are getting up more 3s.

Only real man downside is his defense. Which sometimes doesn't get exposed but when it does, its like PP getting exposed or A Miler getting exposed. But he does set up and take charges which are great for a momentum change and gets the team pumped.

I actually like Gooden. He isn't perfect by any means. And his shot isn't pretty. But I am happier when he is out there then watching the train wreck that is Nene and Gortat out there together and Wall not being aggressive because those two are out there and there is no space and he thinks he needs to get Nene involved.

Left post. Nene holds the ball. He spins for a left to rim drive. He is cut off. He jumps and makes a short pass will in the air.

You never see that with Gooden out there. And if Gortat is out there with Gooden, you see Gortat in PnR or he pins his man mid key and they pass it over the top for an easy two. Or he gets it 7 ft for a quick jumper in the flow he usually makes. Or they hit him in transition for a layup.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I like the players as a group. Every player seems to be likable. Each wants to win.

I am sure they all want to win...They just suck at it. And they've been taught awful basketball.

Soldiers not properly equipped for battle and also poorly trained in various tactics of the enemy get slaughtered.

Does that mean that they are bad soldiers?

[stevemcqueen1]

F*ck this team...except Wall. I like him.

...and Hump Dawg. I like him too.

I like most of our players honestly, it's a good group of guys. I just can't stand the fact that they are coached by Randy Wittman.

The only Wiz player I dislike is Drew Gooden.

Gooden? Really? Seems like a good character guy and someone you love having in the locker room because he's a good mentor.

I don't dislike any of our players although I wouldn't like Pierce if he were on a rival team. You love him on your own team though.

And even with Randy, much as I hate him being the coach, I definitely don't dislike him on a personal level. He seems like a nice guy, which is why the players still haven't turned on him yet.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Not entirely sure I care.

Over under on

How many 3s we shoot ? Bar set at 15

Gortat shot attempts Bar set at 10

Nene mins .. Bar set at 22

Will I Am Dunks .. Bar set at 1

Times that I curse at Witless for being an idiot. Bar set at 10

I like where you are going with this Hands.

Maybe we should kick it up a notch and get through the unwatchable Wizards tilts by making them drinking games:

1 shot of whiskey for each long two early in the shot clock.

2 shots for each end of quarter isolation gone awry.

3 shots for each Wiz possession where we go through an elaborate series of movements (e.g. Wall to Nene at the elbow, Wall circles around through the key and gets ball back from Nene) that burn off at least 8 seconds from the clock and result in us having the ball in the exact same spot we had it before the elaborate series of movements.

5 shots per Martell airball.

1 beer chaser at the end of the game when Halfwitt blames the loss on lack of effort and execution on defense.

[yosemiteben]

Just a little update on our current injury situation for you guys:

[tweet]https://twitter.com/HornetsPR/status/581148734550982656[/tweet]

[closg00]

Just a little update on our current injury situation for you guys:

[tweet]https://twitter.com/HornetsPR/status/581148734550982656[/tweet]

Eeesh, if 3 of your starters are out then who knows, anything can happen tonight.