I knew the Wizards' team dynamic would be a little bizarre to start the season, but this was worse than I expected. Flip Saunders needs to be concerned not only about his offense clicking on just about zero cylinders, but about how quickly it took for John Wall to become visibly frustrated by the situation. You could feel the star rookie’s pain every time he drove to the basket and saw no one else making a move. He wanted to create plays, but it seemed like no one else wanted to be a part of them, and when they did, they were settling for mid-range jumpers that rarely fell. There were a couple positives here for the Wizards: one, that Wall, while a bit shaky, showed glimpses of his ability to get to the basket against any defender; another, that JaVale McGee and Yi Jianlian actually looked like an imposing frontcourt duo several times toward the end of the second quarter. But overall, you have to wonder how long it’s going to take for this team to come together with any sort of fluidity, and how the return of Gilbert Arenas will help and/or complicate that process.
The Magic, after one game, look to be the team to beat in the East. Dwight Howard was doing whatever he wanted offensively; Vince Carter looked like, dare I say it, the old Vince Carter (plus a new hobo beard); Jameer Nelson proved once again he is extremely effective running this offense; and they generally spread the court in a way that made the Wizards look perpetually understaffed on defense. Magic fans have to be happy with the way the team looked, and the game should be a nice confidence boost leading into their much-anticipated matchup with the Heat.
A few other observations:
*Javale McGee continues to show that it wouldn’t matter if they raised the rims to 12 feet. A highlight of this game for me was watching him snatch a ball out of the air at the very height of its arc in the second quarter. Sure, he got called for goaltending, but consider that message sent.
*Tiger Woods and Ahmad Rashad chatting gave serious douche chills
*Gortat continued his campaign to prove he is one of, if not the top backup centers in the league. Dude is really fun to watch.
*I’m not sure if Dwight Howard’s pushups count as showboating, but I don’t care. When you’re watching a 30-point blowout, any sideline theatrics are greatly appreciated.
One Game We Didn't Watch Last Night: Phoenix Suns vs. Utah Jazz
Well, it seems like this one was at least a little bit more of a ballgame than Magic-Wiz. Apparently, Steve Nash continued to operate on a bionic level and Hakim Warrick put up a double-double. As much as I do like the new-old Jazz unis, I have to say that they do not look like the uniforms of a playoff team. But that's okay. Style first.
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