Well, the Bullets were behind by as much as 16 points in this game--IN THE FIRST QUARTER! But, you know what, a funny thing happened on the way to the Forum--the Bullets pulled within 1 point of the Lakers late in the fourth quarter. But they didn't have enough to get over hump for the win. The front court played fine for the Bullets (Muresan was within one block of a triple double, though Howard played 47 minutes in the game (in for the first 41 minutes of the game, then only got a 67 second rest before returning).
Well, the Bullets finally won a game on this road trip, after two close encounters with some good teams. The Kings are currently reeling in their playoff hunt and seem to sinking faster and faster. Howard played well, and the Bullets as a team were able to overcome 35 points (on 60% shooting!) from Sacramento's Mitch Richmond. 28 points from the Bullets bench didn't hurt in the losing cause, either.
This game was close at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but the Bullets quickly pushed the lead into double digits and the Grizzlies couldn't get any closer. The Bullets had 3 players in double figures: Howard, Cheaney (21), and Muresan (20)--and 3 player rebounding well--Muresan, Wallace (9), and Howard (8). Brent played poorly and sprained his knee during the game, making his playing time day-to-day.
Well, this was entirely unexpected. But before the Sonics start whining about Shawn Kemp not playing and playing the 4th game in a road trip, let me just remind you Sonics fans that the Bullets just came off a 5 game west coast road trip and are without THREE starters: CWebb, Mark Price, and Robert Pack. With that said, the Sonics were obviously tired, shooting a franchise low 29.6%. Their offensive rebounding was about the only thing that kept them in the game. The Bullets didn't look particularly sharp, but a win is a win, especially against the best team (record-wise) in the Western Conference.
Well, this game was just plain ugly. Nobody--I repeat, NOBODY--on the Bullets played well in this game. The Bullets were down 7 points in the final minute of the game and came back to tie it. But Loy Vaught (the best player most NBA "fans" have never heard of) hit a baseline jumper, Cheaney missed a wide open jumper from the foul line. Vaught then hit one of two free throws, giving the Clippers a three point lead. Cheaney, on the inbounds play, missed a game tying 3-pointer really bad (wide right significantly, barely drawing iron). But don't feel too depressed about this one--the Clippers have won 3 of 4 on their road trip, including a victory over the Knicks.
The Bullets looked like they were going to lost this one as well, but then the sleeping giant awoke. Muresan, by his own admission, sleep-walked through the first half. But in the second half, he was unstoppable, in particular because the Hawks have no center. The highlight of the game may be when Christian Laettner purposefully got himself ejected, much to the delight of most of the crowd.
The Bullets hung tough through the first half, but completely fell apart in the thrid quarter. That's alright, the Bullets weren't expected to win this game anyway. Let's just move on.
The Bullets did not shoot particularly well (39%--though the Nets had 15 team blocks, including 11 by Sean Bradley), Muresan was in constant foul trouble (17 minutes before fouling out), and Cheaney re-aggravated his sprained ankle and scored only 3 points before sitting out the fourth quarter. But the Bullets won, primarily because they made their free throws, and they had a lot of opportunities (85.4%, on 35 of 41). Plus, a couple of clutch 3-pointers from Eackles and Brent in the final 2 minutes that gave the Bullets the lead for good. A very satisfying win on the road, when none of the regular factors seemed to be going right for the Bullets.
Wow, a barn-burner in overtime! The Bullets scored the final 10 points in the last 2 minutes of OT to win the game, when all seemingly was lost. In a big game from Muresan, who played a career high 48 minutes (good thing he gets 3 days rest), had 17 points in the first half, had 5 blocks, and went to the foul line 15 times. Howard (26 points) and Brent (23 points) also played big when points were needed, and Wallace continues to improve, with 3 steals and 2 blocks, to go with 17 points and 7 rebounds, before fouling out. I think Wallace is finally getting the hang of help defense in the NBA. An outstanding effort by the Bullets against a top playoff caliber team. The Bullets aren't out of the playoff hunt yet, and also have reached the 30 win plateau for the first time since 1990-91. And the Bullets still have a month plus of games (17 overall) to go.
Well, when you don't play good defense, these things are going to happen. The Bullets played some pretty porous defense, both in the half court and transition, and allowed San Antonio to shoot 60.5% for the game. Wallace got tossed early in the third quarter, and the Bullets didn't have enough to overcome the Spurs. They got within 5 late in the 4th quarter, but that was it. Poor 3-point shooting (3 of 14, 21.4%), bench play (13 total points), and free throw shooting (12 of 20, 60%) didn't help.
What a barnburner. The Bullets lose this one in overtime, but barely. Shaq had 49 points and Penny had 30, and it almost wasn't enough. An interesting factoid--Shaq and Penny accounted for every Magic point from late in the third quarter until the final two minutes left in OT. I don't know the exact number of points in a row, but noone else was involved. The Bullets, seemingly out of it, down by 5 with 15 seconds left, had Whitney hit a 3-pointer from about 30 feet to get them within 2 points. Brian Shaw was fouled, but he only made 1 of 2 free throws. Tim Legler had a good look for a game tying 3-pointer (although surrounded by 2 Magic players), but his attempt rimmed out at the buzzer.
Muresan had a bad game, but the Bullets bench came through (48 points in the game). In particular, Chris Whitney (with a career high 19 points), Eackles (13), and Legler (11). The Bullets also shot extremely well from the free throw line (25 of 29, 86.2%), keeping them in the game until the end. Unfortunately, Rasheed Wallace broke his left thumb in the second quarter, tried to play through it, but couldn't. X-rays after he finally left the game in the third quarter confirmed the break (who says he can't tough it out?). The injury occured when he tried to go up for an off-line alley oop pass and Shaq bodychecked Wallace (while airborne), slamming the hand against the backboard.
With Mark Price officially out for the season (the broken foot is not healing) and Robert Pack continuing his long shelf life on the IR, the Bullets have signed Chris Whitney for the rest of the season. He's an excellent shooter, plays up-tempo on offense, and puts pressure on the ball defensively. He still needs to work on ball distribution, but this guy has a future. The Bullets haven't decided who they are going to sign to replace Wallace, but some frontcourt player from the CBA will get a shot.
Well, the Bullets have matched their best record since the 1989-90 season, with 31 wins. And they still have 14 games to go. Denver plays horrible defense (except for their shot blocking), and the Bullets took advantage of it. However, Denver got back into the game, and with the Nuggets down by 5, Howard fouled Laphonso Ellis while attempting a 3-pointer. In frustration (at the call and himself), Juwan a had very vocal pout session and got hit with a technical. Dale Ellis hit the technical FT, but Laphonso only hit 2 of 3 to limit the damage. The Bullets missed on the offensive end, and a Laphonso offensive putback tied the game at 90 with just over 3 seconds left.
On an inbounds play for Eackles, Brent Price (who looped around the 3-point arc as a decoy) got open a received a pass on the open weak side from Cheaney. Price drove the lane, straight at Mutombo, and lay the ball in with .3 seconds remaining, as Mutombo backed away, trying to avoid the blocking foul. Game over. Very nice ending.
Wow, what a game of two halves. The Bullets were down by 8 at halftime, looking like the hapless Bullets of old against the Cavs. But then, the Bullets turned up the defensive pressure and started hitting their own shots. Cheaney made 3 huge shots in the closing minutes of the game, with the shot clock winding down and the Cavs trying to get back in the game. That's what we hope to see out of Cheaney more often--the ability to step up when other players are drawing the double teams.
Another interesting thing about the Bullets performance tonight--they were 12 of 12 from the free throw line! Maybe they can keep this up.
Well, the Bullets made a game of this one, but could never grab control of the game. Muresan had a sub-par game, and Reggie Miller stepped up for the Pacers when it mattered most, scoring the last 11 points of the game for the Pacers. It was scary (and disheartening) to watch, because the Bullets seemed to be poised to take control of the game and maybe even win it. Big Gheorghe was just too slow reacting on the picks that Miller was getting from Rik Smits, and Miller was getting plenty of open looks.
The Bullets did it again--perfect from the free throw line (19 of 19). How much longer can this go on? The next game is key for the Bullets--they are at Miami, who is 3.5 games ahead of the Bullets in the standings and currently holding the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs. If they don't win this game, the Bullets playoff hopes are just about over.
Ouch! Alonzo Mourning scorches the Bullets for 21 points in the FIRST QUARTER, en route to a career high 50 points. As much as the Bullets tried, there was no containing him. Eackles and Cheaney had good games, and Muresan did okay until fouling out. But no matter what defense was used on Zo, it just didn't work over the long haul. And with this loss, the Bullets are 4.5 games out of the final playoff spot, with 11 games to play. I hate to say it, but the Bullets' playoff hopes are "officially" doused. The new quest is, how many wins can the Bullets finish the season with?
ps With Bob Thornton getting some cleanup action, the Bullets have now tied a team record for the most players playing in a season--20. That's some serious injury time.
Well, it took Legler with a running hook shot in the lane with 4 seconds left to win this game. I'm sure the Bullets were feeling a little down, realizing their playoff hopes are just about over. Now, I don't know how many people really were at this game. It was listed as a sell-out, but I know that I was watching the Final Four and not attending this game. Juwan Howard ties his career high with 32 points, but he also fouled out in the final minute with an offensive foul and wasn't on the floor in crunch-time (Bob McCann was!). Thank you, Timmy, for winning this one. You may not be hitting your 3-pointers quite as regularly, but these two-pointers are also important.
|
Back to 1 February 1996 | Forward to 1 April 1996 |
|