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March
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The Tease Is On
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Will They Or Won't They?That's the biggest question, now. The Bullets pulled a very similar tease last year, getting just close enough to the playoffs to make it tantalizing, but falling short of 40 wins in the end. It was exciting, it promised much for this season. We thought, with Webber healthy and Rod at the point, surely this is a playoff team. Heck, it's probably one of the top 4 teams in the Eastern Conference.
Then reality set in.
This team had no outside shooting. Selfish play abounded. The Bullets couldn't finish close games with a win. Management thought they'd change coaches.
At first, that didn't make a difference. (Excepting, see later...) My initial analysis a month ago said they had a shot, but then they swooned at the beginning of this month. I had all but given up on their chances.
But now, with 2 games remaining in the month of March, the Bullets stand 1 game under .500 (34-35) and 2.5 games out of the 8th playoff spot (with the job of playing Chicago in the first round). Indiana is 1 game behind the Bullets in the chase. What is the remaining schedule?
Washington Cleveland Indiana Toronto @ Houston @ Charlotte Dallas @ Miami LA Clippers @ Indiana Dallas Washington Chicago New York Knicks Miami @ Minnesota @ Boston @ Philadelphia @ Boston @ Chicago @ Minnesota @ Toronto Charlotte Chicago New Jersey @ NY Knicks Atlanta @ Charlotte @ Boston @ Toronto @ Philadelphia Philadelphia NY Knicks Indiana @ Charlotte @ Washington Orlando Orlando @ NY Knicks @ Cleveland @ Detroit Detroit WashingtonHow does this compare, in terms of opponents?
Home/Away: Washington (6/7); Cleveland (6/8); Indiana (7/6)
Playoff/Non-Playoff: Washington (5/8); Cleveland (9/5); Indiana (9/4)
Over-.500/Under.500: Washington (4/9); Cleveland (9/5); Indiana (7/6)In terms of home and away schedule, the Bullets don't have an advantage. But look at who their opponents are. Both Cleveland and Indiana have to face 9 opponents that are currently slotted to make the playoffs, while the Bullets only face 5 such opponents. Further, only 4 of their upcoming opponents have records over .500, while Cleveland faces 9 and Indiana 7.
That's called gambler's luck. Their tough schedule is behind them, and just as they're starting to develop some on-court chemistry, they face probably the easiest part of their schedule this year.
That's not to mean that there aren't some dangerous teams in that mix. Minnesota and Toronto have been playing well recently, and New Jersey can be hot or cold. The Bullets must take care of business, and they can make the playoffs.
As for tiebreakers, they hold the tiebreaker advantage against Cleveland, having won all 3 games this season. If they finished tied, the Bullets win. As for Indiana, they've split the series 1 and 1 this season, and there are two head-to-head matchups remaining.
Wow, this is exciting. The Bullets still have a chance at making the playoffs, despite all of the frustration to date. And don't laugh at me, but the Bullets matchup well with the Bulls. I'm not suggesting that they could win the series (too much playoff experience on the other side), but they could make some very interesting games.
Unfortunately, I didn't get playoff tickets this year. Plus, I'll be on vacation during the first week of the playoffs, when the Bulls are likely to be in town. *sigh* I'll try to find a TV set somewhere.
But first, the Bullets must make the playoffs.
Maybe CWebb Can Shoot Straight
It seems, ever since Buzz Braman has left as shooting coach for the Bullets, CWebb has shot 70% from the free throw line and over 50% from three-point range. David Aldridge of ESPNet Sportszone talked about it briefly, in a section titled Buzz Off (relevant section quoted below):
I'm not trying to start trouble or anything, but Chris Webber is shooting 71 percent from the foul line since Buzz Braman was fired as the Bullets' shooting coach, the same day Jim Lynam was dismissed -- Feb. 5. No joke.I've always said that Webber is capable of shooting better. The fact that he's the best 3-point shooting threat on the Bullets this season (looking at percentages) shows he's capable (and how pathetic the rest of the team's 3-point shooting has been). I just never thought that the shooting doc (aka Buzz Braman) may have been part of the problem. At least, that's what it looks like from here.CWebb was shooting 49 percent from the stripe before then. "I think I'm just not thinking about it," Webber said.
He also credits his All-Star Game experience as helping him.
"Just being in the locker room with those guys, I've never been that nervous before," he said. "Just walking through that fire, I said to myself 'I know I can handle it.'"
By the way, Orlando's Nick Anderson, shooting a horrific 40 percent from the foul line, was thinking of hiring Braman as a personal shooting coach, but changed his mind.
What's Up With This Logo Mess?
Sorry it's taken so long to get to this topic. It may be a bit outdated, and there's probably not much we can do to get them changed.
Let me be honest - the proposed logos, even in their rough form, stink. They don't say anything or are too complex and ill-defined. Too much swooshing. Showing energy in a logo is fine, but these don't cut it.
Unfortunately, pictures of the proposed logos don't exist online. But there is a story about them, from the Washington Post.
I'm not a graphic artist (as you might be able to tell from this site and its relative graphical simplicity), so I really don't have any good ideas. But I know a bad one when I see it. Maybe the chosen one will look better in color (the sketches were black-and-white), but be prepared for a major whine session when the logos are announced in less than a month.
wtf 27 March 1997
