<div align="center"> . Wednesday's performance against the Knicks' frontcourt was just pathetic as he gave up easy second chance opportunity points to David Lee and Renaldo Balkman as they took over for the Knicks. Friday's assignment against Rasheed Wallace and the Pistons won't be any easier, so he'll have to toughen up to contain him. [imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/etan_thomas.jpg[/imgl]<font color="blue">Etan Thomas</font> PPG: 7.4, RPG: 6.3, APG: 0.6 Etan had an off night against the Knicks and didn't earn a chance to play in the second half being replaced by Brendan Haywood. Lately, he hasn't been able to use his aggressiveness and energy to control the paint for Washington and Eddie Jordan is not liking it. He'll need to rebound from his performance against the Pistons if he doesn't want to find himself on the bench. <font size="3">Keys to the Game</font><ul>[*]<font color="red">Establishment Shooting Game</font> ? The Pistons haven't had much success looking down-low early this year being outscored in the first quarter 7 out of 8 times this season, and find themselves falling early in the game. If they look to Rip and Billups to provide scoring, the rest of the team will be able to ride on them and they'll have the advantage.[*]<font color="red">Stay Out Of Foul Trouble</font> ? The Pistons be able to produce much, if they are constantly fouling and sending the Wizards to the line often who were 36-40 against New York. [*]<font color="red">Control The Paint</font> ? Well, we all saw how the Knicks were able to prevail against the Wizards. They limited second chance opportunities for the Wizards, while they got some for themselves and they were able to get easy points in the paint, so the Pistons should look to do so here.[*]<font color="blue">Rebound!</font> ? Plain and simple. The Wizards looked very sloppy in the second half allowing a total of 52 rebounds, which didn't allow them to come back in the game. If they want to win, please control the boards and limit second chance points for the Pistons.[*]<font color="blue">Take Care Of The Ball</font> ? They looked pretty sloppy controlling the ball on the offensive end, turning it over 17 times. The Wizards aren't proned to turning it over, but it shows how it hurts them when it does, so they need to take care of the ball. [*]<font color="blue">Knock Down Your Shots</font> ? The Wizards shot a season low 31.5% on the floor against the Knicks including an 0-15 from the 3. They need to buckle down and stop trying to force up shots and work the ball around. Pushing the ball up the court and finding an easy shot will help also.[/list] <font size="3">Prediction:</font> Pistons take it 106-97 Will's Prediction Record: 4-3 (Last: Knicks over Wizards 104-102)
In Detroit, but Heading South <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">When the Washington Wizards arrived at their suburban Detroit hotel after a flight from New York early yesterday morning, they crossed paths with a joyous group of New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets were fresh off a 100-99 win over the Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills and were in a celebratory mood as they remained in the area for one more night. The Wizards were anything but joyous following Wednesday's ugly 102-82 loss to the Knicks. The defeat dropped Washington to 3-4, 0-3 on the road and appeared to expose some potentially serious flaws -- particularly a heavy reliance on jump shots, an inability to clamp down defensively and a failure to grab rebounds in crucial situations. The Wizards will attempt to bounce back tonight against the Pistons, who are experiencing their own set of problems. After finishing 64-18 last season and advancing to the Eastern Conference finals for the fourth straight year, Detroit is off to a 3-5 start and entered yesterday's games in fourth place in the Central Division. The Wizards were the only team in the league to go 3-0 against the Pistons last season, but neither team is thinking about those games right now.</div> Link
The Wizards are doing a lot better job pressuring tightly on defense in the second quarter. They've forced Detroit out of the paint, and had them shoot low-percentage shots which led to quick fastbreaks on the other end. I'm getting the feeling that Haywood may be starting over Etan by the next 3 games or so.
