<div align="center"> Time: 3:00 PM Eastern Place: The Fleet Center TV: Local <font size="5">Team Records</font> <font color="navy">Washington: 15-12</font> <font color="green">Boston: 12-16</font></div> <div align="center"><font size="5"><font color="navy">Wizards Head Coach</font></font> <font color="navy">Eddie Jordan</font></div> <div align="center"><font size="5"><font color="navy"> Wizards Projected Starting Lineup</font></div></font> <div align="center"> <font color="navy">(Gilbert Arenas, Larry Hughes, Jared Jeffries, Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood) </font></div> <div align="center"><font size="5"><font color="purple">Celtics Head Coach</font></font> <font color="green">Doc Rivers</font></div> <div align="center"><font size="5"><font color="green">Celtics Projected Starting Lineup</font></font> <font color="green">(Gary Payton, Paul Pierce, Jiri Welsch, Raef Lafrentz, Mark Blount)</font> </div> <div align="center"><font size="5">Bench Factors</font> (<font color="navy">Jarvis Hayes</font>,<font color="green">Ricky Davis</font>) </div> <div align="center"><font size="5">Key Players</font> (<font color="navy">Gilbert Arenas</font>, <font color="green">Paul Pierce</font>) <font color="navy">Gilbert Arenas:</font> 22.7 ppg, 5.2 apg, and 4.1 rpg <font color="green">Paul Pierce:</font>22.0 ppg, 4.2 apg, and 6.1 rpg</div> <font size="5">Keys to the Game</font> <font color="navy">Washington:</font> <ul> [*]Efficient Scoring- This is mainly for Antawn Jamison. You are going up against a twig in Raef Lafrentz who is just coming back from an injury. It is a must that you can't settle for jumpers, post him up, take him off of the driblle...get into the paint, get to the free throw line. This should be an easy matchup. [*]Hughes on Pierce- Hughes has been the Wizard's best defensive player all year and it is a must he shows up against Pierce tonight. Pual can explode any night. He can get into the paint with ease and gets to the FT line. Hughes must stay out of foul trouble and be effective. [*]Do not relieve pressure- In their last game the Wizard's had a big lead against the Pistons, yet they let them come back. If the Wizards open up a big lead in this game, they must hold on to it. They can't let a team like the Celtics come back to win a game. [/list] <font color="Green">Boston:</font> <ul> [*]Get Hughes in Foul Trouble- I think the main key here is for Paul Pierce to get Larry Huughes into foul trouble. If he can do that, Pierce should be able to have a field day against the Wiz's backups. [*]D on Arenas- He was galled the Glove for a reason, this game is reaosn for Payton to show that. Arenas will either have trouble against him, or will have a field day getting into the paint. He is quicker than Payton and that can lead to a long night for the Celtics. [*]Defensive Boarding- Raef and Blount must grab boards every opportunity. Do not give the Wizard's a second chance to score, they normally capitalize on it. [/list] <font size="5"> Prediction</font> Washington is coming off of a heart breaker against the Pistons and the Celtics are coming off of a 117-109 loss to the Grizzlies, who Washington has beaten. This should be an easy W for the Wizard's to end 2004 off with a bang, and look for great things in 2005. <font size="5">HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE</font>
100-99 Wiz up without Gilbert Arenas. He has the flu. I will come back when game is over... EDIT: Well another heart breaking loss..just goes to show we need Arenas in crunch time..I can say confidently we would of won with Arenas....Hughes had 33 and Jamison poured in 29..but once again took the game deciding shot...why He isn't clutch and out IDIOT coach needs to realize that. Larry Hughes def. should of taken that...108-103
Yea bad timing for Arenas to be out, Hughes was 6-6 from three? Hughes should be taking the game winner as opposed to Jamison, bad decision by the coaching staff, but unlucky loss for the Wizards today.
Yeah we woulda won if Gil was out there, but Jamison had a wide open three, and as much as i love Twan, he is not clutch, and is the 5th best three point shooter on the team at best. Gilbert, Larry are the clutch shooters, not Twan. IMO Peeler and Blake lost us the game making silly turnovers while we were up. But, a loss is a loss, and we face Atlanta on sunday, and a new New Jersey team. But i think we can pull out both.
<u>The player of the game [via RealGM]: </u> Also I heard EJ took out Jared Jefferies who was playing great defense on Pierce in order to put his boy Jarvis Hayes in down the stretch, why?
Cause Eddie Jordan is an idiot. His sub patterns are dumb, he plays favorites. He doesn't know how to coach. Get him out of Washington.
You see what i mean, he always favors his players and puts them in. I dont get it, juan should of had more minutes. and those stupid turnovers from Blake did cost us the game. And you are right Larry should of had taken the shot not Jamison. I say Eddie needs to go.
Actually Juan should be completely removed from the rotation, I'd rather have Blake playing than Juan, yes Blake did get some TO's, but he's a better defender, and more of an actual PG than Juan. Blake reminds be or Earl Watson, he's not at 100% right now, but I'd want him as the backup PG. I'm not big on making too many coaching changes, but if it's really needed then yes, Eddies is a good assistant, but I don't know if he's a good head coach.
This was a good game, and we battled until the end, we just couldn't find the player who needed to take the shot. 'Twan you're my favorite player and all, but then was not the time for you to take a three. Jamison hits tons of key shots to bring his teams back... but when it comes to game winners he isn't the greatest. Sorry guys, we'll take the next one.
I think the play call from the Coaching Staff was great. They used Larry as a decoy and then got twan to get it to hayes and back to twan right on the left baseline. Is he the best shooter, no, but he should have made that shot being wide open. I say pass it to Larry if ur not open, but i think the play call was brilliant
Agreed. I don't know why you're criticizing Jamison for taking that shot. From what I read in the Post, he had a wide open shot from 3 on the baseline to tie. You have to take that shot. I didn't fall. But that doesn't mean it wasn't the best shot they could get. I think it definitely was.
