Washington
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
Which pair of Wizards have performed the best when on the floor together? According to 82games.com, it is, perhaps not surprisingly, Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison, the two Wizard All-Stars. Yet it is in fact slightly surprising when you note that other teams' best player pairs are not necessarily their All-Star pairs. Does this mean Washington's All-Stars are in fact more deserving of the accolades than the others?
For example, Detroit's best player pair is Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. There's no Ben Wallace anywhere. Similarly, Cleveland's best player pair is LeBron James and Drew Gooden, with no Zydrunas Ilgauskas in sight. In Houston, it's Tracy McGrady and Jon Barry instead of Yao Ming.
It's not just limited to missing centers: in La-La Land, Kobe Bryant isn't even one of the two pairs: Chucky Atkins and Brian Cook are somehow an unstoppable force. In Miami, it is reversed: center Shaquille O'Neal is one of the two players in the pair, but the other is Eddie Jones, not Dwyane Wade.
In fact, only two teams other than the Wizards, by my count, have their two All-Stars as their best player pair: Phoenix with Steve Nash and Shawn Marion, and the Spurs with Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan.
Now THAT's exalted company. The teams with the best records in the NBA and the Wizards are the only ones where the two All-Stars are the ones carrying the team's to victory. If anything, it means they are playing as well together as they need to be in order to win.
Could the Wizards even sneak past the Heat and into the top spot?
NEXT GAME
The Washington Wizards (30-22, second in the Southeast) host the Memphis Grizzlies (30-23, fourth in the Southwest) on Wednesday, February 23rd. The game starts at 7:00pm Eastern and will be broadcast on Comcast Sports Net and NBA League Pass.
TEAM NOTES
One day after placing fourth in Saturday's PlayStation Skills Challenge, Gilbert Arenas scored seven points in the East's 125-115 winover the West in the 54th NBA All-Star Game. Teammate Antawn Jamison also represented Washington, tallying five points in the contest.
Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas will be onlineon Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 1 pm to answer questions about his experience at the All-Star Game and an unforgettable first half of the season.
INJURY UPDATE
Samaki Walker(lower back),Larry Hughes(thumb), andKwame Brown(ankle) are all on the injured list.Juan Dixon(ankle) is out 2-3 weeks.
John N. Mitchell ofThe Washington Timeswrites: It was as if Washington Wizards Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison didn't want to let go of the moment following the 54th NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night.The two, along with MVP Allen Iverson, were the last to leave the East's dressing room... In fact, both were giddy in the aftermath of their first All-Star experience. "It was everything I expected it to be, playing with and against the best guys in the NBA," Jamison said with a smile. "Every opportunity I could, I just soaked it up. It's something I'll cherish for the rest of my life." Arenas also seemed blown away by the opportunity, saying, "I was excited, and I'm still excited. It's one of those things that you never expect in life, and when it happens you have a hard time believing that it's really happening for you.
Ron Higgins ofThe Memphis Commercial Appealwrites: But in Washington (30-22) and Chicago (26-23), previously destitute franchises linked as the last two teams of the great Michael Jordan, the Wizards and the Bulls both are being driven by underrated coaches and young players who have matured. "There's no Jordan talk around the locker room, it's a new team," Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas said."The past is the past. The Wizards have found a way to do everything wrong in the last 20 years and all it takes is one year to get it right, which is what we're doing. Our fans are happy to be proud of a team that is winning and that cares, and is not just there to party."
B. Wright ofThe Plain Dealerwrites: If the season ended today, the Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards would meet in the first round of the playoffs. All-Star forward Antawn Jamison said it would be an incredible series."Just look at what LeBron [James] is doing, they also have Zydrunas Ilgauskas and a great supporting cast," Jamison said. "Look at us with myself, Gilbert [Arenas] and Larry Hughes. Right there, you have four guys in the All-Star Game. It would be a series where you wouldn't know what to expect."