Washington Wizards Wednesday: Two-Game Win Streak Not a Fluke

Are you telling me that the Wizards have won two in a row?

Yes, the same Wizards that lost their leading scorer to gun charges and lost by nine points to a team that had lost 13 games in a row.

Yes, it's those Wizards, and it's not like they're playing New Jersey and Minnesota. The last two wins over Western Conference foes Sacramento and Portland are almost shocking to believe. The defense has only given up an average of 89 points per game, and it doesn't seem as though they will be forgetting that aspect anytime soon.

Sure, we'll find out more with the Mavs, Heat, Clippers and Lakers coming to town, but right now a two-game win streak has moved the Wiz Kids to within 4.5 games of the eighth seed in the pathetic Eastern Conference.

 

The Good

The defense has improved for Washington of late. They held Sacramento to 37 percent shooting, and kept Portland in check with only 19 points in the fourth quarter. Antawn Jamison has flourished with the departure of Gilbert Arenas, averaging a double-double with 28 points and 10 rebounds per game.

 

Also, let's not forget about the way Randy Foye has played as of late. The newcomer from Minnesota has averaged 19 points since Arenas' suspension, essentially becoming the third scorer in Flip Saunders' scheme.

 

The Bad

The loss to Chicago was a back-breaker. The Wiz had chances to win the game in the fourth quarter, as well as in both overtimes.

 

However, there's nothing worse than Gilbert Arenas pleading guilty to felony gun possession. Despite the fact that this team is heading for another dismal season, it will be overshadowed by the absolutely idiotic actions of the former Agent Zero. Yes, that's right, he has been relieved of his duties as Agent Zero, for obvious reasons.

 

Arenas' time as a Wizards is most likely done, and in all honesty, he'll never be more than a role player on a team looking for a spark, sort of like the Philadelphia Eagles and Michael Vick, or whatever team is dumb enough to pick up Plaxico Burress when he leaves jail.

 

The Surprises

With four wins in the month of January, the Wizards have already surpassed their win total from the month of November. With six games remaining in the month of January, the Wiz need two wins to mark the most in a month all season.

The best record for a full month so far was December, when the Wiz went 5-10. Another two wins in the month could also get Washington back into the playoff race, as scary as that sounds.

 

What Does it Mean?

A team that's 14-26 and without their leading scorer for the rest of the year is 4.5 games out of the playoffs. Sure, the Wiz would get waxed by Orlando/Cleveland/Boston 4-0, but hey, didn't that happen when they were in the playoffs as a quality team?

 

It's more than likely that Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison are on their way out of Washington, so we should enjoy this modest two-game win streak while we can.

 

Here's for three in a row tonight against Dallas.

 

Player of the Week

Antawn Jamison...probably will be traded, but shouldn't be. The Wiz need him as captain right now.