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Michael Lee
Will I win a road game my rookie year? (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
The Wizards have shown that they are capable of making runs on the road. They had several on Thursday in Minneapolis, as they came back from a 10-point first quarter deficit to take the lead in just eight minutes and a 10-point third quarter deficit to take the lead in another eight minutes.
They can't seem to make that final run. Instead, they just get run over.
I was assured by a league source after the Wizards' 109-97 loss that Coach Flip Saunders should not be worried about his job security, and I heard a similar refrain from another source last week. But as these road losses mount, you have to wonder when the patience dissipates with the continued ineptness away from home.
The Minnesota Timberwolves became the 19th team to accept a bye, um, steamroll the Wizards in its home arena. The Timberwolves closed the game on a rapid-fire 19-3 run over the final 4 minutes, 30 seconds, taking advantage of a series of missed shots and turnovers from the Wizards that have become routine.
"It's just like all the other ones," John Wall said. "We're right there."
And then...they weren't. The Wizards trailed by six points with nine minutes remaining, but they were almost flawless during a 12-2 run that allowed them to take a 94-90 lead. Kirk Hinrich converted a three-point play, Wall found Yi Jianlian at the top of the key for jumper, then drew in the defense to hit Trevor Booker for a dunk and Yi for another dunk. And, finally Nick Young caught a pass from Hinrich and made a corner three-pointer. They moved the ball well, made shots, then...they didn't.
By now, teams have figured out that if they push back, the Wizards fall back. Hinrich was correct last Saturday when he said the Wizards "aren't mentally strong," because they play frantic and frazzled instead of calm and collected in the final minutes. Before the game, Saunders said, "Veteran teams look like they play in slow motion. Young teams look like they drank 10 Mountain Dews or 10 Red Bulls before the game."
But the Wizards didn't lose to the Minnesota because of youth. The oldest player on the floor for Timberwolves was 29-year-old Luke Ridnour. Ridnour was surrounded by Darko Milicic (25), Corey Brewer (24), Wayne Ellington (23), Kevin Love (22). Not exactly a crew of chiseled, playoff-tested veterans. And, this was a team that had lost five in a row, with three of them decided by three points.
The Timberwolves don't have a knack for finishing, either.
Kevin, why are you shooting all of those threes? I need a road win. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
So, that excuse about age and inexperience is growing pretty stale when the Wizards had Rashard Lewis (31) and Hinrich (30) on the floor during the collapse. Lewis and Hinrich ensured that the Wizards were in the game, as both veterans took turns leading comebacks. "Both of them were great," Saunders said. "They both basically kept us in the game and gave us opportunities."
Just not down the stretch, when Hinrich and Lewis were unable to get some good looks to fall.
When Love hit a three-pointer to give the Timberwolves a 95-94 lead, Wall attempted to make a skip pass to Young that Brewer stole. Minnesota swung the ball around, then Ellington found Milicic cutting to the basket for a slam. After McGee made a free throw, the Timberwolves again swung around the ball -- eight times, the be exact -- before Ellington knocked a three-pointer to put them ahead, 100-95. Lewis tried to strike back with a three-pointer, but missed, then Love buried them with another three-pointer, wildly beating his chest as he ran down the floor.
This was my first time watching this new-look Love in person, and he was really a dominant force on the court. He's so much better than he has been the past two seasons. It was most startling that the Wizards were pleased to "hold him" to 11 rebounds. But his three-point proficiency was even more remarkable, because his shots didn't touch the rim before dropping. His stroke was pure, as he made 5 of 6 attempts from long range.
"That's supposed to be a Nick Young night, right?" Young joked. "Big man playing like a guard out there."
Saunders was searching for an explanation that made sense, but he really couldn't. This road losing streak doesn't make any sense. He singled out Young for attempting to "hit the big shots," but he only got one shot after his three-pointer gave the Wizards a four-point lead. And when Young missed his last three-point attempt, the team was already down by 10 points at the time.
"We play different at home than on the road," Young said. "Times like this, the last five minutes, you've got to know who to get the ball to, and let them make plays. We lost sight of that, and it got away from us."
Saunders also said Wall will have to learn how to lead his team to the finish line in order to become a truly elite point guard. "You have to keep on going. That's sometimes, the frustration of having a young point guard, at times, because that's his maturity, his growing up process, as far as going through this. Sometimes, he makes good plays and sometimes he doesn't. As a point guard, how you're judged is how your team finishes games. We just have to keep on working."
Wall initially frowned at the critique from his coach, but said, "I take fault for that, because I'm the leader of the team. At the same, I think we was getting good shots, we just didn't make them when we had the lead. He was calling great plays for us, down the stretch, we just didn't make them. I feel like, if we running and get a good shot and miss, I can't control that."
The Wizards will be back on the road to face Milwaukee on Jan. 19 and they will try to avoid being the sixth team to start the season with at least 20 road losses. Wall added that the Wizards need to figure out something soon. "They got their crowd into it, and that's all they needed," he said of the Timberwolves. "They had their back. At home, we believe in our crowd to bring us back. We've got to learn to bring that energy on the road when we don't have our crowd."
How many more times before they take heed to these lessons?
Michael Lee
&|&January 14, 2011;
3:00 AM ET
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