Someone, call 911, I think the Wizards are in critical condition!!!
Later, at hospital
Doctor: I have good news and bad news
Let’s start with the bad news, at it is bad. With tonight’s 134-111 loss to the OKC Thunder, DC falls to 1-7 on the young NBA season. Simply put, the Wizards have been awful so far, they are currently ranked 28th in the NBA in terms of point differential. Despite the slow start, there was hope after the first three games, the Wiz hung tough with playoff teams Heat and Raptors, and beat another playoff team in the Trail Blazers. However, after a 22 point blow out by the unstoppable Warriors, the team has fallen off the bus.
Since that Warriors loss, Washington has lost to perennial lottery staple the Sacramento Kings, got obliterated by the mediocre LA Clippers, lost to another lottery projected club in the Memphis Grizzlies, and then got blown out of the water Russ and Thundercats (OKC). I mentioned in Wiz Biz last week that the Wizards needed to win or it was going to be a long, hard climb into the playoffs if they kept losing, well, here we are.
Good News: To be fair, the Wizards have played the 3rd strongest schedule in the league and have had substantial injuries so far this season. There is a reason that, despite being tied for the worst record in the league with the Cavs, the Wizards are ranked 19th in ESPN’s Relative Percent Index (RPI) which factors in strength of schedule, points for, points against, injuries, and other factors. Perhaps the most comforting fact for Wizards fans is that the 6 of the next 7 games are against projected lottery clubs, and the next seven teams on the schedule are a horrendous 15-41.
Bottom Line: The Wizards need to win, at the very least, five of the next seven games and get to 6-9 before the schedule gets tough again. I would very much prefer to go 6-1 over the next seven and climb to 7-8 before we have to play playoff teams again, but I am a realist. If the Wizards get anything less than 5-2 it will be fairly safe to call this season dead. Despite all the boasting, Washington has their backs against the wall here, time to prove that there is some game behind all that talk.