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Wizards Have Frightful Start To Regular Season
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31 October 1997. Detroit Pistons 92, Washington Wizards 79 (record: 0-1)
Game leaders: Webber (19 points), Webber (7 rebounds), Strickland (8 assists)Halloween night in Detroit has never been a safe bet, for a visitor or a hometown resident. The Wizards sure played spooked by the thought of doing that.
What is the problem that the Wizards have with the Detroit Pistons? They were 0-for-4 against the Pistons last year, and it is the same old thing this year - not enough offense, too much Grant Hill (25 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists).
The Wizards played like a flat team. They got outboarded (51-37), committed too many fouls (31 fouls resulting in 42 free throw attempts), and just couldn't stay in the game. They shared the ball well (22 assists on 30 made shots, a very good percentage), but only 3 players scored in double figures.
But Detroit is a good team, and winning on the road against good teams is not a forte of the Wizards (formerly the Bullets). I wouldn't read too much into their play yet, as done in Michael Wilbon's post-game column for the Washington Post, but there are some potential reasons for concern.
wtf 3 November 1997
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