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18 October 1996. Phoenix Suns 106, Washington Bullets 102 (preseason record: 1-3)
Game leaders: Murray (26 points), Murray (13 rebounds), Howard (11 assists)The Washington Bullets lost to the Phoenix Suns 106-102 before a small audience (less than 1000 - just a guess - but seemed to be noticeably pro-Bullets/anti-Suns) at the Great Western Forum on Friday, October 18. The game was rather strange/surreal being in this 17,000 seat arena which was essentially empty to watch an NBA game. We were in the second level and could easily hear most of the dialogue on-court (between players, between the benches and the players on the floor, referees, etc.). Overall the Bullets did not play well although they nearly won this game with a relatively strong effort late in the 4th quarter. However, win-or-lose, they played poorly as a team.
Specifically, their team defense was completely out of sync. In the set offense, the Suns were running a lot of backdoors and scoring easily as the Bullets did not help on D. The middle of the lane was left wide open on at least three or four occuasions which I can recall, resulting in easy layups for the Suns. Their transition defense was also out of sync. On one occasion, the Suns scored on a fastbreak after a Bullets' made free-throw. On other occasions, two or three Bullets were back on D on a Suns fast break, but no one picked up the Sun with the ball in the middle of the floor and let him take it to the basket unchallenged.
On the offensive side, there were some notable individual efforts (CWebb early in the game, Tracey Murray in the 2nd and 4th quarters, and both Strickland and Whitney had their moments), but again, in terms of playing well offensively as a team, they were inconsistent at best. When Strickland was in the game, they seemed to have more success in getting everyone involved offensively - he'd penetrate off of a set offense, break down the defense, and distribute the ball in the interior. However, when they tried to set up a play for Howard or Webber or Harvey Grant in the low post or on the wing, they had problems with turnovers on the entry pass, and, in the case of Juwan, he was not able to effectively go strong to the basket (presumably a result of his still injured shin).
So, what to make of this. Maybe not too much at this stage. It is still early in terms of creating a well functioning team out of the individuals (although to look at the Lakers in their game against the 76ers, they seem to be running like a well-oiled machine even at this early stage with their new personell). Also, the interior defense and low-post offense will certainly be a lot different with Gheorge in the mix. Finally, it is difficult to say how much the injuries to Webber, Howard, and Cheaney effected their performances. In summary, I saw a lot of individual talent on occasions, but they still have a lot of work to do to get ready for the regular season if they are going to fulfill the high expectations.
Andy 22 October 1996
wtf note (10/28/96): Excellent summary, Andy. Andy was attending the game and volunteered to provide a game summary from his perspective. It's always nice to see fans provide this type of input.
As for the game, it seems that Howard plays his first (and probably last) pre-season game, as the stress fracture flares up during the game. The Bullets were hurting from the lack of size in the middle (centers Gheorghe Muresan, Matt Fish, and Lorenzo Williams were all out for the game). It's too bad they lost, but we're getting a chance to see some free agents shine, such as Ben Wallace and Tracy Murray. And Howard, while having a horrible shooting night (3 of 15), he was dishing the ball well.
19 October 1996. Washington Bullets 119, Phidelphia 76ers 104 (preseason record: 2-3)
Game leaders: Murray (22 points), Wallace (10 rebounds), Webber, Strickland (5 assists)The Bullets beat up pretty severely on the 76ers. Juwan Howard sat out this game, after reaggravating his shin splints, but he was hardly needed. As J.A. Adande of the Washington Post noted in his article on the game, "Sadly enough for the Philadelphia fans, these are the 1996-97 Sixers: a mix of past-their-peak players and not-ready young talent."
The Bullets did trail in this game, but used an 18-2 run to take the lead for good. The Bullets defense held the Sixers to 37.9% shooting for the game.
wtf 17 January 1997
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