Washington Wizards down 2-0

The Wizards have a new nemesis in the Chicago Bulls. They can't seem to catch a break, being outplayed in 2 games in the this best of seven Eastern conference first round matchup. Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes have been leading the way, but if the other players on the team don't step it up they are doomed. The problem for Washington has mainly been Ben Gordon, who had put on some scoring clinics against them in the regular season and so far played well in the playoffs. Tightening up the defense will be crucial, though leaving spot up shooters open off of double teams is a big mistake. Kirk Hinrich proved this in Game 2 by lighting it up from the outside, scoring over 30 points on 15 of 19 shooting.
More production and defense is going to be needed from Antawn Jamision and Brendan Haywood. They need to put forth their best efforts in the remainder of this series. Cutting down on unneccessary long rang shot attempts will help the Wizards too. Arenas' quickness should allow him to drive more frequently to the basket to score, draw fouls, or diss it out to one of the big men. The Bulls of late have been coming with their A game, not giving Washington any breathing room. That's the mentality that enables a team to win games. Look for Washington to battle with a sense of urgency and pick up the intensity to stay alive.