The Washington Wizards need to look no further than tonight’s opponent in the Miami Heat to know what type of team they would like to be one day. The defending NBA Champion Heat invades the Verizon Center tonight with a lot to prove to the hapless Wizards. Believe it or not, the last two meetings between these two teams were won by the <gulp> Wizards. That’s right… Washington defeated Miami last year in two games that helped them finish their 2011 campaign on an encouraging eight-game winning streak.
With injuries at the time and with the Heat also having secured the top seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, Miami All-Star players center Chris Bosh and forward LeBron James did not suit up. All Star shooting guard Dwayne Wade exited that last meeting two minutes into the contest.
Now, move ahead to this year’s 2012 Wizards team. It has not been able to put its best player on the floor: point guard John Wall. Wall is still recovering from a knee injury that has sidelined him for the first quarter of the season.
The Wizards have used this time to evaluate their line-up… the one in which their players are worth growing into.
Here’s one thing for sure… the teams that Washington is playing will not feel sorry for the NBA’s worst club. Any Wizards fan should look for those winners to inflict some damage on an inferior opponent.
Game Preview:
Game Time: 7:10pm
Location: Verizon Center (Washington DC)
Team Records: Washington Wizards 1-13, Miami Heat 12-3
Starters:
Washington:
1 Trevor Ariza F
13 Kevin Saraphin F
50 Omeka Okafor C
3 Bradley Beal G
12 A.J. Price G
Miami:
6 LeBron james F
9 Rashard Lewis F
1 Chris Bosh C
3 Dwayne Wade G
15 Mario Chalmers G
Lake Lewis Jr., President and CEO of the Sports Journey Broadcast Network, is accredited media for the NFL and NBA, and a former syndicated host for ESPN Radio. Watch his daily national sports broadcast live on Mondays from 3-6 pm on SportsJourney.com. Begins December 5th