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NBA, NFL, Shows

Triple Zeros: “Ah, That’s Interesting…”

Triple Zeros

“Ah, That’s Interesting…”

In this episode of Triple Zeros, Josh talks about Russell Westbrook (again) and the surging Washington Wizards, how teams like the Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks are trending in the wrong direction, and the horrible night of injuries in the NBA. The focus then turns to the NFL as the Eagles are opting for a QB battle between Jalen Hurts and Joe Flacco in camp, Tom Brady has a “get off my lawn” moment, and so much more!

2021 NFL Draft: Brevin Jordan Player Profile

The Washington Wizards Must Have Found Their Magic Spellbook

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Anchor | Apple

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NBA

The Washington Wizards Must Have Found Their Magic Spellbook

The Washington Wizards must have found some magic because they’ve been on a tear of late. Winners of seven of their last eight games, the once left-for-dead Wizards have turned things around after they stumbled coming out of the All-Star break. Washington lost their first five games and went 3-12 before this streak.

The Wizards Change Of Fortune Is No Magic Act

Impact Players

Everyone knows Bradley Beal is one of the best scorers in the NBA. Up until Stephen Curry dropped 40-plus in back-to-back games, Beal led the NBA in scoring.

It would be the second year in a row Beal finishes in the top two in scoring in the Association. Beal also missed the one game Washington lost in the aforementioned streak.

He averaged 27.4 PPG post-break but has averaged 29.7 points during the Wizards run. He also hasn’t done it all by himself.

Russell Westbrook might need to have an award created just for him to signify all the times he’s been written off in recent years. And while his numbers are certainly down on the year, his impact has not been.

Sitting on a 21.8/10.9/10.9 line, Westbrook is putting up 23.5/12.3/12.3 since the break has been at 21./13.5/13.1 during the recent string of wins. The most encouraging development might be his improved efficiency from deep.

He’s shooting better than 30 percent from beyond the arc on the season and 33 percent since the deadline. It’s a modest percentage but it’s a massive step up for Westbrook.

The “Other” Guys

Davis Bertans was a hot commodity on a watered-down free-agent market in an abbreviated offseason. He re-signed with the Wizards on a five-year deal after recording the best deep-shooting advanced metrics in the NBA.

The honeymoon didn’t last long though as Bertans averaged just over 11 points while shooting under 39 percent from outside.

Bertans, just like Beal and Westbrook, has been much better over his last seven games. He’s averaging 14.7 points and shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc.

On the less glamorous end, Daniel Gafford is providing a very nice return on Washington’s investment. Since joining the Wiz, the former Chicago Bulls big man is averaging 11.4 PPG and 5.8 RPG; both up substantially from his time in Chicago and mostly thanks to more playing time.

But it’s his 2.0 blocks per game that have caught the most eyes.

That’s because, as the Bulls have struggled with their rim protection even with Gafford in the fold, he’s been rejecting some of the game’s most notable dunkers in DC. It’s a testament to his work ethic to turn what could be damaging to a young player into an opportunity.

Wizards Re-Discovered Magic Spellbook

Washington is currently 11th in the East, just outside of the play-in tournament. But they have one of the easiest remaining schedules, per Tankathon.com, and have six games remaining against four Eastern Conference opponents that are set to make the playoffs themselves.

This is the perfect situation for the Wizards to take advantage of and the best time for the Wizards to re-discover their magic. How long can they keep this up?

NFL

It’s All in the Name

In sports, your team name is (or at least should be) a source of pride, the symbol that brings people together to lift a team on its shoulders. It starts when we’re as young as five and lasts through the rest of our lives; cheering for pee-wee leagues, our schools, and professional teams. Some names even resonate with an entire nation and around the world, whether they’re beloved or despised. Some of the names that come to mind right away are the Cowboys, Yankees, and Bulls. Maybe you’ve always wondered how did these team names come about and if they will ever change. We know now at least one team had to.

All In the Name: Why So Long?

Redskins No More

On Monday, the Washington football team have retired their name and logo after 87 years. This after a decades-long fight over the offensive nature of the name to the Native American community. The issue even went to the Supreme Court in 2009 and it was ruled that Washington could keep the name. Owner Daniel Snyder recently doubled down on insisting the name wouldn’t be changed.  When sponsors FedEx, Nike, and PepsiCo threatened to pull their support, Mr. Snyder made a change.

If you’re curious, the term is offensive because it’s associated with the scalping of native Americans as a bounty.  In their culture, being called that is derogatory. It was only right to change the name with an unprecedented focus on social justice right now.

Will This Be A Trend?

It’s long been said that a lot of Native Americans find having sports teams and mascots named after and imitating them demeaning. In 2007, the University of Illinois dropped Native American mascot Chief Illiniwek after 81 years.  That fight that started in 1989.  Yet we have a few teams professionally that have those cultural monikers.

We have the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, and reigning Super Bowl champ Kansas City Chiefs; two baseball teams and a football team respectively.  The Chiefs at least seem to be more of a name of endearment but we’ll just have to see what changes are made moving forward.

Let’s Play the Name Game

Here’s a fun fact, the football team was not the city’s first professional sports team to change its name because of social consciousness.  23 years ago, the Washington Bullets changed their name to ‘Wizards’.  Rising gun violence in the nation’s capital brought about the change.  Their approach to the name change was unique as well, an 800-number was set up for the community to call in and vote on a list of names.  

What will the new name for the Washington football franchise be? Here is a list of suitable names that would fit.  Since both the NBA and WNBA teams have magical themed names, Wizards and Mystics, that’s where we’ll start.  The Washington Warlocks with there logo being a warlock character holding a football-shaped crystal ball (a personal favorite).  Next, the Washington Wave, crashing through the NFC East. Sounds like a fun start.  Lastly the Washington Wasps (that’s stings!).  That may be a reach but hey, there’s a pro team called the Pelicans.

What would your name be for the franchise?