Player of the D.A.Y.

By Sam Rubenstein

Yesterday I read this post on freedarko, which was very re-assuring. The intensity and excitement of the NBA season has fallen off a cliff, which makes me feel better because I know I’m not the only one that feels this way. Then it goes on to hype up the Eastern Conference playoffs, saying that the East is the new West because of the inevitability of Dallas-Phoenix and promotes some interesting future events ahead of us. I happen not to agree with all of that, but the point is that there is a general malaise right now. I like the phrase “ghost town.”

The most meaningful games of the night were Jersey at Washington and the L.A. Clippers at New Orleans. I could give the award to David West, but Chris Paul was nearly as crucial to the win.

While the Nets were playing the severely depleted Washington Wizards, I did kind of gloss over how big of a win this game was for Jersey, and I played into the sympathy people are feeling for the D.C. area right now. The Washington Nationals are expected to lose 120 games this year. The Redskins are almost becoming the Knicks of the NFL with their annoying owner, payroll, and pricey style over substance roster. The Nets are back to living up to expectations, and could be headed for a Vince vs. the fans that hate him with a passion series. Richard Jefferson, the most optimistic player in the league, was not kidding about the Nets fighting through the bad times and keeping their heads up. He scored 35 of 13 of 19 shooting in a huge win over the team the Nets are trying to catch in the playoff hunt. Or, as the New York Post used for a headline: “Nets: We’re Off to Seize the Wizards.” A corny, and yet hysterically funny headline.
Richard Jefferson is therefore Player of the D.A.Y.