Matthews isn’t strutting around like a diva, the way a fellow who used to wear his Browns jersey number, 17, did. You see his eyes burning, but he carries himself quietly. You see him winning jump balls at times, separating himself to get open other times. His moves tricked the long-shot cornerbacks he practices against, until they saw him for a few weeks.
Michael Lee of the Washington Post: “Wall was like a cyclone on the floor, whirling all over and doing everything in his power to will the Wizards to their first win of the season. He finished with a team-high 29 points, 13 assists and 9 steals, but the Wizards wouldn’t have been able to pull out a 116-115 victory on Tuesday without reserve Cartier Martin nailing a desperation three-pointer to force the extra frame, or Andray Blatche overcoming some missed shots and fumbled plays to step to the foul line and hit the decisive free throws with 7.1 seconds remaining.”
Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post: “By the time the Wizards become a threat to make or advance in the playoffs, most of the players who were Wall’s teammates Tuesday night, in his home regular season debut for the team that made him the overall No. 1 pick in the draft, will be long gone. That’s the necessary reality of the NBA. Check the difference in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ team photo from LeBron’s rookie season to his sixth, or the Bulls’ team photo from Michael Jordan’s first year to when the Bulls became a contender.”
Mike Lynch of espn.com: “Wall is the first player in NBA history to have at least 29 points, 13 assists and nine steals in a single game. He’s the fourth player in NBA history to have at least 20 points and 10 assists in his home debut. Only one NBA rookie has ever had more than Wall’s nine steals in a game (steals have been an official stat since 1973-74). That was Ron Harper back in 1986-87.”
Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader: “The play called for Hartline to throw a post route to Matthews in the end zone, but Matthews misinterpreted the call and broke his route off, allowing Johnthan Banks an easy interception at the MSU 1-yard line that iced the game. Afterward, both Hartline and Coach Joker Phillips acknowledged that Matthews blew the call. That was just part of what was a disastrous night for the 6-foot-6 senior receiver. He spent the first quarter on the sideline for an unspecified violation of team rules. Matthews didn’t elaborate on what got him suspended.”
With all the Twitter tumult, lost in the mix was the question of how Randall Cobb got so open for the winning touchdown, on a fourth-and-seven play, no less to beat South Carolina last Saturday?
Picture 1: Going back and looking at the play, UK is in a shotgun, 1-back set, with two wide receivers to the left. Cobb comes in motion across the formation, stopping just to the right of right tackle Brad Durham. Right beside him, in the slot, is fellow wide out Chris Matthews. Those two are inside the circle.
Picture 2: Matthews runs a short turn-around route and stops. That’s Matthews in the left corner of the pic. You can see the three South Carolina defenders — or at least the two to the right — all going for Matthews, as Cobb runs right past them. There is no safety help over the top.
Kentucky’s Chris Matthews talks about the dressing down the team — the entire team — got on the sidelines from head coach Joker Phillips in the first quarter. After the slow start, UK buried the visiting Akron Zips.
