Bullets: Season on the Blink

It doesn’t look good. The Washington Bullets desperately needed to beat the Detroit Pistons Sunday at home and couldn’t. A third straight loss, and nine losses in the past 11 games, left them six games under .500 with 28 games left. Because this entire season has been about making the playoffs, the number that matters most is that the Bullets have fallen four games behind Orlando for the eighth and final playoff spot. When Juwan Howard said afterward, “Our time is ticking, truly,” it wasn’t an overstatement.

They have the appropriate sense of urgency, but there aren’t many indications that the Bullets will be able to do enough about their predicament before time runs out. Sunday’s game was one the Bullets have played at least a dozen times this season: They fell behind early, came back furiously, then failed to make the necessary plays when the game was on the line.

Even on a day when Grant Hill, bothered by a skin medication that sapped his strength, had “only” 13 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, the Bullets fumbled around while two graybeards with NBA championship rings -- Joe Dumars and Otis Thorpe -- made the killer shots in the closing moments. “When we got there,” Bullets Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said of drawing even, “we didn’t make the plays.”

So, when are the Bullets going to start making those game-ending plays to beat a good team?

Maybe not this season. You know why not? They don’t know how. Physical talent is the most overrated thing in basketball. There is absolutely nothing physically imposing about Dumars, Thorpe, Terry Mills, Theo Ratliff or Lindsey Hunter. They just know exactly what one thing each is supposed to do and how to get it done. And their roles have been solidified through winning 40 games already this season.

The Bullets, meanwhile, are very unsure about what to do, and losing game after game only makes them more tentative and frustrated. Sunday, still wincing and moving stiffly from a strained back, Chris Webber came back (when most guys wouldn’t have) and put up 19 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.

“I’m convinced of the intelligence of this team and I have no problems with their effort,” Bickerstaff said. “I have no reservations whatsoever with what they want or how badly they want it. I do think they get mentally down when things go wrong, which is where mental toughness comes in. They might be hung up on expectations, which can create a mental problem. They sit on the bench sometimes and they feel so bad, they drop their heads. You can see the disappointment in their faces. As coaches, we have to say, ‘Hey, get your heads back up.’ ”

Bickerstaff said Sunday his first assessment of the team was two-fold: “We’ve got a lot of talent, but we don’t have veterans who know how to use it.”

Perfect example: Howard missed a shot that could have gotten the Bullets within one, and the 34-year-old Thorpe followed with a dunk that pushed the Detroit lead to 77-72. When Rod Strickland and Webber miscommunicated on a lob pass, Thorpe scored on a running hook to make it 79-72. After Howard committed an offensive foul, the 33-year-old Dumars called for the ball and made a quick jumper for 81-72. Good night.

Where are the Bullets’ equivalents of Dumars and Thorpe? They don’t have any. Or haven’t yet discovered who they are. The Pistons even have on their bench the injured Yoda, Rick Mahorn, who’s so knowledgeable and so demanding it’s like having another coach.

“With a guy like Tracy Murray (a reserve with the champion Rockets in 1995), it would be so good to have a Ricky Pierce or a Dale Ellis,” Bickerstaff said. “They’re so self-disciplined. They know to go out and shoot 500 times on their own. With the young kids, you’ve got to structure things in practice because they don’t know how.”

And Bickerstaff, by himself, doesn’t have enough fingers to plug all the holes. “What Bernie’s doing is really good,” Strickland said, “but you just can’t tell it yet. I really like what he’s doing. We’ve got more structure, discipline, ball movement side to side. Look, we’ve been playing one way all year, so there’s no miracles here.”

And to be fair about it, Bickerstaff has solved two major problems since the all-star break that needed fixing: how to best use Gheorghe Muresan and how to maximize the considerable talents of Strickland.

Muresan’s 20 minutes Sunday were of maximum efficiency. He made 4 of 5 shots as the Bullets went to him early in much the same way the Bulls wear out Luc Longley in the first quarter. Muresan had eight points, nine rebounds and some clumsy fouls. After a couple of turnovers when the Pistons adjusted and Big Gheorghe started fumbling entry passes, Bickerstaff sat him down. Perfect.

The Strickland problem really wasn’t his issue, but everybody else’s. But it’s simple: Rod Strickland should handle the ball 90 percent of the time and should be more selfish about scoring, considering that he’s the best finishing small guard in the league.

Now, it’s still popular in some circles around the league to talk about what Strickland can’t do, about his reputation. But here’s the truth about him this season: He’s been a pro, his priorities have been right, and he’s so much smarter than people know. One of the things Bickerstaff has done is tap into Strickland’s vast knowledge, what with him having played with Patrick Ewing and David Robinson, and for Larry Brown and Rick Pitino. Asked if Strickland has done everything and more asked of him, Bickerstaff said, “That’s a fair assessment.”

Strickland’s tenacity and creativity brought the Bullets back against the Bulls Friday and kept them close against the Pistons for 44 minutes. Strickland has been in the playoffs every season of his nine-year career, and he’s quite aware of the uphill climb to keep that streak intact.

“I don’t know when I’ve been under .500 this late in a season,” he said. “It’s tough right now, no question about it. We’ve got to try to work our way through it.”

Two problems may be solved, but so many more remain. The schedule becomes very favorable for the Bullets beginning Wednesday and over the next 18 games. Maybe with the best teams in the league off their radar for a while, the Bullets can right themselves. Urgent isn’t strong enough to describe what they face now.