Allgemeines Forum! » waiting to learn his fate.They werent the easiest days

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Back in the playoffs for the first time since 2008, the Washington Wizards arent sure if seeding matters. Washington rallied to beat Orlando 96-86 and move a game ahead of Charlotte for the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference with three games left. If the Wizards hold on to the sixth seed, they will face either Toronto or Chicago in the first round. If they drop to No. 7, its either Indiana or Miami. "I think it matters where we finish, but Ive never been in the playoffs so I dont really know how it goes," said Wizards guard Bradley Beal, who had 16 points against Orlando. "No matter who we get, its going to be a tough series and were going to have to pick it up offensively. I think defensively, were solid, but were going to have to start knocking down more shots." The Wizards were just 2 for 19 on 3-pointers and Beal made both of those. The bulk of their offence came right around the rim where Nene had 17 points, Trevor Booker 14 and Marcin Gortat 10. Point guard John Wall created most of those opportunities, handing out 12 assists to go with 10 points. "We didnt make shots, but defensively, we won the game," Washington coach Randy Wittman said. "We never did shoot the ball particularly well, but we never lost the edge defensively." Orlando will not be in the playoffs this season, but had hoped to build some positive momentum for next season after winning its last two games. Instead, the Magic resorted to season-long problems executing their offence in the fourth quarter of close games. The Magic were 4 for 15 (26.7 per cent) from the field in the final period and committed five turnovers. Arron Afflalo, who led the Magic with 19 points, had the teams only field goal in the final six minutes. "You cant just be helter-skelter out there," Afflalo said. "Weve got to be decisive about what you want to accomplish. That comes with maturity and growth." "In the first half, we moved the ball a lot and were making plays," added Tobias Harris, who scored 10 points. "We got away from that in the second half and didnt get any defensive stops." Jameer Nelson had 12 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds for Orlando and Kyle OQuinn added 13 points and nine rebounds. Struggling from the perimeter nearly the entire game, Washington kept its focus in the paint in the fourth quarter. Leading 83-82 with just over four minutes to play, the Wizards scored nine straight points on two dunks, two layups and a free throw to push the lead to 10 points. Afflalo ended the Magics scoring drought with a 3-pointer, but that was the only field goal Orlando could muster in the final 6 minutes. The Wizards held Orlando to just 37 per cent shooting in the second half and forced 13 turnovers. That helped make up for Washington shooting just 42.7 per cent in the game. Washington erased a six-point halftime deficit when Orlando committed six turnovers in the first 5 minutes of the second half. Booker had eight points as the Wizards grabbed a 60-57 lead on Walls 18-foot jumper with 6:42 left in the third quarter. Nelson, part of Orlandos ballhandling troubles, got control of the Magic offence and helped rally his team to 70-67 lead by the end of the quarter. The Magic took advantage of the Wizards horrendous shooting to jump out to a 29-17 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Washington was 2 for 15 in the first 8 minutes of the game, most of them wayward perimeter shots early in the shot clock. Afflalo had 14 points and OQuinn and Doron Lamb eight each as Orlando had an easy time with the listless Wizards for much of the first half. Washington moved its offensive focus inside in the second period and the result was a run of layups and free throws that cut the deficit to 51-45 by halftime. Washington was 15 of 20 from the free throw line, helping offset a 14-for-40 shooting half from the field. NOTES: Washington swept Orlando for the first time since the Magics expansion season in 1989-90. ... The Magic got another surprising shooting display from a reserve guard. Doron Lamb was 3 for 4 on 3s and scored 11 points. Last game, ETwaun Moore was 5 for 5 from beyond the arc and scored 17 points. ... Wizards G Andre Miller fouled out in just 10 minutes. He didnt score. Custom Chicago Cubs Jerseys . -- Alex Anthopoulos spoke volumes with what he didnt say on right-hander Ervin Santana. Ernie Banks Jersey .com) - Colorado may be ahead of the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference standings, but they are a club that the Avalanche may want to avoid in the playoffs. http://www.cubsauthentic.com/cubs-carlos-zambrano-jersey/ . I kind of got a taste of being able to pick a suit with the draft lottery, I went with the bow tie. Andre Dawson Jersey . The St. Louis Cardinals were scheduled to arrive in Boston in time for a workout on Tuesday afternoon. Much of Mondays discussion focused on Bostons lineup considerations as the series progresses, specifically when the venue shifts to St. Ben Zobrist Jersey . The Italian side scored twice in a four-minute span in the second half to defeat former stars from S.BEREA, Ohio - Brian Hoyer came dangerously close to losing his dream job for good.But after getting them into playoff contention, the Browns decided that despite his imperfections and recent mistakes, Hoyer is still their starting quarterback over rookie Johnny Manziel, who may be their future but isnt ready to handle the present.The Browns are Hoyers team for at least one more Sunday.I want to see this thing through, Hoyer said. I want to finish this strong.Clevelands struggling veteran will start again this week against Indianapolis after first-year coach Mike Pettine and his staff decided Hoyer would be the better option down the stretch than Manziel, who flashed some Johnny Football magic last week in a loss at Buffalo.Hoyers poor performance against the Bills — he was pulled for Manziel with 12 minutes left in a 26-10 loss — raised the possibility that Cleveland (7-5) would make another switch at the position. The Browns have had 20 starting quarterbacks since 1999.Hoyer spent an anxious 48 hours waiting to learn his fate.They werent the easiest days of my life, thats for sure, he said. Ive been through a lot, and this is one more thing to handle some adversity and it makes you stronger. Its back to business as usual.Pettine described the decision as difficult because of Hoyers performance, but said coaches put more value on his experience and success.It wasnt perfect and hes made his share of mistakes, but hes gotten the lions share of reps in practice and virtually all of them in games and has us in the thick of a playoff hunt, Pettine said. That, to me, was probably the biggest determining factor.Pettine said he told both quarterbacks his decision on Wednesday.Manziel, who led the Browns on an 80-yard touchdown drive he capped with a 10-yard run last week, was understandably disappointed. But the first-round draft pick was encouraged by his time on the field and knows his chance may not be far off.Obviously, thats a decision thats made by Coach Pettine, he said. And this week his answer was, No so moving forward whatever transpires, maybe next time the answer will be, Yes.Pettine said there was some lively discussion before the coaching staff agreed to stay with Hoyyer, who has thrown just one touchdowns pass and six interceptions in his last three games.ddddddddddddHoyer will not be on a short leash and Pettine is confident the five-year veteran and the rest of Clevelands offence can bounce back after a rough stretch.Before finalizing his decision, Pettine spoke with several players, who offered their support of Hoyer.Hes a resilient competitor, Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas said, and that says everything you need to know about him because hes not the type of guy that will feel sorry for himself. Hes not going to lay down. Hes going to prepare even harder.Manziel said he felt good about the way he played and figured he had done enough to make the decision tough on Clevelands coaches.Just being competitive, theres a little bit of disappointment, said Manziel. But at the same time I completely trust Coach Pettine with this team and I believe hes put us in the right situation going forward consistently.Comebacks arent new for Hoyer.A lifelong Browns fan, the Cleveland-area native had his boyhood wishes come true last season when he was given the starting job. He made three starts before tearing a knee ligament against the Bills.Hoyer rehabbed tirelessly to get back and while he expected the Browns to draft a quarterback, he never imagined it would be Manziel, the immensely popular former Texas A&M quarterback and college football legend.Hoyer beat out Manziel in training camp and has held him off again.I always have a fire lit, Hoyer said. Anytime someone questions you, you want to prove them wrong. Im sure there are people questioning me all along, not just this week, throughout the entire season.NOTES: Pettines not concerned about the reaction of Browns fans. The city seemed split between Hoyer and Manziel. The Dawg Pound is happiest when were winning, he said. Therefore, its what this business is all about. I think opinions will be very divided on this regardless of what had happened. ... Starting RB Isaiah Crowell was held out of practice with a hip injury. He leads the team with seven touchdowns. ... 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