two days ago at verizon cent ier, the wizards find. ly got their act together, putting together their most complete performance to date. tonight the captain leads his troops cross country to oklahoma city where kevin durant has the thunder rumbling in mid-season form. from the o k-state, the wizards face the thunder next. >> steve: washingtons one and

only visit to oklahoma city as comcast sportsnet brings you wizards basketball. tonight the wiz fresh off one of the best wins of the year take on kevin durant and the 6- 6 oklahoma city thunder. steve buckhantz and phil chenier. wiz end the to six-game slide in the season debut of antawn jamison, and if there were any doubts what he means to this team, they were cleared up rather quickly. >> phil: he looked as sharp as ever, and boy did that it to need it, especially in that first half, started off slowly. went on to have 31 points and 10 rebounds through three quarters, but in the forget, there were a couple of other guys that stepped up, boykins and butler. boykins perfect from the field and the line. 3 for 3 in each category. he finished with 90 points in

to that quarter. butler struggled article, but finished with 13 points. the wizards closed out their third one of the season. -- third win of the season. >> gigahertz wasn't much of a factor in the later quarters, but made his presence felt early. the thunder are off to a pretty good start. they're 6-6 on the year. kevin durant in his third season, and they play some nasty defense. >> phil: y, and that's a big improvement from last year. they are yielding only 92 points a games,so much improvement there, but they also have an offensive force in kevin durant, averaging 27 points a game, 6th in the league. he's a big thin guy that can hit the boards as well. he has a couple of side kicks that are playing good

basketball as well. jeff green out of georgetown. his numbers are slightly down from last year, but he still has been playing good basketball, started every game, and of course russell westbrook, his numbers are about the same as last year, except in the assists department where he has added two more assists per game. >> steve: well, he's been a spark plug for nine different franchises, and now boykins lighting a fire for the wizards. his advice for the littlemen when we come bac

welcome home, man.

. >> steve: wizards and thunder the first of two meetings this year. last year they split a pair, each team winning at home. credit goes to ernie grunfeld, the wizards president for signing boykins a week ago as the crafty point guard has been a spark plug on this team. we've seen a lot of great

little big men in the league with spald web and mugsy, he is another one. here is what he said to today's dim inyoutive youth. >> i always felt first of all, you have to be realistic, and when i was growing up, my dad would always keep my grounded, and i would tell kids my sides, you can't be just as good as the next basketball player, you have to be better. i know with my size, i can't shoot just as good as the next guy, i have to shoot better, can't handle the ball just as good, have to handle it better. so you have to be good in every aspect of the basketball game, because if you're not, it's going to be held against you, and it's going to be considered a strike. so i tell kids if you really want to play this game of basketball and you're my height, you have to develop all phases of the game. >> steve: in just two games averaging 14 and a half points as a spark plug for this team. the little big man doing big

things. wizards an

. >> steve: phil who do you you have for the ones to watch. >> phil: kevin durant coming off his lowest output this year, 12 points. he was four for 12, missed all four of his field goals from three-point range and even struggled from the free throw line, so how does he respond for this. and jail coming off of his best game, so it will be interesting

to see how these to two match up tonight. durant has played against jamison three times. has yet to come away with a victory. >> steve: what about your keys to to the game. >> steve: of? >> phil: maybe the wizards have found the key to success, shoot the bail, get to the free throw line and stay healthy, also force turnovers. they are near the bottom this thunder team can be forced into turnovers. this is a young team that can be good and can be bad. they play with a lot of energy, excitement, and enthusiasm, but also are prone to make mistakes

sometimes. >> here is nenad, he had nowhere to go, and a blocked shot by jamison. now durant fires its up, long.

durant shooting over built her, the put in by green. >> phil: he was able to elevate overrule miller. already two offensive rebounds.

westbrook for three. in his second year from ucla, he's at about 16 points a game, and is 8th in the league in assists in over 7, and it's a 7- 2 thunderstorm lead. jamison puts up the quick

rebound and draws a foul, and jamison will shoot free throws. >> phil: that's what he is so good at. his hands are are so accurate in grabbing loose balls. that's why he has led this team in rebounds the past two seasons. >> steve: his season debut wednesday night, and wouldn't you know it, he has a double double. last year he had 38 of them, the 9th most in the league. >> phil: yeah, for his career, 263 of them. but like i said, the team needed that spark after getting off to a very slow start against cleveland. >> steve: after that win against the cavaliers, as durant hits again, the wizards moved up to 13th in the league in free-throw shooting, but antawn unable to convert on their first attempts.

arenas's first jumper, good. two-point field goal for gilbert, who had 18 points last night, and made only one of 8 three-pointers, but made some shorts when they needed it. >> phil: yeah, especially in the third quarter as the wizards took over the lead. >> steve: wow, that one was so off, the wizards couldn't even get the rebound. collison sefolosha who came here for a first-round pick this summer. 11-4. >> phil: they've had at least three offensive rebounds already, and two have led to baskets. >> steve: butler with a jumper, he hits. 11-6. durant. >> phil: does a great job of turning the corner.

you think you have him slowed down, and he has that burst of speed to get to the rim. >> steve: butler is hit on the arm and fouled, and it's on kevin durant. >> phil: that's one way to try and work on a score, make him have a quick transition after scoring. he had to get back into position, wasn't able to do so, and caron able to draw the foul. >> steve: caron has been an excellent free-throw shooter this year at 83%. but the wizards just can't get it done in their first three attempts. >> phil: i was gonna match what you said. i was gonna say over the last four games, three games, he's 14 of 15 from the line, but he's had times like that first shot where he just hasn't gotten into the rhythm offensively from the free throw line. >> steve: miller battles, but can't get the rebound, and they have some numbers, 4 on 2.

>> phil: we're seeing a really bad trend starting off. are the getting some fortunate bounces as well, and they're capitalizing. >> steve: miller who gave this team a spark against cleveland. gilbert thought about a three, now penetrates, and misses the short layup. jeff green, who went to the floor hard, converts on the layup, but he got hammered on the play by haywood, and jeff is slow to get up, but he looks like he's gonna be okay. >> phil: it was a strong move on his part. there is the pump fake that gets miller out of the play, and the contact occurred up high. his feet, continuous momentum. and are they calling this a

flagrant? flagrant one. >> are they? >> phil: maybe not. >> steve: flip called a time- out. i don't think it's a flagrant one, we'll check on it. a very slow start for washington with 7:05 to go in

. >> steve: oklahoma city off to a thunderous start. they have jumped tout a 10- point lead on the wizards,

their largest of the quarter, and we want to say happy birthday to one of the future great directors of our time, avery grain, three years old today, the director of son of our directer steve grain ask his wife. >> phil: we understand he's supposed to be in bed, but his papa is taping this, so he'll see it at some point. so happy birthday. we forgot to wish sam cassell a happy birthday the other night. with all of the excitement of antawn returning, it was his 40th birthday. >> knew on the 18th. >> steve: so happy birthday to him and avery grain. wizards just are in zero rhythm right now, and have not only missed field goals, but free throws, as well. >> phil: and the other thing, they've given up a number of

second chance points. in fact, six extra chance points on four offensive rebounds. >> steve: enabletoo take add vantage, fouled by sefolosha. >> phil: miles an hour was the odd man over in the corner, but guess butler didn't see him. >> steve: gilbert gets inside, challenges krstic and scores. westbrook toance wash little short, hit haywood rightny the face. >> phil: second or third time that ball has really take an

funny bounce off the back board or the rim. >> steve: miller nice pass to jamison for the open look, and he scores. >> phil: love that kind of play. his movement in motion created that open shot for jamison. >> steve: last year each team won a game at home. the thunder took the game here 88-83 in march. the wizards won at verizon center 101-95 in december. they'll play again on december 29th. here is another jumper by jamison, that one just missed. sefolosha, and jamison pulls it down. had 10 rebounds wednesday night. butler drives, off balance jumper, good. wizards making a comeback now. 18-13, and brooks will take a time-out. so washington shooting 6 of 12 from the field and hitting the

boards a little bit better, and caron butler sparking the club with a couple of field goals, rebound and assist. he has five points. the wizards ha what would you do for a klondike bar? ahhhh! what would you do now that is has... a thicker, more chocolatey shell? ahhhhh! ♪ what would you do-oo-oo for a klondike bar? ♪

. >> steve: wizards now down by 5, and with so many local fees in the game, you knew there would somebody hype about this one back in d.c. >> people talk a lot of trash

back at home, i'm getting text messages that the wizards are going to beat up, even though i like your game, so this should be a fun thing when i get back to my home at the end of the game. >> steve: in this day and age, it surprising he won't be looking at his phone during the game. >> phil: guys can get in trouble for doing that. >> steve: yeah, that's a no- no. former wizards etan thomas is now in the line-up. he went to minnesota and then came out here to oklahoma city. here is kevin durant, short jumper, no good, haywood is there and pulls it down. arenas good defense and pulls it out. jamison short jumper no good. can't get the handle, and the

thunder have some numbers. knocked away, and they'll reset. shot clock did not reset. it continues to tick. durant again off balance, short, and and he's over the line. so arenas, kevin durant to try to complete a three-point play. >> phil: it goes across the middle. looked like that was caron butler. >> steve: yeah, in fact, flip saunders screaming to one of the officials, he's not even in the play. >> phil: yeah. >> steve: miller falls. he's holding the left shoulder. sefolosha the other way to follow, was there. mike miller holding the left arm, wizards get two in transition, because that happened so quickly haywood and miller couldn't get down the

court. >> phil: you're right, mike holding that left shoulder much like he did in that miami game. >> steve: boy, you just look at that phil and hope it's not a problem until he's able to get a decent rest. >> phil: right. >> steve: green's jumper good. jeff green in his third year from george town from maryland, went to high school in hyattsville. gilbert all the way again, puts it up, draws contact. see who they call it on. it's ones eetan thomas. that's his first personal. and mike miller is headed to the wizards locker room. so again it's unfortunate, but that's the kind of injury it appears every time he goes tout give it a go, when he falls on

it, it's gonna reaggravate it. >> phil: yeah, always seems like the part of your boyd that's are so seems to always -- parts of your body that's sore seems to always absorb the contact. >> steve: steve buckhantz, phil chenier, battling a little bit of a voice problem. i apologize for that. >> phil: sounds okay to me, sounds like i'm working with a different guy. >> steve: recovered by james hartnell -- hardin, who has been outstanding.

antawn picking up where he left off the other night against cleveland. he had 31 then. tonight he already has five. durant inside, he travels, no basket. >> phil: forced him to change directions, and that caused the extra step and the traveling violation. >> steve: haywood going one on one, and defensive three seconds called on oklahoma city. they got it on kevin ollie, and

butler will try the free throw, the wizards get the ball back. wizards playing if their first of a back to back here tonight. they will travel to san antonio after tonight's game to take on the spurs, who have struggled a bit to start this season. that will be tomorrow night. >> phil: well, they have some injury problems of their own, tony parker being out, and i understand gin observely will miss 7 to 10 games as well. >> steve: here is jamison,thee runner. on the short shot, nicely done. >> phil: that's a shot you can't teach anybody. you have to have feel, you have to have touch. >> steve: no. you know that defender is planning to try to pick up the charge. >> phil: and that time was etan, and he's seen that a number of times, i'm sure.

>> steve: lead is 6 after the wizards cut it to five. durant cut off by arenas to harden, and they made him pay. the rotation wasn't quick enough, and harden nails a jumper. arenas again drives, lays it off, fans wanted a travel. butler trapped on the base line. >> phil: oh, good movement on brendan's part to hang in there, is and that was a difficult pass to complete by caron butler, to tough angle. >> steve: seven-point thunder lead. durant turns on stevenson, missed a shot, but they call a foul on deshawn. >> phil: deshawn knows what he has to do. get him to turn around like he just did, certainly play durant physically. sometimes a little too to physical, he picked up the foul. >> steve: what a great game he

had against lebron in that fourth quarter, getting inside lebron's head and forcing him to play one on one and take some horrible shots. >> phil: well, i think flip saunders said it best, he just got down and dirty and played strong defense. didn't even take a shot. he added two points in that quarter, and that was both from. the line. three rebounds forced the block on lebron, so terrific job down the stretch, and that's what it's gonna take, collective effort. >> steve: jamison drives, he is fouled, scores the field goal, and he will go to the line. collison is called for the foul, here it is. >> phil: jamison already with nine points. there you see the hand on the hip. can't do that. >> steve: back to stevenson for just a minute, you said flip saunders said it best, another guy who put it well was

brian windmore, a writer for the cleveland plain deal american said -- plain dealer. >> phil: tookthee shots that were probably not the shots he wanted in that fourth quarter, but we had just seen him knock down three consecutive threes, too. so, again, that was before deshawn got in it. >> steve: and not only did james hurt himself emotionally, but the frustration to his left wrist when he tried to slam that ball if and did so, that bothered him a little bit. he was just 4 of 11 after stevenson came into the game. and a 24-second violation as the wiz have cut it to three. and getting a little more stingy on defense now. >> phil: great job by

everybody out there right now, have to really clamp down on harden, though. against orlando, he was 6 of 7 from three-point range, and has already knocked down his first two three pointers. >> steve: shot clock off, haywood's jumper atth the butlerrer is no good. gilbert laying on the floor wondering where the whistle was, but there was none, as the wizards have battled back here after trailing by as many as 12 in that first quarter. they have cut it to 3. oklahoma city, led by jeff green, georgetown's own, had 11 points in that quarter, on 5 of 7 shooting. the wizards counter with 9 apiece from bud and jamison, and five from arenas as we get set for quarter number

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. >> steve: we look at our morgan frank live pivotal play. and brendan haywood continues his great play this season. >> phil: that's one of those offensive rebounds. >> steve: that's actually jeff green. >> phil: really good balance by washington in that first quarter. everyone scored except miller who went to the locker room with that are so shoulder. >> steve: and the wizards will start earl boykins in the second quarter. butler hits another three pointer. caron now 2 of 3 from three- point range, has 12 points, and the wizards have come back to

tie the game at. >> phil: harden already three for three from three-point range, and the four games from that, he was one of 13, be before that orlando game when he was 6 of 7. so he's got it going now with that three-point game. >> steve: james harden is a rookie from arizona state. who last year as a sophomore averaged 20 points, five rebounds, four assists. caron makes both free throws, and it's a one-point thunder lead. steve buckhantz, phil chenier, our comcast sportsnet crew.

now they've got some numbers, but can't take advantage. stevenson waits for butler, just misses. etan thomas who came in late in that efficient starts the season. durant with the short jumper. >> phil: you can see the height advantage he had, just elevated well above deshawn after he got into his range. >> steve: picked second overall by see at until 2007. last here he was 6th in the league in scoring. stevenson with 10, down low for jamison, flips it up and in. foul is called, it will send harden to the line, not only

ask he hitting from the outside, but he's getting to the glass. >> phil: after hitting three straight threes, you're going to draw the defense out to you, and that makes it easier for you to put that ball on the floor and go by them. jeff green also a good shoot are from the line. >> steve: harden came in 16 of 19 from the line, makes one of two, and it's a two-point thunder lead. the wizards have never led. they were down by as many as 12

and came back to tie. >> steve: that's the second on deshawn. kevin ollie, sefolosha for the long three, good. thabo sefolosha who played all three years in chicago. here is boykins in the paint for

blatche, his jumper, no good. the steal, boykins, butler was picked by sefolosha, and flip saunders is beside himself. danny crawford looks at him and says all ball on that block. bad pass by boykins is picked off, this time they get an easy two. and saunders wants time. so the wizards had tied the game thunder have five straight points and have grabbed the advantage once again.

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. >> steve: kevin durant not standpointing the folks back home he knows is watching, he's

5 of 9 from the field. >> phil: he stops and pops, getting the jumper. he's rest right now, but like you know said, 12 points on 5 of 9 shooting. >> steve: randy foye is in the game tonight for the first time for washington. boykins for butler. blatche, inside, begin per roll not good. they lost though magic wednesday, but they've won three out of five, and all three wins have come on the road. at l.a. against the clippers, at san antonio, and at miami, which was the night before san antonio, so they were playing back to back.

>> steve: but will try the jumper, and he hits. and caron has been hot. he's got 16 points of 5 of 8 shoots. six-point thunder lead.

washington's at turnover. each team has five. westbrook back in for kevin ollie. thunder 6-6 on the year. 2-3 here at home. washington 3-7. 1-4 on the road. mike miller up off the wizards bench. that's a good sign. harden drives, had it slapped away, wizards get the steal, boykins the other way. great pass from blatche in the flats. >> phil: he hood a couple of options. he had blatche running down the middle, but had butler on the other side. >> steve: hounds westbrook on defense. now the switch gets him confused, but boyd does a good job to knock it away from etan. >> phil: and that's what the wizards team has to too, when somebody moves out of position, someone has to move in to cover

them. harden, good defense by foye. they whip it around. sefolosha on a fading jumper. wow. those are the kind that really hurt you as he plays some good

defense. sefolosha in his fourth year. he's from switzerland. blatche will shoot it again. andray batch has six points. he has six straight points for washington, and scott brooks would like to talk about it. wizards nice job to come back from a 12-point deficit. it's a two-point thunder lead right now, and mike miller pack in t learn more at supportyourvet.org.

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. >> steve: five and a half left in the second quarter. antawn jamison picking off where he left off in his season debut. >> phil: he continues to look extremely sharp from inside and outside, knocks down that three, his only attempt. also getting points inside. the jump shot, again, right- hand touch shot by jamison. boy, he and caron a combined 29 points. >> steve: here is russell

westbrook for the open jumper, good. >> steve: durant runs the break, beautiful pass. forecast straight points for oklahoma city to take the lied by 7. >> phil: that shoulder boring him is going to make it difficult to quickly make passes and quickly receive passes, as well. >> steve: jamison will come

back into the washington line- up. arenas takes the long jumper, and now oklahoma city resets with. here is krstic, open for the jumper. good. krstic in his 6th year from yugoslavia. >> phil: yeah, before getting injured at new jersey, he had some big numbers, looked like he was about to take off. >> steve: foye will tree the jumper and reap it. jeff green there for the rebound.

off a foot they called a kick. >> phil: boy, did that look intentionle to you? >> steve: that's mcgee. in it's not intentional, it's not a kick in this league, and i didn't see where it was intentional. looked like he just bounced it off his foot. >> phil: yeah. >> steve: gilbert drives, score the field goal, he'll go to the line, and a foul is called on krstic. gilbert has 7 points on 3 of 7 shooting. >> phil: does such a good job. once he curls over, looking to

see what's in the middle there, he sees the opening he want, and he makes a strong bid to the rim. wizards cut it to six. short jumper no good by westbrook. gilbert again drives. 15 points, four rebounds for antawn. durant lost the ball, turned it over. good defense by mike miller. so there's a time-out on the

floor with just about 2 and a half to play in half number one, and the wizards are battling back. they have the ba

. >> steve: thunder lead cut to four with about two and a half to lead in the half.

durant all met washington post player of the year in e08. high school all american. foul is called on westbrook. last year kevin durant scored 20 or more points 57 times, 20 or more 31 times.

westbrook lays it off for green. third time is a charm. >> phil: they have really been hurting washington on the offensive glass tonight. they've got at least 15 second chance points. haywood has it, tipped away by westbrook. mike miller is basically

dragging his arm up the court. every time oklahoma city gets close, then -- every time the wizards get close, oklahoma city makes a run. over a minute to go now, and the load is 6. they've ledpy as many as 12. the wizards have never led in this game. jeff green for three. >> phil: he's 7 for 11, with 17 points already. >> steve: and collectively oklahoma city 7 of 10 from

three-point range here in this game. arenas drives, puts it up and in. flip saunders screams out an offensive play. wizards have three players in double figures. oklahoma city has four. jamison tips it up, no good. two seconds, leads from beyond half court, and it's no good. gilbert had 10. the wizards were outrebounded and mainly outshot from three- point range, where the thunder

made 7 of 10 three-point shots. both teams shoot 53% from the field, but the thunder have the lead after one half of

>> steve: wizards first and only trip to the ford center, and after one half, they trail the thunder 62-55. very emotional win for washington wednesday at verizon center over cleveland, and i think they came out a little bit flat here to start this first half. >> phil: that's the thing about it. you've got your full complement, into you want to follow up that good win, so they have some work to make up. you don't want to see them come out flat, certainly that should

not be the case. >> steve: oklahoma city built a 12-point lead, the wizards came back and tied it, but then every time they got close, the thunder would go on a run, and they lead at the half perform tomorrow night, the wizards will be in san antonio, but they will not be facing ginobili who missed this last game, she's out with a strained groin at least a week. >> phil: yeah, and may not see parker. devin harris also been out with an injury, expected to return tomorrow. keep in mind, his team is still winless in 12 tries. >> bogut expected to miss two to four weeks with a strain and contusion. the record in the nba is 17 straight losses to start the

season. the -- boy, that's a tough row to he when your best player is out. has at halftime, the wiz trail the thunder. back to okla

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. >> steve: steve buck handles with phil chenier as washington start this first of a back to back. day will be in san antonio to face tim duncan tomorrow night. you and i were both surprised to look at the statisticle sheet and see that washington actually outrebounded oklahoma city on the oh anyone elsive glass. seemed like they had more second chances. >> phil: well, the thunder have done a better job of converting at the point. early on, they were really dominating the offensive glass. >> steve: mike miller got the start tonight, but he got back early. we look at our geico game highlights, but this poor guy is taking a beating and just keeps coming back for more. >> phil: yeah, he's the only scoreless starter out there, you can see why. took that hard fall and had to

go to the locker room. jamison has been on fire, though, knocking down the shot inside, and caron butler has been extremely sharp from both inside and outside. the two of them have combined for 31 points. so you like what you've been getting from them. on the other side, you have jeff green, who already has a double double. 10 rebounds, 17 points, five on the offensive glass. kevin durant making things happen with this nice pass to sefolosha. durant showing you he can get to the rim and finish with the benefit of them. >> steve: we take a look at our toyota ones to watch. antawn has been spectacular again tonight after his season debut 31 points against cleveland, and durant has been great as well. >> phil: it is exciting to see what will happen in the second half between these to.

keep in mind, we've talked about the fact that they've played each other three times, washington has won all three of those games when those 0 two have been on the court together. >> steve: how about brendan haywood, phil, 11 rebounds in the first half alone. >> phil: well, he's been playing consistently well and doing the things that matter most to this team, and that's rebound go ahead, blocking shots, and playing in the middle, getting high percentage shots. so i'm getting to the point i'm not surprised, the only thing i'm surprised about is he was left on the all-star ballot. >> steve: yeah, we mentioned that. the big three are there, but not brendan. maybe he feels like he has something to prove. ne. ne. wakey, wakey. you up? what'd you dream about? me? jk. text me back. i'll keep texting till you wake up. are your parents home later? [overlapping] is it something i did? exclamation point. question mark. this isn't a joke. text me.

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. >> steve: the oklahoma city thunder lead the wizards by seven as we get set to start the third quarter at oklahoma city. chevrolet and your local chevy dealers present our halftime statistics. >> phil: well, both teams shooting the ball 50% or better. the thunder have the advantage from three-point range. they're shooting a hot 7 for 11. washington has gotten to the line more, but they really haven't converted. rebounds are even, as are the assists and turnovers. >> wednesday night against cleveland, antawn jamison led the wizards with 31 points, 10 rebound, be a couple of assists

here tonight. he has 15 points on 7 of 13 shooting. >> phil: i asked minimum after the game if he found himself tired in that first half? and he said just form the first five sore 10 minutes, then it didn't bother me after that. he continued to shoot the ball at a high rate. he was 7 for 13 in that first half. good elevation on his shot, able to get it awful at will

pretty much, durant. has a quick first step. and with long range, able to get up and over most anybody. >> steve: now in his third year in the league. played three years at georgetown. six and a half rebounds over three assists average. here is look at jeff as a georgetown hoya. it was actually the celtics that took him with and we 5th overall pick and traded him three summers ago. northwestern high school in hyattsville, leading the wildcats to the state title in '04, and the big east player of the year at georgetown. >> phil: he only played against the wizards are once

last season, and had a pretty good game that outing, 23 points. also had three blocked shots. and he's off to another terrific start, realizing this game is televised back home. >> steve: last year averaged a career high at oklahoma city. making 96 three-point shots.

>> steve: here in oak okay city, steve buckhantz with phil chenier, our comcast sportsnet crew. again, apologized for the raspy's, battling a little bit of laryngitis. let's see how the wizards start here. krstic knocks in a jumper. here is haywood.

wizards with nowhere to go offensively. now haywood is going to have to take a fadeaway jumper, and can't get it to fall in. durant has consistently government around. the wizards first line of defense. in fact, no one is able to stop him, and he draws a foul there.

a loot 0 of times that -- a lot of times that comes from just relaxing and maintaining possession. >> steve: well, luckily it doesn't hurt them, and the wizards get possession, trailing 64-58. arizona drives, lays it off for -- arenas drives, lays it off for haywood, nicely done. for brendan another double double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. knocked out of bounds. wizards had a big third quarter against cleveland when. they got off to a good start and got back into that game to

take advantage. durant the miss, wizards the rebound, and they trail by 4. kept alive by jamison who puts it in! >> phil: how did he do that. tipped it basically to himself. >> steve: the wizard is a magician, and vice versa. green offer the green. no good. tipped out of bounds to hazed, nicely done. here comes arenas, two on three. gilbert for the trailer. butler goes up, blocks, no call. haywood gets the rebound, and he gets hit, and gilbert comes up with it. >> phil: they only had two to officials down there. >> steve: i think it hurt

them. gilbert drives inside. no call. rebound oklahoma city. miller is called for the foul for blocking. >> phil: i mentioned before, they only had two officials down there. danny crawford was down here helping and when he reached to help mike miller up, he reached with the left arm, grabbed the left arm. so that would cause more pain for mike. >> steve: runle westbrook makes the throw, oklahoma city 6-6 on the year, and in third place in the northwest division, trailing denver at 8- 3, and portland at 9-4. westbrook gets boat free

throws. the second year from ucla. wizards down by 4. butler turns on sefolosha, puts up a tough jumper and misses. jamison the repound, and a loose ball foul is called on oklahoma city. it's on jeff green. >> phil: sefolosha all over caron butler. right in good position for the rebound. jamison, he got low bridged by one of the thunder. >> steve: bill better, pass knocked out of bounds by oklahoma city. the wizards have improved their defense dramatically this year. they came into this game holding their defense to 44%% shooting from the field, which is up from 48% last season. only portland, and they're improvement has been more drastic. offensive foul, as this time

miller, who looked like he was sliding over got if front of durant. >> phil: i thought there was another play at the other end. let's see what happens. you're right. see, he's leaning that left shoulder in there. that's the last thing you would think he would do with that shoulder hurting. >> steve: if he could play the game with a sling, he would, but that wouldn't work very well. arenas, good. three-pointer for gilbert, and he has 13 points in the game, and a time-out is taken by oklahoma city as the wizards once again have come back. they have at least once tied the game after trailing by as many as 12, and they've cut it to one here, as gilbert arenas gets his first three pointer of the even be, and has 13 for the boss: ah! thank goodness you're back.

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. >> steve: 8 and a half to playny the third quarter. we chick our toyota league leaders. mike miller came into the game second in the nba in three- point shooting, only to chris paul, at 57%. he's 1 for 1 from long range tonight. >> phil: that's amazing. you have 7 players shooting 50% or better from three-point range, and i remember when that rule first came into play, i mean the highest shooter was

shooting 40%. i have seen this play happen so many times that i'm amazed that players continue to do it. caron butler grabbed kevin durant's jersey, was called for the foul, looked over at the official with an increasedlous glare as if to say what did i do, and it was clear he grabbed his jersey. boy would you do that? it happens on a regular basis, like the officials might not see it. >> phil: maybe that's part of it, is that it's done so often, you think, as a player, that it's not gonna be called. >> when a guy's jersey comes out of his pants, you would think the officials are going to call it, and they have been. just the first personal on crash, who has 16 points. -- caron who has 16 points.

they whip it around. miller had the shotth, didn't take it, now butler is called for traveling. i think mike miller needs to take those shots, i really do. >> phil: again, we don't know really the state of how he's feeling, and keep in mind, sometimes as that facility eighter, you are going to -- facilitator, you are going to pass up that shot just to keep things going. >> steve: durant gets inside with the big slam. 18 points for kevin durant. and arenas looking to call time, and he does, to avoid a turnover. 20-second teamout. and again, every time the wizards get close or tie, oklahoma city answers with a small run. >> phil: he has the free throws and then to bucket hears

by kevin durant, able to slice his way into the paint there. like i said before, elevate with the length that he has and his jumping ability, boy, it's hard to stop that. >> steve: wizards will retain possession with 18 on the shot clock, trailing by 5. washington wizards four of its five starters in double figures, jamison leads the way with 17. butler 16. arenas 13, and haywood 10 points and 12 rebounds. same thing for oklahoma city. in fact, harden has 10 off the bench. they have five guys already in double figures. wizards nearly have it stolen away. miller the other way, for gilbert. into the paint. and a turnover. wizards still searching for that chemistry on offense, and

they haven't mixed it yet. miller takes a shot off of the screen, to add insult to injury, he scores. >> phil: that's what he is going to be really good at, that pick and pop, the terrific outside shooter, he's not rolling to the basket. >> they signed him as a free agent last december. here is haywood, now makes a move on krstic, jump hook, too far from the basket. jamison is there. what a shot! he lost position, managed to regain it going up, and curves it off the glass! >> phil: that's what you call shoot ising from the hip. >> steve: westbrook inside. the wizards have been beaten consistently in the paint here this game. gilbert lays it off for haywood, great pass. >> phil: those are the kind of

plays we're talking about where brendan has made him so much more effective. he's able to handle passes, and then he wasted no time in putting him up with a high percentage dunk. >> now the two young officials will talk this over. mike miller doesn't know who the foul was on, but it's on him. >> phil: watch his rebound. he's able to grab it, and he's going right back up with it, and, as i said, he actually brings it up from the hip, he's able to guide it right through off the glass. >> you had it right, shooting from the hip. the referees are reviewing this attempt here. >> phil: to see if it was a three-point attempt or not. >> steve: and itis. aa three-point attempt will send

kevin durant though line. the foul was called on mike miller. 88% free-throw shooter coming into the game. >> phil: the other night against orlando, everything wars off. and even struggled from the line coming in here. you said he was, what, 87% shooter. he was 4 of 7 from the line. so that's win of those games you try and forget, so that's why we said he's one of our ones to watch to see how he bounces back after that subpar shooting night for him, and i would say he has bounced back very well. >> pretty well. seven points in the quarter. that gives his team an 8-point lied. wizards have just not been able to catch touch to this squad no matter what they've done. knocked out of bounds.

it will be washington ball with a new 24. last year in their first season in oklahoma city, the thunder had a record of 23 wins and 59 losses. miller challenges, and gets the short jumper. nicely done. of course this is the former seattle super sonics, and the team has missed the playoffs four consecutive seasons. last post-season appearance was '04-'05. durant for westbrook, gets by gilbert, gilbert holds him. franchise has won the nba title in 1979. they were in seattle for 41 years before moving here to oklahoma city last season. >> phil: no knock on oklahoma city, but i know you and i both feel like we kind of got

cheated up in seattle. >> steve: you know, you can make those kinds of comparisons, anytime a team leaves for another city, how about vancouver moving to memphis. >> phil: at least you had seattle, so you weren't far away. completely taken away from the north pacific now. >> steve: thunder 14 of 18 from the line. wizards 6 of 11. gilbert's pass not able to be handled, it was tipped out of bounds by oklahoma city, with 11 to shoot. >> phil: these are the areas that i'm sure gilbert is talking about when sometimes not knowing when to be aggressive to score, and when he's looking for the pass maybe too much. >> steve: wizards now just under 50% from the field, while the thunder are at 54%.

durant stripped away, knocked out of bounds. it will be oklahoma city ball. westbrook for sefolosha, nice fake, shoots, and scores. that's their 8th three-pointer of the game. their first in the second half. miller drives, is fouled, and can't get the roll. they say before the shot went up. and they'll give it to washington on the side. second on the team.

>> phil: had contact occur being he goes into his shooting motion. >> steve: second foul on jeff green. here is gilbert. nice drive, really hammered inside. no call. to butler, who takes a long jumper, and hits a three. >> phil: good hustle by gilbert to come up with his own blocked shot. >> steve: he's getting a little bit frustrated looking at both of the officials and says, look, i just can't buy a foul when i go inside, but it didn't hurt him. in fact, they wound up with three points out of it, and brooks will take a time-out. you can see gilbert again pleading with danny crawford. >> phil: well, they've not shot their field goaling well tonight anyway, 6 of 11, that all came in the first half. this is what you're talking about, able to come up with the loose ball after the block, and it leads to butler, that three- pointer, his third of the

night. >> steve: caron has 19 points, as does jamison, who has a double double, along with 10 rebounds. and haywood has a double double with 12 and 12. meantime, oklahoma city working on thabo sefolosha. wizards will play in as is -- san antonio tomorrow to night. ask then will return to face their old ed coach, eddie jordan, and the 76ers at verizon center. 4:25 to play third quarter. 8-point lead for the thunder. durant, for harden, the lefty

shoots, misses badly, and jamison is there for his 11th rebound. woe have a lane violation. that will be a turnover, unforced turnover at that. >> steve: and line violation.

wizards trying to build on a 5- 0 run here at deshawn stevenson comes back in for mike miller. here it is. i guess he just came over the end line before he passed it in. see if the wizards can take advantage. stevenson for miller. back in the game. deshawn, and he's fouled as he passes it off for shaun krstic, is given two to shots. kind of a late whistle there. durant had two personal fouls, making contact from the back. fans, want to impress your next

date. come see the wizards. date night package includes a picture with the wizards mascot for only 40 for an upper level, and $90 for a lower level. the first 100 to order will get a $50 gift certificate to a local restaurant. go to washingtonwizards.com. stevenson makes both free throws. he made two the other night against cleveland, and an offensive foul is called on krstic, which will give washington the ball back. >> phil: and give krstic his fourth personal foul. two quick ones. he'll have to leave. >> steve: and etan thomas is back in the game. etan played eight years with washington after they matched the free agent offer sheet he signed with the bucks in 2004. >> phil: what a move by gilbert. >> steve: yes, scores the field goal, and he'll go to the

line! >> phil: boy, just a terrific show of ball handling skills by gilbert. up top. had suspenders coming from all angles on him. now he protect this ball with his body, absorbs the contact, and drops it in. >> steve: gets the kind bounce. gilbert has 16 points. >> phil: once again, you're down that one point. >> phil: westbrook lays it up short. haywood the rebound. wizards with an opportunity to take their first lead of the game. again, gilbert splits defenders. lays it off, they foe into the corner for butler. he had it lost, and turned it over. westbrook is hammered by jamison, they'll give him two. once again, the wizards get

close, but cannot get over the hump, and two shots will be coming for oklahoma city despite a 10

. >> phil: as you said, they get down to one or two points, and they can't get over the hump. >> steve: so westbrook is perfect from the line.

5 for 5, has 15 points. last year, he had his season high of 34, he made 20 of 22 free throws in that game. gilbert for 3. blatche forced to shoot. way short. not a good offensive position for washington. westbrook is held by stevenson

ask fouled. -- stevenson and fouled. that's the third on deshawn. here is another look. >> phil: quick shots, able to get the ball into the heart of the defense by good transition, we talked about how young this team is. the second youngest team in the league, and the starting 5 is the youngest. they have those useful legs, like to get up and down. >> steve: the other night after their loss to orlando, scott brooks the coach said from the start, they pounced on us and took advantage of our team being a step slow. tonight, they have the step on washington. >> phil: yeah, yeah. >> steve: westbrook has made all 8 of his free throws in this game. he has 18 points, four boards, and five assists. and after the wizards had cut it to one, again they're down by 7. jamison a difficult to

play by harden, knocked it away, wizards turn it over. >> phil: yeah, he was able to get a piece of it. >> steve: washington's 13th turnover, and gilbert gets it back. nearly traveled. they wanted a double dribble, nobody called it. here is arenas measuring sefolosha, nice pass, blatche didn't finish. jamison had it blocked away from behind by durant. durant, blocking foul on arenas, score the field goal. >> phil: well, washington had an opportunity to score at the other end, but you see how quickly they pushed the ball up. got a number of ball handlers, kevin durant capable of handling the ball, and gets a nice finger roll. >> steve: putting on a show for his fans back home, he has 23 points, shooting 50% from

the field, and 7 of 10 from the free-throw line. >> phil: the lead now back up to 10. they scored 10 unanswered points. >> steve: gilbert goes strong to the hoop and draws a foul. it's on harden, he'll shoot two. seems like each time the wizards have gotten close, some kind of a miscue hurt their chances. tice time they had the ball, and caron was called to are a turnover. >> phil: we've seen that more than once tonight. you're right. 13 turnovers in the game for washington have led to 14 oklahoma city points. gilbert now with 17 points in

the game. he's 4 of 5 from. the line? has 7 assists? get toes them boat -- gets them boat, wizards will be in san antonio tomorrow night. >> steve: james harden 84%

shooter coming into this game. >> phil: you had all three scorers over on that side, so they had to pay attention to all three guys, and there you say butler going one way,

jamison with the ball go ting the other way. >> steve: antawn tonight 0 for 4 from the free throw line, as mike miller is icing that left shoulder. miller with five points, a couple of field goals, and antawn makes one. so he's one of five from the free throw line tonight. >> steve: wed's jumper good. shooting personal is too high for the opposition. 55% for the game. >> phil: and two more points in the paint, too. >> steve: 38 points in the paint for oklahoma city. wizards have 40 in the paint. gilbert can take the final shot. drives, puts it up, scores. >> phil: interesting, in the first half, it was deshawn that blocked a shot by gilbert. that time gilbert able to maneuverer and guest it over and close out the third

quarter. >> steve: strong period for russell westbrook, especially from the free-throw line where me has not missed tonight, making all 8 of his attempts. he's got 20 points. one of five players in double figures for oklahoma city while th

comedian: stroke's no joke.

. >> steve: our morgan frankly pivotal play of this third quarter, and it's thunder defense. >> phil: well, every time washington seems to get, striking distance, one or two points, it seems like washington finds a way to respond.

we talked about how well each team had responded defensively. shot clock never changed. washington with a great defensive stand. >> phil: we talked about both teams improving defencively. >> earl boykins starts the period for blatche behind the back, taken away by kevin ollie, and fouled by blatche. too much ball handling there. >> phil: he went behind his back in a crowd, and then brought his defender over there, that's what allowed ollie to come up with that steal. >> steve: after three quarters, on okay city shooting 54% from the field.

randy foye off the bench. harden the rookie from arizona state, all america first tomorrow last year, pac 10 player of the year. only two other players have won pac 10 players of the year as a sophomore. jason kidd was one of them. >> phil: mike bibby the other. >> steve: gilbert arenas, jamison each have 20. butler has 21. wizards have never led in this game. travels, takes an off balance shot that goes out of bounds. washington ball. randy foye will come in and

replace deshawn stevenson to. wizards tonight had the familiar lineup with antawn jamison back. they've had 7 different starting line-ups so far this year. the thunder have had the same starting line-up all season, and that helps, but an offensive foul has been called here on antawn jamison. that is the wizards 15th turnover of the game. >> phil: well, they're saying he moved while trying to set that pick. they turned it over there, miller the other way, nearly

lost it. foye for boykins, looking for blatche. earl penetrates, and he an illegal defense is called on oklahoma city. see who shoots the free throw for washington here, going to be boykins. earl make the free throw. 9 for 9 on the year, and randy foye 13 for 13 on the season. they don't have enough to qualify for league leaders, even though they're still perfect. so the wizards get it back. durant, he's been unstoppable. 26 points for the d.c. native.

and the wizards have not been able to get an answer for kevin durant tonight. gives his squad a 9-point lead with nine and a half to play in

. >> steve: wasn't has turned it over 16 times, which has led to 18 points for oklahoma city. ask the thunder have outpaced the wizards with 22 fastbreak points in this game. a foul is called against durant. and that is his third permanent. >> phil: looked like mike miller slipped on some perspiration there and almost went down. >> steve: u.s. marines leaders of the game, 26 for durant, and

he leads all scorers. lost his pass and turned it over. sefolosha, jamison the rebound. it will be a loose ball foul on jamison. number three on jamison.

durant, long-range 3. 29 points for kevin durant on 3 of 18 shooting. and the thunder have their largest lead of the game. 19 points. so here is randy foye.

it looks like caron butler will come in for randy foye. harden with a point, and he fouls.

14 point thunder lead. their to largest of the game. durant doesn't like it. hole pick up his 4th personal. >> phil: looked like a steep shot, but crawford signaling only a two pointer. you can see from that replay, yeah, he's inside the line. >> steve: antawn has struggled from the line tonight, 1 of 5.

has 20 points, 12 rebounds. gilbert back off the bench durant scores again. he's done everything from the floor tonight.

durant had 40 this year air against the clippers, and has 31 here tonight. miller travels. miller reached in with that left hand, again goes to his shoulder. durant for three. haywood with his 15th rebound of the game.

lays it off for haywood who scores. the lead is at 12, and brooks will take a time. 8 assists for gilbert. haywood with 14 points and 15 rebounds. he had his is a career high 19 earlier this year. boss:hey, glad i caught you. i was on my way to present ideas about all the discounts we're offering. i've got some catchphrases that'll make these savings even more memorable. gecko: all right... gecko: good driver discounts. now that's the stuff...? boss: how 'bout this? gecko: ...they're the bee's knees? boss: or this? gecko: sir, how 'bout just "fifteen minutes could save you

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wizards trail by 12 with 6:20 in regulation. kevin durant has been spectacular.

they get the steal, harden! largest lead of the game, and oklahoma city threatening to blow washington out. up by 17. just under six minutes to go in regulation. time-out here in oklahoma city. a beautiful save, and an emphatic slam by ♪

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announcer: there's no magic to improving your credit. but there's help and it's free. go to creditfairy.org what? . >> steve: wizards are going to have no jack things up to try to get back in the game. >> phil: yeah, either that or get some turnovers and try to get their hands on a few more possessions.

>> steve: oklahoma city have made 59 percent of their three pointers. -- 56%, it was up around 59% before he just missed that shot. >> phil: they're really putting the clamps on people down the stretch. >> gilbert gets them both, has 21 points, but it's been a big

night for durant and green and westbrook. durant westbrook and green are one of the leaguest most explosive trios. an offensive foul is called. >> phil: two back to back turnovers. westbrook got a little out of control. you're up by 13. this is where you want to make sure of everything. you don't really want to score. another turnover. let's see in washington can anticipatized. >> steve: here is boykins, and it's good! and brooks wants time. earl boykins playing in his third game as a wizards. first game he came off the bench to score 20, had a nice game the other night, and he continues to spark this team. >> phil: and the win at cleveland, all nine of his points came in that fourth quarter where he played all 12 minutes, and once again, like the other two games, he is

playing an awful lot down the stretch. he has seven points tonight here, phil, on 3 of 4 shoots in 12 minutes of play. the lead is 11 after the wizards trailed by 17. you wouldn't think at 5'5" it would be easy to score is on anybody, but for boykins sometimes he's so low to the ground it is. >> the easiest answer is i'm just blessed. i've been blessed by the lord with an exceptional ability to plain the game of ability, and i've always been able to score. that's the easiest part of basketball to me, is scoring. i don't have an answer.

how i do it is just natural. >> steve: we talked about other outstanding little men in the league, mugsy, spud, boykins at five five. now the wizards trap on defense, trying to force some turnovers. trying to see if they can force this team into some mistakes. blocked by haywood, but the follow is there to jeff green. >> phil: well, early on they really hurt washington with their second chance points, but that's been taken over by

washington. that was a big play there. >> steve: that time washington cut it to 11, but just like that, they got right back with the lead. >> phil: they have been able to switch the direction of the momentum every time washington has gotten a roll going. >> steve: butler the rebound off the durant miss. he has 33 points. they swing it to butler for the open jumper. good for three. 24 points for caron butler to lead the wizards in scoring.

jamison and arena have 25 apiece. >> steve: this thing is town to 10. >> steve: out of bounds to washington. how about this slam by oklahoma city. >> phil: well, it started with the defensive play. they're off and running. that's what they to so well, and the nice lob from westbrook, feeding durant. now boykins comes underneath, puts it up and in! wizards cut it to 8, and another big steal by butler.

blocked up into the air, and a foul is called on washington. it's on boykins. fourth to team foul, first on earl. boykins lays it off, but the pass is picked off, and he

commits a foul. >> phil: somebody got their hand if that passing lane. that was westbrook got the dough flexion, and then eventually the possession. >> phil: wizards lost here last season to oklahoma city. the wizards have beaten this squad six straight times at the verizon center.

boykins, miller. earl. they'll say it's washington's ball with 12 to shoot. big night for durant with 33. jeff green has 19, and russell westbrook 23 points. harden 21 off the bench. wow, gilbert hit in the in the face, no call. now he drives, contact, and he'll go to the line. third up a evergreen. this is the kind of guy mike miller is, he runs down the floor to give the basketball to the official. >> phil: this is something that wee we see from gilbert, where he's able to pinpoint a player that's kind of hanging around underneath the basket, make sure he get this contact, and then gets the shot off. >> phil: gilbert tonight 8 of

9 from the free throw line. 29 points, four rebounds, 8 assists. only player in double figures off the bench for washington is boykins with 11. gilbert misses the second free throw. wizards collectively 19 of 27 from the free throw line tonight. they've missed 8, while the thunder have made 26 of 31. hardin, that's the kind of play he's had all night. >> phil: yeah. he continues to be the only

player off the bench for the thunder this quarter, but he has 23. butler drives. no call. and oklahoma city is going to secure this victory over washington. russell westbrook with a three- pointer, and this team is shooting 52% from to three- point range. 11 of 21. so the wizards come off an impressive and emotional victory over the cleveland calcite, but come out of the gates slowly here against oklahoma, they came back to tie

it, trailed by 7 at halftime, and went down here by as many as 17. our morgan frank listen pivotal play, they've been running the fast break well all night. >> phil: this one ends with the devinin' kevin durant slam. >> steve: washington has committed 20 turnovers for the game, and they have led to 25 oklahoma city points. jeff green comes out to a nice round of applause with 19 points and 14 rebounds. while kevin durant is at the line looking for his 35th point of the game, with 5 boards and 6 assists. >> phil: yeah, just his second double double this season. had 21 and 10 in their win against san antonio. >> steve: nick young in the game for the first time misses. mcgee is in as well with dominic mcguire, and this one

is going to oklahoma city. james harden again, he's been unbelievable with 25 points off the bench. but the big three don't have been durant, green, and westbrook who have combined for 80 points in the game. >> phil: you throw if that 25 by harden, you're talking about another 100 points between the five. >> steve: so the oklahoma city thunder come off a loss at orlando and beat the wizards here tonight to improve to 7-6

on the season, while washington two days removed from an emotional 108-91 win over cleveland, fall to 3-8 on the year. 1-5 on the road. >> phil: well, this is a young team that has definitely prove made have young talent that plays with a lot of energy, and throughout most of the night, they were just beating washington to the ball. >> steve: though final here tonight, the thunder 127, the wizards 108. sports night presented by geico is next. phil and i will join you during the show to recap tonight's game. wizards will head to san antonio tomorrow night. you'll see it on comcast sportsnet. the final once again, the thunder 127, the wizards 108. phil chenier and our entire comcast sportsnet crew, steve buckhantz remind i you to stay tuned as we go to the sports

sometimes you're going to make a miss a shot, but i'm saying if you disgrail with me, challenge he, but challenge me on the merit of the idea. >> find out how kevin johnson, now sacramento's first afric american mayorking the difference in in his own home town. and it's not just johnson making an impact, we'll profile several former athletes now making the political rounds. and you're the biggest hockey fan on the planet, right? but where do you draw the line between the casual fan and the hockey obsessed? net impact starts right now. and hello, everyone, and

welcome to this edition of net impact, i'm art finell. you know, there's a long list of former professional athletes who later segued into a life of politics, guys like bill bradry, j.c. watts, steve largent, just to name a few. they've all made valuable contributions in the political arena for sure, but you canned a kevin johnson's name to that list. he was called k.j. on the court, and he was a huck of a point bard for the phoenix suns, made the all stars several times, but now he's called his honor, as the first african-american mayor of his hometown sacramento. we look at a day in the life of kevin johnson. >> reporter: it's 5:00 a.m., the city sleeps, but kevin johnson has traded in his comfortable bed for a pair of running shoes.

moonlit pavement. and the biggest day of his young political career lies before him. >> for me, it's about staying in good shape, mental, physical, spiritual, and running allows that happen. when you get up at 4:30 to run, there's no distraction, it's quiet out. it allow use tow think and reflect, and a chance to certainly get the right perspective and early in the morning allows that really take place, because once the hustle and butle of the regular day starts, it's very, very difficult to have a private moment and get a peace of mind. >> reporter: with his workout behind him, the mayor begins what promises to be a very long day. even a quick car ride to a local television station is an opportunity to conduct business. >> this is kevin johnson calling, the mayor of sacramento, is the congresswoman ready? yes, ma'am, how are you doing

this morning? i'm doing very well. yes, ma'am, i just finished a run and a workout. yes, indeed. >> on my desk, there's a gavel that my brother gave me on christmas day of december of 2007. i announced my canadacy on march of 2008, so my brother was the first one to kind of somehow have this vision that i should run for mayor of the city of sacramento. the next thing i know, i'm throwing my hat in the ring. >> reporter: the ride to sacramento's state of the city address is a familiar one. >> when i was growing up, everything that impacted me was in this two-mile radius. i do remember this growing up, that in my neighborhood, which was a poor are in city

community, didn't have sidewalks. now as mayor, i know how to make sure to there's no equality across neighborhoods, not just the nice neighborhoods get things that others don't. >> reporter: he may have the home court advantage, but johnson is no longer in his comfort zone. in a matter of hours, the eyes of his hometown will be on him. the clock is ticking. >> good morning. >> how are you? first and foremost, i would like to report on the state of our city the economic crisis comes opportunity. can you go back? isn't this letter size here different than what we just had? >> yeah, that's the way it came to me. >> this will also help us in our goal to decrease crime and improve public safety. in terms of education, it's the

first time we've brought together superintendents of the city to discuss the challenges that we are facing in our city. people's livelihoods hang in the balance. i can't read and talk. i'm not good at both. that's my weakness when i try to read and do that. >> ladies and gentlemen, join me in giving a rock and roll welcome for the 55th mayor of the city of sacramento, mr. kevin johnson. >> i'm not asking you to always follow everything i say. as i said earlier, sometimes i'm gonna be wrong, sometimes i'm gonna miss a shot, but what i am asking you is, if you disagree with me, challenge me, but challenge me on the merit of the idea, not because it flies in the face of the way things have been done in the

past. our attitude and our perspective is going to to be the difference on how we navigate through all of these challenges. it is our ability to give back, to serve, especially for those who are less fortunate than ourselves. thank you very much for your time, and god bless each and every one of you. (applause) >> really a great job. >> thank you. >> at some point did your heart take over that speech? >> yeah, you know, early on, i was trying to just get my thank yous and my formalities out of the way, but i started off by saying i'm living a dream. i love this. there is nothing else i would rather do, and somewhere through the speech, you know, it just became the kid from sacramento talking to people in his city and saying, look, i want to do all i can, and i need your help and we can collectively get through this, but we're going to need everybody to be on the same

page. and you did great. >> hey, thanks. we also wants to actage the special guests who are with us this evening. mayor kevin johnson, the mayor of the city of sacramento. >> i want you to put your hands together for mr. jim brown. (applause) >> governor arnold schwarzenegger! >> (applause) >> thank you very much karen for the wonderful introduction. also thank you for inviting me to be part of this great operation here. tonight it's about honoring those who break down the barriers and to promote social justice. tonight's heros have excelled in all walks of life. i think that each and every one of those honorees are also, at the same time, a great

inspiration to millions and millions of people. and i will say especially for the young people, because that's the important thing. they need this extra push to know that the american dream is also there for them,. that they can reach whatever dream that they have, and so this is why we have inspired them to show them that there's more out there than just gangs and violence and drugs and alcohol and those things. there are positive alternatives. >> i have felt very strongly that athletes have a responsibility, whether they like it or not, or whether we like it or not, to be role models. those who had the biggest impact on us as kids growing up are the people we came in contact with every day. >> i would like to thank the governor for his remarks, and speaker bass for hernandez, and the legislative black caucus for being here today. i do want to poke fun at a

couple of people really quickly. one of our honorees joe morgan. joe, raise your hand. and i saw joe morgan few minutes ago and said how are you doing? and he said i want you to know that even though i don't live in sacramento, i voted for you, so thanks joe. (laughter) >> i get a chance to spend a little time with our governor here, and i don't know if you know this, the governor has a little rhythm, got some dance moves. i think we might have to think about inducting him next year as an honor airy african- american. thank you very much. (laster and applause). >> reporter: a day of accomplishment here is concluded. but there is still time to reflect on the magnitude of what has happen, and what is still to come. >> even in a day among days, that has to be a big highlight. >> like i said, i'm living a

dream. effect i get to do is somehow beyond my wildest expectations. jim brown. i couldn't even mess with him, that's too emotional. >> at some point, you realize there's not enough people that are doing good work in elected office, and i shouldn't stand on the sidelines and complain. if not now than when the? all of those things led me to saying i need to get in the ring and do my part to not just make sure the neighborhood i grew up in, but the city i'm so proud of, reaches its potential. >> thanks, matt for that report. by the way, you saw govern toker schwarzenegger featured in that piece, as well. but this generation may not even realize that in 1970, at the age of 23, schwarzenegger became the youngest person to be named mr. olympia. he would go on to win that competition six straight years. of course schwarzenegger was

elected governor of california in 2003. you may also remember former nfl quarterback heath schuller who is now making his rounds in the u.s. capital. he was the third overall pack in the 1994 draft by the washington redskins. he played just three short seasons before finally retiring in 1997 because of a foot injury. well, he is now congressman schuller, and he represents north carolina's 11th district. still to come on net impact, one athlete recall as vivid memories of war as a youngster in war-torn bosnia. >> they kidnapped us and took to us where my dad was staying, which, and we just kind of hid there for a couple of months. >> now that same athlete is living his dreams out on the soccer field right here in the united states. and the husband saving his wife's life, but they say the philadelphia phillies played a major role in her recovery.

we'll tell you how that happened, and you'll hear her amazing story. you're watching net impact on

here is another tidbit for you. former president dwight eisenhower, gerald ford, and ron at reagan all reached the highest office in our land, but before they were president, they were each standout athletes in college. wow. now this. what a year it's been for this next athlete. his name is bofgio. the chicago fire welcomed the rookie mid-fielder to her roster, and being all to play in front of his own hometown has been. a a dream come true, especially when you consider that his journey began in another country where his memories of death and destruction still

remain a big part of him. josh mora has gee or geo's story. >> i spent a lot of time playing with my family, so that's really basically it, that i remember, is just playing around with my cousins, running in the wood, and that sort of thing. >> reporter: peaceful life. >> yeah, very nice, very peaceful. >> reporter: until he was 7 years old, he lived an idealic life in bosnia with his parents and older brother. his family owned land and had money, but wars a all around them. >> it's war, you see people dead. i lost my brother to, you know, yes, i lost my brother. yes, a lot of people dead, you can see it right there, bombed everything, you know, it's war. >> there are stores like they held up father, you know, rained the mom and just kind of

left the kids. >> reporter: they left behind their family, their money, their home, their lives. >> had worked in the office 17 and a half years, she worked in the office, too, and war come, and we lost everything. and how she say, we left august 20, '94. just take a couple of bags in car and we stop at the border. >> my dad paid off a soldier, or i think he gave him our car to let my dad come across, and he stayed with his niece, who was located in croatia. so my mom told me and my brother to fake that i had a ear ache, and my brother had an eye problem. so when they let us come across, because, i mean, there was no way we could get across,

you know. i remember they would read off names for like nurses to come take and you bring you in, and wire kind of in the middle of the line, they & they read our names off, and they wouldn't allow us -- you know, other people were in line, had been waiting there for days, you know, just like everyone else, and i remember the guards shooting, like, guns in the air, and they kind of ran away, and the guards came and grabbed me and my mom and my brother and took us across, and while we were there, a soldier who my dad paid off to, like -- he kidnapped us, and, like, took us to where my dad was staying, and we just kind of hid there for a couple of months, you know, and it was like we were, like, we had nothing. >> reporter: for a short time, germany accepted bosnian refugees. >> it was pretty hard. there was a lot of racism going on. we were an easy target for a

lot of the kids. we were all put together with nothing, you know. you know, you could tell the way we dressed and everything, we had nothing. and we were made fun of so much, i mean i was fighting every day after school. three years later, the german government ended its program for families who didn't have visas, so the husidics had a choice, go back to boss the kneia, or end up in the united states. they went to chicago. >> that's when i finally felt like you can enjoy life now, we've made it. you can relax now. you know, it's yours, so, you know, i always, like, wanted to have a house i could have friends over and stuff, and every day, like, since we had the house, i always have people over, there's not like one day where my mom is not cooking for everyone. but in bosnia, it's just like that. you always have family over, friends over, you're grilling. >> reporter: and from there,

life was good. boggio starred in soccer, and now he's getting plenty of playing time for the fire. >> i can't really describe like how you feel, like -- because you, like, you remember, when you go back, it all comes back to you like everything happened yesterday, and its just like, you know, it's -- you try to make it happy where you get to see your family again, but as soon as like that goes away, like, wow, like i left all of this behind. what if i didn't have this sort of future? >> reporter: and so you can understand when the practices get long and the guys get sweaty and the work seems difficult that boggio doesn't seem to find site hard. he is living a life that years ago simply didn't eve exist for him, not even in his dreams. >> when we played columbus, it was like a pretty packed house, and starting in that game, i it

was like the best feeling work like such a big feeling of accomplishment, like everything my family and i have been through. >> you watch him after 15 years behind, i will show you he was involved, unbelievable. not just one, almost two guys, you know, oh, feel good. >> it has been a pretty good year for the chicago fire, they may have had in the playoffs, and the team is hoping for bigger things in their future. now let's talk baseball. what a season it was for the philadelphia phillies. one of the things that always feeds the philadelphia phillies is their fan support, which is always off the chart. by the way, they had more than 50 sellouts at sipsens bank park this past season, but this next story takes fan support you might say to a whole new level. as sportsnet philadelphia reports, one couple's love of the phillies truly became a

matter of life and death. >> reporter: don has seen hundreds of phillies games, but it's the one he didn't see that he'll always remember. don and his wife sandy had tickets to see the phillies play the angels last june in what turned out to be a forgettable 7-1 loss. the events that drains spired that night, however, they will never forget. >> i went upstairs to get ready, and i got a splitting headache like i've never had before. i mean, this was the most intense pain i've ever had. he came upstairs and found me rolled into a fetal position on our bed, and all he could decipher from what i was saying was bad pain, hurts bad. >> i was just totally -- you know, company can see your life just flash in front of you. i took her into the hospital, they took her in for a cat scan, the doctor came out and said we have a helicopter dispatched from the university of pennsylvania coming down to pick her up, and this was, like, three hours after this first when i came home that

this happened. it's, like, what is going on here? the skull is full of blood, it's a bleed, we have to get her up there immediately. she came in between annal and a 9 and 10 is fatal, and usually they don't make the flight, but they said we have her stabilized, next morning they twenty in and operated on her, and long, long road to recovery, and 50% of then people don't make this, they told me. >> reporter: if he was not at home to find his wife, it she likely would have not survived what turned out for a brain aneurysm. with that, they believe the phillies saved her life. >> don came home from work three hours early. the only time don comes home from work is when he's going to a phillies game. otherwiseny stays the rig rather time >> if it wasn't for me going to watch the phillies game that night, she would. >> reporter: be here for this interview. >> reporter: a speech and language therapist by trade, she's had to deal with the harsh irony of struggling with

basic communication. under normal circumstances, degrees may have completely ravaged their lives, but a phillies title drive proved to have therapeutic powers. >> she followed the phillies games through the playoffs, light late in the year, and he was able in the hospital bed to to watch that, the world series. her sister came down and watched her for game four, which i winter up to see, and she weighed in the hospital bed in our house, and she watched the whole game there, and it just played out that the phillies won that world series that year, and it was almost like, you know, somebody was watching up above there. >> one of the things that they would do is every day they would come in asking what day it was, you know, what's the next holiday, things like that, to see if my brain was functioning. so when the phillies were there in the playoffs, they would come in every day and ask me, okay, who won last night? so i would have to remember who won, what the score of the game was, because they knew i was watching the phillies. so it was a big part of my

recovery watching the games during the playoffs. >> and you can't blame them for believing that the greatest save in fills hist -- phillies history didn't take part of the field. >> they were just a major part of her recovery, and for sure part of my recovery. >> my neurosurgical team knows what they did to save my life. the phillies have no idea what what they did to save my life, but i consider them my heros now inspect >> and we certainly wish her the best on her recovery and for the philly, be a speedy return to the world series. coming up next, there are hockey fans who take obsession to a whole new level. we'll explain.

oh! blue! time! time out. i touched it. i touched the ball before it went out, coach. come on, alex, the ref did not call that! you gotta be kidding me, alex! it's the championship game! talk to him, coach. i touched, it's their ball. don't foul them when they inbound. team on 'three.' one, two, three. nice going, alex. sorry coach. alex! good call. finally, you know their

names, crews by, ovechkin, preair. they are among the les of the top selling jerseys in the national hockey lead, but as chuck found out, blackhawk fans take their passion for hockey jerseys to a whole new obsession. >> reporter: blackhawk fans love their jerseys. how many blackhawk jerseys do you have? >> i have about probably 20. >> reporter: 20 jerseys? >> at least. >> reporter: from pure hockey passion to borderline addiction. you have your own separate closet for them? >> i actually do. >> reporter: that's sick. >> it's very sick, and i'm horribly embarrassed right now. >> reporter: so if you can't actually be them, you might as well ware them, even if you can't spell them. put you on the spot, how do you spell -- >> how do i spell it the american way or the right way? >> reporter: the way it's on

the back of your jersey. >> byful -- let's see here, byfug -- >> oh, okay. du. >> reporter: no, no,llu. ien. but hawks fans really remember those special ones from the past. >> this is signed by bobby hull, 1983, the year got in as a hall of famer. >> reporter: and who on the back? >> stan mckeithia, number 21. >> that's awesome. >> if i could get him to sign it, that would pretty much take the cake. >> dennis hull, you're the only person i've ever seen besides dennis hull to wear a dale earnhardt this hull jersey. why dennis hull jersey, why is that? >> to be different.

>> reporter: i'm looking here, there's a kane number 14. i hate to say this, but past 88 what happened here? >> no, i'm 14, i'm pat kane, the real pat kane. >> reporter: you were born on the 14th? >> exactly. >> reporter: you were born april 14th, 1960? >> yeah, exactly. >> reporter: do you have your driver's license? let me see this. i need more on that within sense of license. your plummer's license. that says pat kane. okay -- think i'm gonna believe him. but then you might not believe this. you show up showing whose jersey? >> eric, my favorite. >> reporter: and he happens to be here. >> he happens to be here, i came here with my three nephews, they government me the jersey, and he hannans to be

here. it's awesome. >> reporter: have you ever seen a fan wear one of your jerseys? >> no, it's the first one, i'm serious. >> i figured what better way to honor him than to get his jersey. that's the way to go. >> reporter: why were you named after hem? >> my dad's favorite player on the blackhawks. he said he was the best on the pk, swooping up and down the ice. >> reporter: ask and here you are today, and he's right over there, the guy you were named after is signing autographs right over there. >> what better way to come in here and get an autograph, and i added some research to do. i asked him if he tipped in bobby's 50th. so i heard it from the horse's mouth. >> reporter: what did he say? >> absolutely. >> reporter: so at your next hawks game, remember, everybody

can be somebody, and we mean anybody. >> i don't normally ask people this, but can i have of have your autograph? >> sure. >> reporter: i really appreciate this. >> where do you watch me to sign? >> caller: just sign my sweater. thank you, i appreciate pit. >> and that will do it for another edition of net impact. i'm art fennell, thanks for joining us. coming up next months on net impact as the year comes to an end, we'll take a look back at some of our top sports stories that shaped 2009. and to find net impact in your area and for the law enforcementest breaking local