Here’s your link.

Don’t worry, there’s much more coming on this soon.

UPDATE: The Washington Wizards’ Blog has the video from Gilbert’s meeting with the press.

Gilbert just came out with a new blog as the team gets ready for a pivotal Game 5 in Cleveland.  Unlike most of his blogs, it’s short, simple and to the point, which is expected since he’s got to stay focused for the game on Wednesday.

Here’s a passage from his latest:

If we’re going to pull out this series, we’re going to need a miracle. We’re going to have to dig. We’re going to have to play big. Everyone is going to have to bring their A games. We can’t have no let downs now.

It’s one of those things where we’re going into the lion’s den. That arena is going to be ready for us. They’re going to bring out the boo birds and call us every name you can possibly think of. They’re going to boo us from tip-off until the end of the game.

For us to silence that crowd, we’re going to have to get out to a quick start and try to get up big to get the fans out of it a little.

Stat Line: 10 points (3-8 shooting, 1-4 from beyond the arc), 2 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers in 32:23 (-4).

Before we get into the recap, let’s hear a few words from my good friend Kay.

Kay: Well, it was a tough loss yesterday for sure. Gilbert’s still clearly hurting from his surgery and it’s really affected him on the court, but I think I have something that might help explain Gilbert’s off-performance (outside of the game-tying shot, of course). Just take a look at this…

Kay: Heck of a game yesterday. Go Wizards!

Thanks Kay. Now where was I? Ah yes, the recap.

Playoff Game 4: Just Wait Until He’s Healthy

Stat Line: 30 points (10-16 from the field, 6-7 for three), 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 0 turnovers in 27:47 (+15).

Quite simply, that was the best performance from Gil since his return from injury. If only the training staff didn’t have to put a strict limit on his playing time, he might have very well won the game by himself yesterday. Alas, it wasn’t to be and now with the Wizards down 3-1, it doesn’t look good, but if we see anything like we saw yesterday, you’d have to imagine that we still have a great shot in this series.

I suppose if you’re an optimist that you want to look at this headline, while if you’re a pessimist, this headline will probably suit your billing.  Where does the truth lie?  Probably somewhere in the middle.  Here’s what Gilbert had to say about why he was limited in Game 3:

I missed the last two practices because I had achiness, and then I had an MRI before the game, and it said I have a bone bruise and a little pinching in the nerve. I said I would try to go out there and warm it up and see how long I can last. I knew I wasn’t going to play more than 10 or 15 minutes. While I was out there, I just wanted to energize the crowd, get everybody excited about being home and get some people involved until my time was up.

Later on he mentions that he might have been able to play longer, but elected not to because he’s scared of needles:

If we were on the road, I’d take the numbing shot and just play through it. But since we’re at home, guys’ confidences are higher, so I can risk just going out there for 10, 15 minutes. If the game gets close, then I’ll just play through the pain.

Thankfully, both articles say that the bone bruise and pinched nerve don’t present long-term risks to his knee, which is great news.  If he can’t make a go of it in Game 4 (which I personally doubt, but I’m biased) maybe his running mate can give the team a few minutes off the bench:

For those in the Philadelphia area, Undrcrwn has announced the pre-release launch of the Adidas Gil II Zero x Undrcrwn shoe at the UBIQ store this Saturday. In addition, UBIQ will be giving away some signed Gil II Zeros in a raffle to some lucky fans.