Richmond, VA--

When you look at the faces of Wizards players Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison, you can see that there is a passion to win today.. not tomorrow. Whether it was the block the Gil delivered to teammate Donell Taylor or the strong defense that the team showed, Arenas is delighted in what he saw in the first day in Richmond

"We have to be a defensive team this year.  We can't be a top three scoring team and a last place defensive team.  There were so many games last year that we lost at the end because we didn't get a stop.  We could easily have been a 50-win team, and we know that.  We just have to go out there and play even harder this year, because we know how close we are, said Arenas.

So who was the stand-out player today? Everyone... For the first time in a long time, Eddie Jordan was satisfied with the entire team and not just a few select players.

"I like the pieces that we have out there.  I like the toughness that we have, the willingness to defend and the willingness to play physical.  The communication out there on the floor was terrific today," said Jordan. He also keyed on the defense as well and the new players stepping right in and keying on the defense.

Besides Gilbert and Antawn, the Wizards had a great showing from Deshawn Stevenson. He knows the importance of being physical and feels that is his major part of what he can bring to this team.

" Coach said he wants a strong defensive presence from us this season and I think that I showed him and everyone on this team what I can bring both defensively and offensively to this team.