The Wizard’s season is nearly over and I am disappointed that I have not been able to write about it. Work, school, life and more life have prevented me from commenting this season. But, enough about my troubles. 😉
I was in Las Vegas this week on business, but I was able to catch the end of the Wizards – Celtics game. It was a pleasure to watch the Wiz beat the NBA’s “best” team for the third time. Some could argue that the Celtics, who wrapped up first place in the East, did not have anything to play for. I would suggest that argument is hollow. Kevin Garnett and the Celtics have pride, they had lost the previous two games to the Wizards – back-to-back I might add – and they did not want to lose three straight. In fact, Doc Rivers suggested that his starters would not play as much in this game, but yet late in the fourth quarter there they were. This was definitely not a game the Celtics were content to lose, the Wizards won this game.
Games like this for the Wizards are encouraging, they show that they can, when focused and healthy, play with any team in the NBA. However, they have games like this every season, at least over the last four seasons. But, they don’t seem to capitalize off of these experiences. They often follow them up by playing distractedly, or at least with what appears to be less effort. It would be nice, if they could finally take an experience like this and use it to finally push their game to that next level. As players, they don’t seem to want to do the things that they need to do on a nightly basis. This team, in the Eastern conference, has the ability to be as good as any. Injuries aside, they have not stepped up to become one of those teams.
And while they have been troubled with injuries throughout this season, it appears that they will now have the opportunity to exercise their Cleveland Cavalier demons. If the Wizards are going to take that next step, what better team to do that to then Cleveland – a team that has had their number in the past two playoffs.
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