(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The Washington Wizards (41-41) had their work cut out Wednesday evening when they knew they had to face another playoff bound team. But Washington wreaked havoc on the court with its third straight win as its season came to a bittersweet end at home. Eliminated from playoff contention a week ago with a disappointing loss to the Detroit Pistons, the Wizards bench was left to close up shop. But this didn’t happen before squaring up in the fourth quarter with defensive efficiency, ferocious dunks and athletic swag as they ball-handled the Atlanta Hawks (48-34) for the win, 109-98 at the Verizon Center.
Atlanta lacked focus and couldn’t close out against D.C.’s home teams’ backups even in the midst of a “pre-postseason” send-off. The Wizards locked in on their skills and made Atlanta look like they weren’t playoff-worthy with their scoring, passing and transitional plays. Washington set the tone early despite being without four of their starters in the game.
Sitting out were point guard John Wall, guard Bradley Beal, center Marcin Gortat and forward Markieff Morris. But that wasn’t anything new for this team since half of their starters have been on injured reserve throughout the season. Leading scorer and point guard Ramon Sessions led the way against the Hawks with a second career-high of 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the floor, four rebounds and six assists.
The Wizards bench would not be exiting the stage without a fight even if it was just to make the best of it and bring some respect to this ballclub by finishing the season with an even .500. They found their way even as their lead diminished in the second half.
They went on an 11-0 run, kept the pressure deep and played solid defense against a defensive-minded team with a strong frontcourt. The Wizards had five players in double figures including center NeNe, who showed up and showed out for possibly the last game as a Wizard. The Big Brazilian, with his unexpected-but-always-exciting coast-to-coast run-offs, added 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, eight rebounds, a season high of eight assists and three steals to help add to the win. Forwards Jared Dudley and Marcus Thornton both finished the night with 14 points apiece while guard Garrett Temple, with his 12 points, got in on the final swag by delivering a one-handed dunk to increase the Wizards lead by 10 in the fourth quarter.
The Hawks looked out of sync, especially for a team jockeying for the third spot in the playoffs. They did begin to get themselves together later in the fourth quarter and coming within one point. But the Wizards weren’t having it. Washington went on to settle things by scoring the next 20 points and bringing their total to well-over 100 points to Atlanta’s 85.
Atlanta has one of the top of the line frontcourts in the game with center Al Horford who posted 19 points and eight rebounds along with point guard Jeff Teague’s 16 points, two rebounds and five assists. It was a game worth winning for the Wizards because when you fall, you must get right back up and they got right back up against a good team.
The Wizards organization wanted Head Coach Randy Wittman out and they fired him directly after Wednesday night’s game. There were just too many losses and too few wins but it’s not all his fault. The team is in need of a new spark to light the fire in this unenthusiastic squad and maybe Wittman is just guilty of overstaying his welcome.
On a final note:
Even though the Wizards closed the curtain and said their goodbyes’ in their final game on a high note, some of us are left wondering what happened to a team that had so much promise. Why was this season such a rollercoaster ride with a lot of ups but more downs? Could it have been the offensive changes by Wittman or all those injuries this season? Did the Wizards really have a chance?
After the race for the eighth seed seemed more like a long shot and they were locked out of the playoffs, it was even clearer that all year this team was missing key pieces. So, how were they supposed to make the playoffs again?
Last season the Wizards advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals but sadly, this year there were cracks that were very visible in the system early on. They went away from a strong defensive game plan from the outset, took too many outside shots and didn’t protect their leads with enough discipline in the fourth quarter. They became predictable and unable to raise their level when it mattered most in close games.
No one could stay healthy except Wall and Sessions. Everyone has missed at least one game this year because of injuries. How do you get a car to work when the engine conks out all the time? That’s what it felt like watching the Wizards this year… nothing and nobody was consistent on this team except its inconsistency.
Shooting guard Alan Anderson, who was acquired last summer to be a force within the defense, had ankle surgery and didn’t play until the season was almost over. NeNe, who is a big body and a physical specimen, sat out for well over 20 games. Beal, a shooter extraordinaire, sat out 20 as well due to his smorgasbord of injuries.
These absences put a lot of pressure on Wall to overcompensate and play through pain.
However, it wasn’t just injuries. Other teams have come through the same problems and made it to the playoffs with more injuries than the Wizards… like the Memphis Grizzlies.
When looking back on the Wizards season this year, injuries were a part of the problem. But the team lacked depth and never could find its stride in the pace-and-space offense. Even when players came back healthy, Washington still couldn’t win. Somewhere the Wizards lost the defensive edge for which they had once been known and got caught up chasing Steph Curry’s stats.