The Washington Wizards haven’t had a problem taking it to the Boston Celtics in the opening quarters of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. But maintaining the lead and the momentum after big starts in all three contests have been a bigger challenge than perhaps the Celtics themselves. Washington started Game 1 on a 16-0 run . . . lost the game 123-111. The Wizards led 42-29 at the end of the first quarter in Game 2 . . . walked off the court later with a 129-119 defeat.
Washington Wizards center Ian Mahinmi (28), right, steals a ball from Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (7) during the second half in Game 3 of a second-round NBA playoff series basketball game, Thursday, May 4, 2017, in Washington. Also pictured is Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2). (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
It wasn’t until the venue changed in Game 3 that Washington was finally able to jump to a lead and hold it as they ended the opening period with a 39-17 lead and cruised from there in a 116-89 rout. It wasn’t smooth sailing all the way as Washington reserve forward Kelly Oubre was ejected for his altercation with Boston forward Kelly Olynyk and will serve a Game 4 suspension. The Wizards may not need Oubre, however, as they’ve shown a theme in every game so far—that they can outplay Celtics for stretches at a time. Washington’s reserves haven’t been able to maintain a lead but they did so in Game 3 with the fans at the Verizon Center pumping new blood into the Wizards’ bench.
Celtics’ all star Isaiah Thomas has been remarkable, but his supporting cast has been uneven through three games. The Wizards believe they let two games in Boston slip through their fingers despite allowing Thomas to explode for a total of 86 points in both contests. An overtime defeat in Game 2 that saw Thomas simply embarrass the Wizards in front of a raucous Boston crowd was as crushing a defeat as the Wizards have taken all season. But, their 27-point bounce back was evidence that they’re refocused on advancing past the second round for the first time since the 1978-79 season.
Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) drives on Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13), from Poland during the second half in Game 3 of a second-round NBA playoff series basketball game, Thursday, May 4, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Down 2-1 with a looming home game on May 7, the Wizards are in must-win mode. Falling behind 3-1 with still two potential away games is not the position Washington wants to be in. The series has been perhaps the most entertaining of the second round with all the trash talk and physicality flowing between the two teams. However, this series might mean more to the Wizards than to the Celtics. Boston is still playing with house money as they hold a likely top three pick in this summer’s draft and have the resources to still improve the team mightily. What you see is what you get with this current Wizards version as they simply won’t have the flexibility to upgrade the roster with extensions looming for several key players.
The winner of this series will likely just be another road bump for the Cleveland Cavaliers as they continue to steamroll through the eastern playoffs, but that doesn’t matter for Washington. It’s one step at a time as their young core continues to grow together, and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals would be a milestone for this ball club.
