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Post by DERRENMATTS on May 1, 2017 3:22:10 GMT -5
Yikes, this Wizards team is good. I underestimated them and figured they beat Atlanta because the Hawks aren't that good -- but that clearly isn't the case. These guys are legit, and it starts with John Wall This guy really is one of the best PG's in the game today. He's the best player in this series.
But they're not just a one man show; Bradley Beal is legit, too. So are Marcin Gortat and Otto Porter. And the guy that concerns me is Markief Morris. Fortunately for us, he didn't play most of the game because if he did, I'm not sure we pull this win out. He was a miss match for us, causing Brad to change the gameplan and replace Gerald for Amir (to give us more size).
Kelly Oubre looks decent as well, as does Brandon Jennings. And their coach, Scott Brooks, is a good one as well.
All in all, this is going to be a tough series to win, if we let down our guards and relax even for a bit. The Wizards were right up there with us in the mix for the East's best, up until very late in the year.
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Post by afceltic on May 1, 2017 5:07:42 GMT -5
I have seen enough of them and they are who I thought they were. They are good and Wall is a special talent, but the rest of them are not anything special at all. Listen in the huddle and you will change your mind about Brooks and see why OKC canned him. Beal is just a streaky scorer, but won't do much without Wall feeding him the ball. Gortat only looked good because we are marshmallow soft in the paint as he went without scoring for almost 2 full games vs the Hawks. Morris will be limited the rest of the series so that will help.
If we win game 2 then IMO it will be over in 5 as they are now just 1-3 on the road in the playoffs and were 19-22 on the road on the season.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on May 1, 2017 5:37:24 GMT -5
I have seen enough of them and they are who I thought they were. They are good and Wall is a special talent, but the rest of them are not anything special at all. Listen in the huddle and you will change your mind about Brooks and see why OKC canned him. Beal is just a streaky scorer, but won't do much without Wall feeding him the ball. Gortat only looked good because we are marshmallow soft in the paint as he went without scoring for almost 2 full games vs the Hawks. Morris will be limited the rest of the series so that will help. If we win game 2 then IMO it will be over in 5 as they are now just 1-3 on the road in the playoffs and were 19-22 on the road on the season. I hope you're right, AF. To our credit, we caught on fire ocfensively, and beefed up defensively, and we just could not be contained. |
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Post by afceltic on May 1, 2017 8:14:36 GMT -5
Barkley even changed his tune during the Hawk series as he picked the Wiz to make it to the ECF's and stated that they are a totally different team away from home as in they don't have the same energy or focus and are going to struggle to win a series in which they don't have home court. That is why wining Game 2 is huge, that way we only have to split the 2 in Washington and then end it in 5 in front of our home crowd.
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Post by runrondo on May 1, 2017 11:15:51 GMT -5
Gortat looked like Shaq out there compared to Kelly Olynyk in that 1st quarter. Wall is really fun to watch play. I agree that Beal is very streaky, but that doesn't mean he can't change a game if he catches fire. This'll be a good series to watch.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on May 1, 2017 14:51:18 GMT -5
Gortat was showboating early on, flexing his biceps. We gotta get physical with that guy.
Speaking of Scott Brooks, the NBAtv guys were saying something similar to what you were saying, AF. Said he sticks to his strategy, even if he should be exploiting mismatches.
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