The fifth seeded Wizards enter the series as they underdogs when they travel to Toronto to take of the fourth seeded Raptors. The series between the four and five seed can go either way no matter who the teams are, and this series should end up being back-and-forth throughout the entirety. The Raptors may have swept the season series 3-0, but the Wizards certainly will not go down without a fight.
Whoever sets the tone in-game 1 of this series is likely going to be the one who find a spot in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. If the Wizards can steal game 1 on the road, they will have a huge advantage as they posted a 29-12 record at home in the regular season. Stealing a game in Toronto may be tough for the Wizards to do because of Toronto’s 27-14 home record this season.
To set the tone, the Wizards are going to have to establish their insdie games while the Raptors must ensure Nene and Marcin Gortat do not play as well as they played in the playoffs last year. Against the Bulls, Nene played like he was ready to win his first championship, and Marcin Gortat proved he was worth $60 million in the semifinal loss to Indiana. If Toronto can limit the ability for the Wizards froncourt to score and produce, they may be able to dominate this series.
If Nene or Gortat get going, they are going to be hard to stop. We saw in the playoffs last season how they got hot and stayed hot, and the same should be expected this year. If either can get hot and become a go to player for Washington, they may be able to pull away from the Raptors before game 7.
Playing with limited turnovers right away is a must for both teams if they want to take early control of the series right away. The Wizards are 7th worst in turnovers per game with while the Raptors are top 3 in limiting turnovers with an average of 12.9 per game. Turnovers are contagious, so if a team turns the ball over a lot in the very first game, they will have a tough time winning at all.
This may not be the most glamorous series, but it will for sure be one of the closest contested series out of any of the playoff series. Both teams have been slumping since the all-star break after coming out to very hot starts in the beginning of the season. Whoever wins this series will face the winner of the Hawks and Celtics, and whoever moves on may be decided in-game 1.
