Dylan Mitchell
@oheyijust
@WizardsTalk
The Spurs (23-15) will travel to the Verizon Center to take on the Wizards (25-12), which is going to be a tough matchup for both teams. To secure victory, the Wizards are going to need follow these 5 keys to victory.
1. Speed up the game and set the pace. If John Wall chooses to pull the ball out on the fast break more than he chooses to take the ball to the basket, he will be playing right into the hands of the Spurs. It is up to him to set the pace, and intensity for the whole team if he wants to ensure a victory over the defending champs.
2. Get out on Tim Duncan. Nene and Gortat are both great inside defenders, but against a guy with the touch of Duncan, the Wizards big men need to get out to the outside shots. They will easily shut down the paint, but shutting down the midrange game is a must to get a victory.
3. Don’t let the Spurs bench get into a rhythm. We all know that the Bench in San Antonio will get hot, and will make the most of their opportunities. The bench is a great shooting bench, so getting out on shooters off the bench is a huge key to victory.
4. Rasual Butler. Man is this guy having one heck of a season. He was the last guy to make the Wizards Roster, and keeping him has proved to be one of the best decisions made by the team so far this year. He needs to keep up this consistent play in this game that would be a huge victory for the Wiz.
5. FINISH. When the Wiz have gotten up big in games early on, they have had a tough time keeping the lead and intensity required to gain that lead. To win against a team that is not going to go away, they need to keep up the pace throughout the entirety of the game, and ensure they do not get too comfortable with any lead.
This game is going to be one of the most exciting this season for the Wizards as they look to beat a team that has what they want, a championship. A victory in this game would show the Wizards they are ready for that next step, and make them believe in themselves. This game has been circled on calendars of all Wizards fans since the season began, and should be an exciting matchup.
