After the Wizards won five games in a row, it appeared they had returned to form, and would be a very competitive team come playoff time. Now, they have lost their last three games, and they seem to be on yet another downward spiral where an end does not seem to be in sight.
Tonight, the fifth seeded Wizards (40-31) take on the Pacers (30-40) in the Verizon Center in a game where they should easily win because of a huge difference in skill. Three games ago, it would be almost guaranteed to expect a win from the Wizards, but after the last three games, it is unclear if the Wizards will even be able to pull out this trap game.
Everybody saw how in last years playoffs, the bigs of David West and Roy Hibbert were able to dominate against frontcourt in Washington of Marcin Gortat and Nene. Wittman needs to ignite a fire in these two, and get both of them going early to ensure his team is not dominated in the paint like they were in the 4-2 playoff series loss last summer.
The key matchup for the Wizards tonight is going to be at the guard positions, where they seem to have a significant advantage. George Hill and Damjan Rudez are nowhere near as talented as John Wall and Bradley Beal are, so it is going to be very important for the Wizards to expose these mismatches in the early going of the game. This does not mean shoot up threes and take low percentage shots, but instead means they need to use their speed and quickness to get to the basket, and then kick the ball out if they do not have an open lane to the basket.
The predictions for this game has to be a Wizards victory, because they truly are far more talented at every position. If they want to get a win, the frontcourt is going to have to step up, and the backcourt is going to need to expose their mismatches early on in the game. Expect to see a very fast pace offense from the Wizards, as they will look to tire the Pacers out, and as they know they need to get this win to get back on track.
