Ceci Ferrara
February 23, 2015
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
The Wizards exploded out of the gate of the season, winning most of their games for the better part of two months. But somewhere along the way, between the New Year and All-Star Game, they began to falter.
Since January, Washington is 11-14. They have fallen to foes such as the Cavaliers and Hawks – opponents they need to beat now if they want a shot at the playoffs. Just as the Cavs have picked up steam after a slow start—they recently went on a 12-game win streak—the Wizards have deflated.
During this crucial time, when a team can either cement their playoff berth or fall out of contention, the Wizards are quickly fading. They have lost six of their last eight games, the last two of which have been exceptionally painful.
“It’s that snowball effect that adds up to big things, and they’re getting bigger and bigger as we speak,” Washington coach Randy Wittman said after Sunday’s loss. “Until we do something differently, nothing will change–and if I have to do something differently lineup wise, whatever. We’re just continually hitting our heads against the wall.”
After getting stream rolled by LeBron James and the Cavs in a 127-89 on Friday–their worst home loss in four decades–they had hoped to bounce back with a road win against the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons, much like their namesake city, have struggled in recent years. They last made the playoffs seven seasons ago; their last winning record was a year before that.
But even against Detroit, the Wizards couldn’t catch a break.
After trailing by five after the first quarter, they rebounded with a 30-point second quarter for a 50-47 half-time lead. Unfortunately, the offensive burst was short-lived. Marcin Gortat led the Wizards with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while John Wall added 10 points and 12 assists. In the end it wasn’t enough; they were outscored 59-37 in the second half en route to 106-89 loss.
The Wizards have now lost their last two games by a combined 55 points. For Bradley Beal, Washington’s second-best scorer, watching his team struggle from the sideline has been hard.
“It definitely makes me want to speed this process a little faster but at the same time I’ve got be smart,” he said. The guard, who has not played since Feb. 5 due to injury, is desperate to return. He believes that his team’s recent disappointments have come from lack of drive.
“I think we lost that hunger,” Beal said. “We lost that chip on our shoulder. We had a great record at one point and we just got comfortable, got complacent rather than continuing to be aggressive, nasty team that we were at the beginning of the year. We fell off. We definitely fell of. We lack defense. We’re not aggressive on either end of the floor.”
While they may have to wait a little bit longer for Beal’s return, they can’t wait much longer to get back on track. They next face Golden State Warriors, who at 43-10 are the best team in the NBA. If the Wizards want a spot in the playoffs, they will have to change their game plan–and fast.
