April 22, 2013
Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
There was a glimmer of hope at one point during the past few months that the Washington Wizards might make the playoffs. It quickly flickered and burnt out, but it was there. That says a lot for the team that started the season with twelve straight losses.
The Wizards finished the season 29-53, on a low note with a six-game losing streak. It was not the ending they had hoped for, especially after the surge the team, once 4-28, experienced after the return of John Wall.
Wall believed that injuries are what kept the Wizards from advancing. “If we’re healthy, we’re easily a playoff team,” the point guard told reporters last week.
While Wall is looking to parlay the career highs he established this season (average of 18.5 points per game and a 44.1 field goal percentage) into a lucrative contract extension, rookie Bradley Beal emerged as a future star and veteran Nenê proved to be an important offensive factor. Unfortunately, by the end of the season both Beal and Nenê were sidelined due to injuries.
While the Wizards may not have had a breakout season, they did show they can win games when the players are healthy and work together. It will be interesting to see what moves the Wizards make in the off-season–whether or not they will try to build their team with young talent via the draft, or sign more veteran players to round out the roster. They also have to decide if John Wall’s performance is worth paying up: if Wall does not receive the contract extension he is looking for, he could become an unrestricted agent in 2014.
Wall seemed confident he would remain in Washington, saying he still believes in himself and he knows the franchise does as well. Speaking to reporters after the last game of the season, he said he is working on getting better and is focused on leading the organization back to a championship: “That’s all my goal is, not to worry about nothing else than just winning here.”
Capitals
While the Wizards playoff dreams have to wait until next year, the Capitals’ (25-18-2) late-season surge has put them in first place in their division, with just three games left.
The Caps were riding an eight-game win streak when they lost to the Ottawa Senators 1-3 last Thursday. Despite the loss, the team bounced back, beating the Canadiens 5-1 on the road Saturday.
Alex Ovechkin scored twice, reaching thirty goals for the season, and his twentieth in the past eighteen games. After a rocky start to the season, Ovechkin now leads the NHL in scoring and is leading the race to his third Rocket Richard Trophy, awarded to the league’s top scorer.
While Ovechkin and the rest of the team were thrilled with the win, they remain focused on finishing the season strong. They next host Winnipeg Jets, their division rival whom they lead by just three points.
With three points between them, and just three games left to play, it is easy to see why Ovechkin called Tuesday night’s match-up “the biggest game of the year.”
