What a way to "rebound" from a demoralizing Game 4 loss. The good, bad, and more from the 102-79 Game 5 beatdown of the Pacers in Indy.
Good:
1. Wall. After a sloppy start with some bad turnovers in the first quarter, Wall played the best 26-minute stretch of basketball he's played during the playoffs. He was aggressive on both ends from the start. He got a few quick layups in transition early and that probably helped him to see the ball go through the basket. He pushed the ball after missed shots and made shots finding Gortat, Beal, and Ariza for easy looks and buckets. His heat-check 3-pointer in a 2 for 1 situation at the end of the 3rd was confidence-supreme. Everything he didn't have in Game 4, he had x10 in Game 5. Some will say the learning experience was the most important thing. That's nice but the most important thing is he kept them alive and put them right back in this series with a chance to win it. Good for him.
2. Gortat. It was his night to be the scoring big man and he stepped up with a near-perfect game. He set the tone early by going 5-6 in the first qtr with several rebounds. He went for 17 and 11 in the first half, 31 and 16 for the game, and he didn't play in the 4th qtr. Gortat has been a double-double machine all season long and when needed, he's been a higher-end double-double guy. He was 13-15 from the floor with 7 offensive rebounds. He was high-energy on both ends and his hustle on the offensive glass was incredible. They went to him early instead of Nene and he delivered a playoff masterpiece.
3. Rebounding & Defense. The Wizards took the life out of Indiana on the glass with an unheard of rebounding advantage of 62-23. At one point, it was 60-15! The differential has to be some kind of record. Part of the rebounding difference was due to Indiana's poor shooting but additionally, Indiana was intentionally keeping 2-3 players away from the offensive glass to guard against the Wizards' fast break.
4. Coaching. Randy Wittman and staff did a great job of having them ready for the moment of a win-or-go-home game. Wittman was mic'd up and we heard him emphasize "pace" and "defense". The "pace" that works for them is relentless defense and rebounding followed by a quick John Wall push and probe after both misses and makes. Even if they don't get something easy in transition, they run better halfcourt offense when they've made the defense scramble initially. For 2 straight possessions in the late 3rd/early 4th, Wall walked the ball up the court twice. You could hear Wittman screaming to keep up the "pace" despite the big lead. One more thing....after being outplayed in the 3rd quarter for most of the series, the Wizards outscored Indy 31-14 in the 3rd tonight. Great night for Wittman and staff.
Bad:
1. Early turnovers. If not for their 12 first-half turnovers, the Wizards would've had a 15-20 point lead at halftime instead of a 7-pt lead. Wall was sloppy early but he wasn't the only one. Their early hot shooting coupled with their rebounding offset the early turnovers.
More:
1. This Game 5 win will be memorable regardless of what happens at home in Game 6. Wall's bounce-back game from a rough Game 4 was so encouraging and it prevented what would've been a disappointing 4-game losing streak to end the season.
2. Game 6 on Thursday night is the biggest game for this organization in 35 years. It's the deepest they've been in the playoffs since the '79 Finals.
3. The Wizards have quietly been better from the free-throw line the last two games....30-38.
4. The Wizards have won 6 games in the playoffs and none of the wins have been the same. Nene and Beal early in the Chicago series. Ariza in Game 4 vs. the Bulls. Incredible defense in Game 5 vs Chicago with Booker playing high-energy minutes. Gooden off the bench with 12 and 13 in Game 1 vs Indy. Gortat and Wall tonight. They've had 10 players make meaningful contributions in 11 playoff games.
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