Brad Mills/USAToday
Eastern Conference Playoffs Semis, Game 6 Boston leads 3-2
Celtics at Wizards
May 12, 2017 at 8:00 PM Verizon Center | Washington, DC TV: NBA on TNT Radio: 1500 AM
What to watch:
The Wizards protect the Booth.
Every time the Wizards and Celtics have met this season, the home team has won. The Wizards have an opportunity to keep that trend going.. The Wizards must lock down, feed off the crowd and try to get some good runs. Just because the home team has won every game doesn’t mean tonight’s game is a guarantee for the Wizards. The Celtics will come out firing knowing they have a chance to close out this series.
Key Matchup:
The Bradleys.
All eyes have been on John Wall and Isaiah Thomas throughout this series and rightfully so. These two are the ones that got their respective teams right to where they are. Their sidekicks, both sporting the name Bradley, could each have a big game tonight. Bradley Beal has gotten the best of Avery Bradley for every game this series except for two (if you count ties). Beal dropped 27 in Game 1. Both players scored an identical 14 points in Game 2. In the last two games, it’s flipped. In Game 4, Beal was the one with 29 points while Avery dropped 29 in Game 5, a playoff career high.
Game 1: Beal 27, Bradley 18
Game 2: Beal 14, Bradley 14
Game 3:Beal 11, Bradley 7
Game 4:Beal 29, Bradley 5
Game 5: Beal 16, Bradley 29
X-Factor:
The #dcFamily
If you’re coming to the game tonight, please don’t sit down. Stand and cheer, loud and proud, show these guys you have their back. You’re the reason the Wizards have been undefeated at home. Al Horford turned down the Wizards for the Celtics particularly because he thought their fans were more loyal. Wouldn’t it be nice if that came back to bite him in the ass? We all know how Boston fans truly are, and now that I think about their recent behavior (ask Adam Jones of the Orioles and Kelly Oubre of your Washington Wizards) I wonder why I ever had any sympathy for that fan base while the Red Sox were cursed for 86 years. One annoying fan base was taking over the art gallery steps the other day after the Capitals fell in (another) Game 7. There are no doubt going to be some green in the stands tonight and the last thing we all want is those fans taking over our streets. This is our house. This is our city.
Fun Factor:
A drought could end
We all know #DCSports teams have let us down. We also know that no team of the major four has gotten past the second round since 1998. For the Wizards, even though a win tonight won’t get them out of the second round just yet another drought could end tonight. The Wizards haven’t played in a Game 7 in the NBA playoffs since the 1978-79 conference finals where they defeated the Spurs before falling to the Seattle Supersonics in the finals. They also won Game 7 in the previous round over the Hawks.
Washington has had chances in recent history to reach that decisive seventh game. There’s Game 6 in the 2006 quarterfinals where Lebron James jinxed Gilbert Arenas at the free throw line. For the second round, the history is more recent. This is the third time in the last four years that the Wizards are in this spot. The Wizards fell to the Pacers three years ago 93-80 while falling to the Hawks the next year in crushing fashion 94-91. You can’t change the past but let’s guarantee at least another game with a dub tonight.