As you may know by now, Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal launched his own website - bradleybeal.net - during the second half of the 2016-17 regular season to give fans his perspective on life, on and off the court. Back in March, Beal discussed the team’s culture change under the leadership of head coach Scott Brooks. Three months later, the end of the season, he discussed the much harder reality of the Wizards getting bounced in the second round of the playoffs for the third time in four years, again on May 15th. Here are the highlights:

On facing the Atlanta Hawks in Round 1:

“We went up 2-0, and we went to Atlanta a little bit big-headed, a little bit too cocky. Then we ended up losing two, and having to make it a dogfight.”

On not being able to win on the road against the Boston Celtics in Round 2:

“We feel like we let ourselves down. We feel like we should have won the series. … we feel like we were the better team.”

Marcin Gortat also believed that Washington was the bad team, but what is seen on paper “doesn’t mean a crap.”

On losing double-digit leads in Games 1 and 2 in Boston:

“We had lapses on defense. We gave up wide-open threes, some easy layups and things like that. Offensively, we were turning the ball over and not really scoring.”

On losing momentum-changing Games 2 and 5:

“We should’ve realized the importance of it and taken better advantage of those two situations.”

On the silver lining:

“But it’s a learning curve. Moving forward, we will be a lot better in that situation. We still have a lot we can be proud of. The way we fought and clawed our way to force a Game 7 … that was key for us [moving forward].”

On the future being bright:

“Moving forward, we’re going to be a threat team, a contender. Our names are going to be on that list for years to come.”

On improving as a defender:

“I have to keep working on my lateral quickness, my footwork, my strength, just being able to keep guys in front of me and shut them as best as possible.”

Scott Brooks has praised Beal for already being one of the better two-way players, but it is great to see Beal is hungrier to be even better.

On Isaiah Thomas performing at the level he did following the tragic passing of his younger sister:

“I have tremendous respect for IT. … There aren’t a lot of guys who could cope with that. Not a lot of guys could go out there, and play the game the way he did. So you have to respect that. You show your love and credit to him. And it’s great. You appreciate that. You respect guys like that.”

Beal notes that he (like Russell Westbrook) is not watching the NBA Finals because it stings too much, “I don’t watch the games. I can’t watch them. I’m still mourning our loss.” John Wall has shared a similar sentiment in the past and Markieff Morris noted he would probably not watch the first few games of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Last, but certainly not least, Beal takes another opportunity to thank DC Family for their support during the season, “We’re so appreciative. I’m especially appreciative. You guys were great all year. You stuck by our side, from our rocky start to our sad finish. It was great to be able to see good basketball back in the city, so our fans could be able to support a good team, because you deserve it. You support us each and every year and it’s good that we were able to have a successful year, a great run, and a great basketball series for you to enjoy at the arena. I hope you know how much we appreciate you. We feed off of your energy, and for years to come we’re going to battling in the playoffs like this, so we’re going to continue to need that support. I can’t wait to hear and feel it again next season!”

You can read the full column here.