(Photo: Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
The struggles against sub-.500 teams for the Washington Wizards is well known and well documented. They have 10 losses against losing teams, which is tied for the most in the NBA as of January 4. The reason why the Wizards are 7.5 games back of the No. 1 seeded Boston Celtics and 5 games back of the No. 2 seeded Toronto Raptors is because the latter two are 19-3 and 18-3, respectively against sub-.500 teams.
With losses to the Lakers, Suns, Mavericks, Hornets, Trail Blazers, Nets twice, and Hawks already on the record, Washington was searching for focus and consistency to correct the woes against lesser opponents. The Wizards have now beaten the recently hot Bulls and somewhat surprisingly good Knicks, both sub-.500 teams, in their last two games to close out 2017 and start 2018, respectively.
The solution to this problem is clear and everybody surrounding the team knows it. Take every minute of every game seriously no matter the opponent. Focus on the task at hand and play with effort throughout the course of the matchup. I caution you from saying that the Wizards have turned things around after just two games because it seems that this has already happened in the past just for them to take a huge step back by getting blown out by Brooklyn or Atlanta.
"I hope so," John Wall said when asked about if the struggles against sub-.500 teams are over. "We can say it, but when the game gets here it’s all about us going out there and competing. Every game is always going to be different, and this is a good way to start it."
All involved seem to agree that the fix will not be known at the exact moment it takes place, but only once looking back later on in the season.
"We hope so," Beal said about the narrative ending. "Nobody criticizes themselves more than us. We're aware of it, we know our job isn't finished. We got more to prove and still know that each team is different. We got to respect all of our opponents."
With Wall and Beal hopeful for a successful and permanent turnaround, Scott Brooks and Marcin Gortat that know that the task is fully at hand in front of them.
"No we still have to focus on playing every game," Brooks said definitively. "I know we won the last two games, that’s great. We should go into every game expecting t win and playing hard and giving ourselves a chance to win. If you don’t play hard you have no chance. But I thought we have been the last two games. Since John has been back we are 8-3 now. Hopefully that continues, but it’s not going to get easier. We still have a tough road trip coming up. Memphis, back-to-back late game. Coming back the next night at our place. We are going to have to play well. I like what we are doing. We are defending and moving the ball."
Gortat, who scored a season-high 21 points against New York, reiterated the key to success for Washington.
"I think we just came out more focused," Gortat said about the strong third-quarter play against the sub-.500 Knicks. "Determination was at the high level. Everybody contributed and everybody was playing good defense and we executed offensively too."
With 19 games before the All-Star break, 11 being against teams that are currently under .500, we should know if this team has turned the corner before the festivities in Los Angeles.
"I don't know, we'll find out in the next 10, 20 games. It's too easy to say. This was only one or two games, let's wait, I ain't going to make any statement. Let's find out in the next 10, 20 games."
Markieff Morris, taking the optimistic look on the recent three-game winning streak and 8-3 record in the last 11 games, "don’t jump off the bandwagon yet. We’re doing some good things like we did last year."