Apr 30, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks walks on the court during a timeout in the second half of the Boston Celtics 123-111 win over the Washington Wizards in game one of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Wizards were left in poor condition following the ending of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics. Now they are left searching for answers after blowing a 17-point lead.
The Washington Wizards started out Sunday afternoon's Game 1 quite well on the road at the TD Garden against the Boston Celtics. In fact, the Wizards had something more impressive than just a 16-0 run to start the game.
The defense would hold off the Celtics to their first field goal until the 6:42 mark during the first quarter, and did not allow the Celtics to muster a single rebound until 5:57 was remaining in the first quarter.
John Wall finished the night with a double-double of 20 points and 16 assists, and Bradley Beal lead the way with 27 points.
The Washington Wizards had a firm grip on the Boston Celtics, but seemingly collapsed after outscoring them 38-24 in the first quarter. Lets take a look at where the Washington Wizards fell short and how they lost Game 1.
Tough Fall For Markieff Morris
While it seemed the Washington Wizards had their foot on the gas, a turn for the worse seemed to change the entire pace. Markieff Morris had rolled his ankle after landing on Al Horford's foot while he sank a jumper, and only played 11 minutes.
According to ESPN's Chris Forsberg, Morris remained optimistic on his condition in the locker room on whether he would play in Game 2.
"For sure," said Morris. "Hell yeah. It ain't broke. It's what I do."
After rolling his ankle Morris would sink his free throw and complete the three-point play before heading to the sideline. He would not return. It seemed the Wizards would continue cruising through the afternoon despite the poor luck for Markieff Morris.
However, Kelly Oubre Jr. would replace him and the Wizards went small with their starters. This seemed to lead to a complete defensive collapse as the Celtics found their rhythm through the second and third quarters.
Markieff Morris finished his night early, shooting 2-for-7 and grabbing three rebounds. His size on the court was sorely missed. The Washington Wizards will certainly hope to see him back on the court. Preparing a special rotation for his possible absence may also need to be considered.
We All Have Bad Nights
John Wall has put this team on his back time and time again, especially through Washington's first round series that put the Atlanta Hawks away in six games. However, in Game 1 against the Boston Celtics, Wall would have a shaky start on the road.
Shooting 9-for-20 on the afternoon, Wall could not do it all. He was cold shooting from the outside, going 1-for-5, but would contribute 16 assists. This became a display of sloppy ball handling at times and became a frustrating afternoon for fans.
The Washington Wizards committed 12 turnovers on the afternoon and John Wall was responsible for eight of them. That is exactly half the amount of his assists of the game.
On a side note, John Wall finished tied for most blocks on the team with Kelly Oubre Jr. having two apiece. One man can not be expected to do it all and neither should John Wall, but Sunday was certainly a strange start to the series.
Bradley Beal Plays Strong, Defense Still Suspect
As the Washington Wizards slowly lost their 17-point lead, the Boston Celtics proceeded to drain three-pointer after three-pointer. In the first quarter, two straight three-pointers from first Isaiah Thomas and then Kelly Olynyk would help Boston slowly close in on the Wizards' lead. Coming into the game, Thomas had made just three of his last 26 three-pointers. In Game 1, he finished 5-for-11.
Bradley Beal put on a strong offensive performance overall on the afternoon. At times he still continues to force shots instead of making the extra pass. Leading the team on the night with 27 points while shooting 9-for-19 from the field and 4-for-7 from the outside, Beal continues to be a driving force for this team.
His defense continues to be an issue as well though, and is detriment in games like these. As Avery Bradley became a problem in the second half, the Celtics guards were a dynamic pair. Bradley was held to 18 points but became a defensive asset, coming up with four steals. Thanks to that matchup, Beal led the Wizards in fouls and had three turnovers on the game.
A big factor in this game was the Wizards' inability to contest the three-point shot. They finished just 10-for-23 to the Celtics' 19-for-39 from the outside.
From Leading To Trailing
The Washington Wizards may have gotten in over their heads with a huge lead to start the game. During the second quarter, Boston outscored Washington 35-26, and then 36-16 in the third quarter. As the dismantling of the Wizards continued, only one lead change would occur once the TD Garden finally stayed on its feet.
Perhaps the Wizards had the wind knocked out of them wiith Morris being sidelined. Kelly Oubre Jr. had a fair outing, shooting 5-for-8 to finish with 12 points, but he had the worst point differential on the team at -22. Markieff Morris leaving he game likely attributed to the Celtics' Jae Crowder shooting an astounding 6-for-8 from beyond the arc.
The Wizards held a strong upper hand and had an opportunity to go one game up starting on the road against the Celtics. One thing for sure is they will need to make the proper adjustments if Morris is not able to return. If they can not make up for his height, they will need to find a solution to shut down Jae Crowder.
From the foul line, the Washington Wizards also missed more then a few opportunities, finishing 13-of-22 from the charity stripe while Boston went 12-for-15.
John Wall will look to return to his superstar form and the Washington Wizards will seek to tie the series during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday.
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