Strolling into the press room with a purple tie and purple socks around black pants and a blue suit coat, Marcin Gortat leaned over a local writer’s shoulder to take a peek at his laptop screen after Game 4. Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey was finishing his post-mortem examination of the Washington Wizards’ sweep, so Gortat had to wait before it was his turn in front of microphones and cameras.
That kind of playful interaction with reporters was standard for the gregarious Gortat from early in the season, when he grumbled about D.C.’s potholes, joked about bringing point guard John Wall to the “promised land,” and laughed at the proportions of his action figure. Though, at times after the all-star break, his interaction with the media changed for an amusing five minutes to polite but brief answers and a clear preference to get out of the locker room without speaking. Asked before the playoffs to explain his frustrations during the season, Gortat said, “Ask me at exit interview.” Also asked at one point in March during a strong personal run on the floor what was going better, Gortat said, “They’re passing me the ball.”
Once the sweep ended, he was back to his self-deprecating persona.
“Personally for me, it’s huge to play with two studs like Brad [Beal] and John [Wall],” Gortat said. “These guys create a lot of space for me. We have Otto [Porter] stepping in right now big time. You’re playing with the legend Paul Pierce. You’re playing with the big Brazilian gladiator [Nene] over there. So, I guess I’m the weakest link out there.
“They’re going to leave me open a lot, so I just have to make sure I am going to finish a lot of shots. If I tell you how many times it’s my fault during the game, you’ll be surprised. You’ll be surprised. Every time there’s a problem with me on the court. I’m just trying to figure out … if one day I play perfect game, I might crack the Wilt Chamberlain record.”
This was a season like no other for Gortat. He started it with new, and large, dollar figures next to his name after signing a five-year, $60 million contract in the summer. In his previous seven seasons in the league, he had earned around $35 million total. Television crews flew in from Poland to do specials on him. One host explained the only other current Polish athlete that can rival Gortat in popularity is Wojciech Szczęsny, the 25-year-old who became the starting goalkeeper for Arsenal of the English Premier League when he was 20. He’s also the goalkeeper for Poland’s national team.
A mohawk gave way to a bald head. Gortat hosted Polish dignitaries postgame, giving them a tour of the Wizards’ locker room. Once, he amused himself by answering questions in Polish to see a reporter’s reaction. He was the member of the Wizards that did a this-is-your-life sit down with ESPN to air during the Wizards’ rare Christmas day appearance on national TV. Various Polish groups often waited in the stands for him to come talk after games. He even appeared on the cover of the Polish edition of Forbes magazine in February. In that interview, Gortat mentioned how important to him it was to use his position to help kids. He also said, “People don’t realize with how much mental pressure, and physical exhaustion, NBA players have to deal with.”
Around the same time, his numbers dipped. It wasn’t just Gortat who was ailing. The Wizards were stumbling. He scored and talked less. In January, he shot less, down to a season-low 8.2 attempts per game. Progressively, he found himself not playing in fourth quarters when coach Randy Wittman chose to sit the big man against the small-ball lineups opponents used to finish games. The change in demeanor was clear.
“I guess he wasn’t getting the ball and wasn’t scoring,” Wall said Wednesday when asked what could have been wrong. “When you’re not playing well, it’s kind of different and you were losing at the same time, it’s pretty tough. If we were winning games and he wasn’t playing well, you could still buy that.”
Success began to come back for Gortat before the team was able to stop wobbling. After the all-star break, he averaged 13.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. Most notable was the leap in field-goal percentage: Before the all-star break, Gortat shot 53.7 percent. After, 61.8. His shooting percentage changed direction because his body also did.
“Most of the time early in the season when I would penetrate, he would pop back for jump shots,” Wall said. “Now, I’m penetrating, he’s diving for layups and dunks.”
Gortat clobbered the Raptors. He shot 74.4 percent in the series. His 10 rebounds per game were a career-high for a postseason — this is his fifth — plus he added three assists and two blocks. It helped he was on the floor at the end of games with the Wizards’ shiny new small-ball lineup. The spacing from moving Paul Pierce — and even Drew Gooden — to power forward may have benefited Wall and Gortat the most. Now, when they play a two-man pick-and-roll game, it truly is a two-man pick-and-roll because defenders are loathe to leave the 3-point shooters standing around the perimeter. Wall’s speed creates problems from the start. Providing him room to operate only amplifies his sonic play.
“If he just continues to screen and roll to the basket, he’s going to get the ball,” Beal said during the series. “They’re not going to let me and John come off free, or Paul. He needs to just set a screen, roll right up under the basket, catch it and finish. He’s just been terrific. He’s rebounding well and he’s finding his spots in the right ways.”
Gortat pulled in an offensive rebound, scored and was fouled in the second half of Game 4, which had all the tension of a summertime block party. Wall came roaring off the bench to seek him out, then jumped into the center’s chest. They laughed in a way that had seemed to escape them for a trio of months once the calendar turned.
Gortat explained later that Gooden had helped the Wizards rediscover their pass-happy ways and many positive things followed.
“At that point, we just started playing together,” Gortat said. “Having fun, distributing the ball. It doesn’t matter who is going to score as long as we’re winning. I think we understood this thing at the end of the season. Now, we having fun playing like that in playoffs. This is the recipe. We’ve got to continue to play like that.”
That approach not only brought back the Wizards, but it brought back Gortat. Wilt’s scoring records have been warned.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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