Being confined to the white-walled practice court in Verizon Center is getting old. The Washington Wizards are running “dummy” offense to stay sharp. There is no specific scouting report to go over. Some days during the past week only involved weightlifting or medical treatment. Some players, like Kris Humphries, who barely played in the opening playoff series, stayed for extra work. Closing out the Toronto Raptors in four games had what, for some, was an unwanted consequence: lots of time off.
“It’s like training camp all over again,” Bradley Beal said. “It’s good and bad. I’d rather play right away.”
The Wizards are waiting for the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets to resolve their series. The top-seeded Hawks moved in front, 3-2, following a Wednesday night win. Game 6 is Friday in Brooklyn. If the Hawks win, the Wizards will head to Atlanta for a 1 p.m. Sunday tip-off to finally open the Eastern Conference semifinals. If there is a Game 7, the Wizards will not play until May 5, either in Atlanta or at home against Brooklyn. So, they wait.
“Made me feel like when I’m already out of the playoffs and I’m just chillin’,” Wall said.
The first round was an interesting four games for the Wizards’ young backcourt. They remain the two weight-bearers, a pair whom the franchise’s long-term success is framed around. The duo helped Washington advance in the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since the late 1970s. Most of what they do is compared to that era, one of the few other times in Wizards history there was consistent hope. And, what they do next will determine if the Wizards can surpass last season’s stop in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Paul Pierce, as he’s eager to remind, was brought to D.C. to do certain things. Among the roles he has chosen to absorb is pressuring Beal and Wall. During the season, he repeated how the whole team hinged on the youngsters — Wall still just 24 years old and Beal 21 — now, not in the future. As they go, the Wizards go, Pierce constantly said. The two won their guard matchups against Toronto; the Wizards swept. Add another line to Pierce’s list of things he was right about. No doubt about “it.”
To start the first round, Beal said he was still nervous despite being in the playoffs for a second time. It’s a normal pregame feeling for him.
“I’ve always said, if you’re not nervous, you’re not ready to play,” Beal said. “It wasn’t too bad because we’ve been here before.”
His first round was similar to the 11 playoff games he played last season when his game evolved to a higher level. In 2014, Beal averaged 19.2 points. Against the Raptors, that number moved to 20.8 during a testy series with aggressive Raptors all-star guard Kyle Lowry often defending him. Though Beal’s shooting percentages were down, his free-throw and 3-point attempts were up, two things Beal has been criticized for not doing enough. It was progress.
Wall may have taken a further step.
“Knowing I can dictate the game by not just scoring, doing other things,” Wall said. “When I play defense first, it gets my offense going a lot.”
Though it was three days later, Wall’s statement was a redelivery of the same line of thought his coach, Randy Wittman, provided after Game 4 ended. Wall finished the series averaging 12.5 assists. In the first three games, Wall took a shot about every three minutes on the floor. In Game 4, he shot just five times, or once every five minutes he played. He stifled Lowry and scoring aficionado Lou Williams. The pace he ran the Wizards with was optimal.
“It started with John,” Wittman said afterward. “He orchestrated us, and his pace was incredible.”
Both Beal and Wall have the expected greater comfort during their second season in the playoffs. Wall repeated lyrics when heading down the hall before warming up in Game 1, rapping out loud and bouncing around. Beal was bold enough to wave goodbye to Lowry when the latter fouled out later in the same game. It’s different this year. Pleasure from simply being in the playoffs have been replaced with grander internal expectations.
“I think myself individually and as a team, we did a better job of handling it,” Beal said. “I think we were a lot more focused than we were last year. I think we knew what was at stake this year and what we wanted to get to. I think last year, we were just happy to be in the playoffs, then we got past the first round, then we wanted to start setting higher goals. I think now, we have an ultimate goal, it’s the same for everybody around the league.”
The post-first round celebration came with a different approach, too.
“We were happy, but at the same time, we weren’t complacent,” Beal said. “We still have that bitter feeling from last year. We know we want to get back to the second round and get past it. It’s a great opportunity for us, man. We weren’t too excited, we weren’t too low. I think we’re right where we need to be, we’re level-headed.”
They just need an opponent now.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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