Wednesday’s wrap was black and wound up John Wall’s left wrist. That didn’t keep him from dribbling for the second consecutive day or working on his conditioning during the Wizards’ morning shootaround.
Tuesday was the first time Wall handled a basketball since injuring his non-shooting hand in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks on May 3. He is unsure if he will play in Game 5 on Wednesday night in Atlanta.
“I don’t know yet,” Wall said. “I don’t know yet. We still have to talk with the doctors. Didn’t have an opportunity to meet with them yesterday.”
The swelling in Wall’s left hand has gone down. After his Game 1 fall caused five small fractures, that was the main problem. His puffy hand is about back to normal. Doctors are flying in today, according to Wizards coach Randy Wittman, to take another look at Wall. That will be the examination everyone has been waiting for. Since the swelling is reduced, they can finally get a better look at Wall’s injury, which at first was labeled a bad sprain.
The all-star point guard has not played since realizing about an hour before tipoff of Game 2 that his injured hand would not allow him to dribble. The swelling combined with the pain to make the rudimentary necessity impossible.
Wall said he plans to test the hand again before tonight’s game, which starts at 8. He also said if he plays, he will wear some form of protective glove.
Wall stressed that he does not want to be a stifled version of himself, fearing he would mess up the team. The Wizards are 1-2 in the series without him.
“Hopefully, I can get some other work in early on before the game to see what my mindset is,” Wall said. “How confident I feel in it because I don’t want to go out there and not be able to help those guys.
“If I can’t be myself, I don’t want to play.”
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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