Wizards Clinch 1st Division Title in 38 Years with Win vs. Lakers

Having already assured themselves of a top-eight seed, the Washington Wizards clinched the Southeast division title with a 119-108 win over the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night.

The team celebrated the achievement on Twitter:

It's the first time the franchise claimed a division title since the 1978-79 season, when the Washington Bullets won the Atlantic division before falling to the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA Finals.

Coming off a disappointing 2015-16 season where they finished 41-41 and missed the playoffs, the Wizards had a tough start in 2016-17 as well. They were just 6-11 through the end of November and didn't move above .500 until Jan. 10.

However, the squad has been among the hottest teams in basketball since then and has become a legitimate threat going forward.

David Aldridge of Turner Sports discussed the difference:

While it will be difficult for anyone to beat the Golden State Warriors when completely healthy, OddsShark lists the Wizards with 33-1 odds to win a title, which is sixth-best in the league. FiveThirtyEight ranks the team as the fifth-best in the NBA as well, although it gives Washington just a five percent chance of winning it all.

"Everybody should take us serious," John Wall said in mid-March, per Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. "All we have to do is keep playing like this. That's the main focus for our last 20 games. Lock in for 48 minutes. When we lock in, we're a tough team to beat. When we don't lock in, everyone can beat us in this league."

Wall and Bradley Beal are the true stars in the backcourt. Wall has become one of the top point guards in the NBA and is a double-double machine, while Beal is an elite scorer who can shoot the lights out. Adding in contributions from Otto Porter Jr., Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris, and Washington has one of the best starting fives in the league.

Although a lack of depth had been an issue earlier in the season, the late additions of Brandon Jennings and Bojan Bogdanovic could be useful going into the playoffs.

Keith Smith of RealGM provided his thoughts on the postseason picture:

The Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors will spend the rest of the season jockeying for position in the Eastern Conference. Regardless of how they end up, the playoffs in the Eastern Conference should be as exciting as it has been in years.