NBA Playoffs 2017: Previewing Top Storylines for Game 7 of Wizards vs. Celtics
As soon as the NBA playoff bracket finalized, even casual fans knew an encounter between the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards would be a good time.
Which doesn't make it any less fun.
The Eastern Conference could've spit out the eight-seeded Chicago Bulls, the embodiment of dysfunction. Or the been-there-done-that Atlanta Hawks. Instead, the basketball gods deemed fans worthy of a John Wall-Isaiah Thomas confrontation which has almost predictably spit out a Game 7 after the former defended his home court with a game-winning shot in Game 6.
"I ain't going home," Wall said, according to Benjamin Hoffman of the New York Times. "They all come to my city wearing all black talking about, 'It's a funeral.' We worked too hard for this, and all we ask for is a Game 7. Fifty-Fifty."
Fans should prepare for a classic Monday night. These two franchises combine to boast one of the league's budding, grittiest rivalries, and both superstars are looking a legacy-defining moment right in the eye.
Those overarching storylines aren't hard to figure out, though the game-deciding factors are best described as the Triple D's. Let's check them out below.
Wizards vs. Celtics Game 7
| Monday, May 15 | 8 p.m. ET | TNT |
Top Storylines
Defense
Sounds simple, right?
The Celtics aren't an overly intimidating defensive team. Their best player is 5'9", and Al Horford, 6'10" or not, isn't exactly an at-the-rim enforcer or monster on the boards.
But the Celtics make their money through smart defense. The Celtics have Thomas chasing Bradley Beal all over the court, whizzing through screens and making him take tough looks rather than letting him struggle with Wall all over the court.
This leaves Avery Bradley on Wall, which isn't as terrible of a matchup as it sounds.
"Avery's the best on-the-ball defender in the NBA—hands down," Thomas said, according to Kyle Hightower of the Associated Press. "A guy like John Wall you're not gonna stop. He does a hell of a job on him. He makes it tough. Nothing's easy. And that's what Avery Bradley does, each and every night."
There's no completely halting Washington's backcourt, but the Celtics have made life miserable. Wall scored 26 points in Game 6 on 25 shots. Beal, 33 on 26. They combined for three conversions from deep on 13 attempts.
Granted, Boston lost. But we're talking about going down on the road at the hands of a game-winning shot against a team with its back pressed to a, well, wall. If the defensive savviness and energy is the same Monday night and pairs with the next two points, the Celtics can roll into the series finale with confidence.
Depth
Again, another basic point, but depth is a critical factor for both teams going into Monday.
The Wizards have the second-worst scoring bench in the playoffs, which is about par for the course for the entire season.
Win or not, this ugly trait showed up again in Game 6. Washington tried to establish a rotation so starters weren't jacking up miserable shot after miserable shot (such as Otto Porter Jr. going 0-of-5 over 36 minutes).
The result of this attempt? Ian Mahinmi scored six points over 15 minutes, Bojan Bogdanovic four over 17, including missing all three attempts from deep.
Boston's bench didn't exactly light it up in Game 6 either, but the tempo-based attack had four starters in double digits while scoring inside and out. It was easier to make a sweeping generalization all season that Boston is a deeper team, and it has proved to be the case, both in starting lineups and down the bench.
If some of Washington's key depth pieces can knock down shots, which is why the team made a move for Bogdanovic at the deadline, it will take some of the pressure off the backcourt continuing to struggle with consistency against Boston's defense.
Drought Drama
The Wizards have a lot working against them Monday night.
Wall and his upstart Eastern Conference contenders have lost every game on the road in this series. Game 1 was a 123-111 defeat where four starters actually scored double figures, yet Boston did the same, getting 33 from Thomas. Boston hit 51.5 percent of its attempts from the field, while Washington went 13-of-22 from the line.
Game 2 went to overtime, an eventual 129-119 victory for the Celtics. Wall dropped 40, yet the Celtics shot better than 50 percent from the field again and Thomas exploded for 53. Back in Boston for Game 5, the Celtics again shot better than 50 percent, easily taking a 123-101 decision, while Washington shot 35-of-91 from the floor and 7-of-29 from deep.
Now keep in mind, according to the Boston Herald's Ron Borges, the Wizards haven't actually won a postseason game in Boston since 1982.
This drought, especially the current one, is a combination of everything discussed. The Celtics aren't necessarily a true No. 1 seed, not after the Cleveland Cavaliers gifted it to them and they got off to a rocky playoff start. But they're a contender nonetheless, one with savvy defensive adjustments able to fluster a Washington team entirely relying on a pair of scorers too much.
As fun as it would be to see Wall pull off a worthwhile legacy moment and take a Game 7 in Boston, wiping the droughts slate clean in the process before squaring up with LeBron James, the three games in Boston have played out like so for a reason.
Maybe Wall can end the drought. Maybe not. Either way, the puzzle pieces here hint at the one of this postseason's best offerings.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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