Round 2, Game 6 Pacers at Wizards 8pm 5/15/2014

[nate33]

I have had enough of Trevor Ariza.

[sfam]

It's been a terrific season guys. Sad to see it end this way but really, it's been an awesome season.

Sure, solid season overall and they went farther than the naysayers expected.

It was just so unnecessary for them to go out like this. And the team's "star" looking completely overwhelmed isn't helping either.

This was a learning experience for Wall. He improved dramatically this year. I expect that to continue. If Wall comes back next year without improved skills or focus, he should be rightly criticized harshly. But I think we should give the guy time to learn from this. Personally I'm thrilled we have Wall, I love watching him and look forward to seeing his continued development. He's the best thing to happen to this franchise since the 70s.

[Dat2U]

It's been a terrific season guys. Sad to see it end this way but really, it's been an awesome season.

Sure, solid season overall and they went farther than the naysayers expected.

It was just so unnecessary for them to go out like this. And the team's "star" looking completely overwhelmed isn't helping either.

This was a learning experience for Wall. He improved dramatically this year. I expect that to continue. If Wall comes back next year without improved skills or focus, he should be rightly criticized harshly. But I think we should give the guy time to learn from this. Personally I'm thrilled we have Wall, I love watching him and look forward to seeing his continued development. He's the best thing to happen to this franchise since the 70s.

I disagree. I think he was okay but overall I'm slightly disappointed with his season. His 3 pt shot improved, I'd say that's where he made his biggest and career lasting improvement. There were also stretches were he was really good facilitating in the half court but those weren't consistent enough for more liking. At some points, he regressed. Attacking the rim and finishing around the rim, he made his biggest and most disturbing regression. He settled more for jumpers and made a lot of poor choices when driving and kicking... especially late in the year and into the playoffs. He gave up a lot of bunnies at the rim for tougher shots for lesser players on the perimeter. Even though some of those perimeter shots were made, it was still an example of poor shot recognition. That's another big concern I have. We cannot have Wall as a passive game manager, that really puts a cap on how far this club can go long term if he's simply a jump shooting, pass the ball around the perimeter type of guy.

[tontoz]

Pretty disappointed with Wall last night. He frequently looked like he didn't know what do to and made some really strange kickouts when he was right near the rim. He also had some bad turnovers.

5-16 with 5 turnovers is pretty bad.

If you are going to publicly declare yourself the best pg in the league you need to deliver in the playoffs.

[nate33]

Sure, solid season overall and they went farther than the naysayers expected.

It was just so unnecessary for them to go out like this. And the team's "star" looking completely overwhelmed isn't helping either.

This was a learning experience for Wall. He improved dramatically this year. I expect that to continue. If Wall comes back next year without improved skills or focus, he should be rightly criticized harshly. But I think we should give the guy time to learn from this. Personally I'm thrilled we have Wall, I love watching him and look forward to seeing his continued development. He's the best thing to happen to this franchise since the 70s.

I disagree. I think he was okay but overall I'm slightly disappointed with his season. His 3 pt shot improved, I'd say that's where he made his biggest and career lasting improvement. There were also stretches were he was really good facilitating in the half court but those weren't consistent enough for more liking. At some points, he regressed. Attacking the rim and finishing around the rim, he made his biggest and most disturbing regression. He settled more for jumpers and made a lot of poor choices when driving and kicking... especially late in the year and into the playoffs. He gave up a lot of bunnies at the rim for tougher shots for lesser players on the perimeter. Even though some of those perimeter shots were made, it was still an example of poor shot recognition. That's another big concern I have. We cannot have Wall as a passive game manager, that really puts a cap on how far this club can go long term if he's simply a jump shooting, pass the ball around the perimeter type of guy.

It looks like Chicago and Indiana have written the new scouting report on Wall and have been very successful at shutting him down. Wall is going to have to adapt or else everyone else will do the same thing.

[Dat2U]

Pretty disappointed with Wall last night. He frequently looked like he didn't know what do to and made some really strange kickouts when he was right near the rim. He also had some bad turnovers.

5-16 with 5 turnovers is pretty bad.

If you are going to publicly declare yourself the best pg in the league you need to deliver in the playoffs.

Agreed. At this point. The training wheels are off. He's a max player next year. He's got to address his decision making on these drive & kicks. It's been simply terrible lately. And it looked like he hadn't tried to finish around the rim with contact in months, probably because it's true. The mental regression is honestly a bit worrisome and why I'm so stuck on not bringing Wittman/Cassell back next year. The Wizards and Wall need a fresh pair of eyes on the situation.

[dandridge 10]

Well, after having a night to sleep on it, I can give my postmortem.

I heard one fan call this team bipolar and I feel a little the same way as I reflect on this season. On the one hand, I am proud that the team was able get into the second round and I admit that prior to the season starting, I did not think it was possible. For this reason, I was one of the fans at the end of the game last night giving the team a standing ovation. However, after seeing how this team can play when they are focused and determined, I still can't help thinking that the team underachieved. I am particularly disappointed with how the team played at home. I just don't understand why the team cannot play with the same type of focus and intensity that they play with on the road. Its mind-boggling.

As for last nights game, they really lost it in the first half. They came out with no energy or focus (go figure...they were at home) and let the Pacers get a sizeable lead, which you just can't afford to do against a great defensive team. Unfortunately, I think that gave the Pacers confidence to win the game even when we went on the run in the 4th quarter.

I also think the refs contributed to the poor start. During the first half, the refs were calling a foul virtually every play and that slowed down the game considerably to the Pacers benefit. Unfortunately, the refs swallowed their whistles in the second half which again favored the more physical Pacers team. West was particularly getting the benefit of this as he continually used his off arm or shoulder to get separation from his defender to get shots off (admittedly, he also had a lot of wide open jumpers)

Aside for that one game, Wall was not particularly good this series and neither was Ariza. However, I thought Nene was the real stinker for the series. He simply did not show up and his defense last night was atrocious. I agree with Fish that Booker should have received more run.

As for the crowd, I was also disappointed that there were a lot of empty seats. Ultimately, I think the main reason why it was not a sell out was because the Wizards did not give fans a reason to expect them to win at home. Too many times this season and in the playoffs the Wizards laid eggs at home. Its not fun to shell out a lot of money only to see your team lose. It was one of the reasons why I thought about trying to sell my tickets to last nights game (I now wish I did). I think it was also a reason that the crowd got silent pretty quickly when the Wizards went down by 5 after they made their run to go up by 1. There were still 3 minutes left and plenty of time, but you could just feel it in the crowd that no one believed that we would win. Overall, I think the fans appreciate what the Wizards did this season, but still do not truly believe in them.

Oh well, time to get past this loss and this season and look forward to the offseason. I will also enjoy watching playoff games without being a nervous wreck.

[nate33]

To be fair, Wall did attempt to finish with contact several times in Game 6, it's just that the refs seemed to believe that Hibbert has an exemption to normal basketball rules and is permitted to foul with impunity.

[DCZards]

Attacking the rim and finishing around the rim, he made his biggest and most disturbing regression. He settled more for jumpers and made a lot of poor choices when driving and kicking... especially late in the year and into the playoffs. He gave up a lot of bunnies at the rim for tougher shots for lesser players on the perimeter. Even though some of those perimeter shots were made, it was still an example of poor shot recognition. That's another big concern I have. We cannot have Wall as a passive game manager, that really puts a cap on how far this club can go long term if he's simply a jump shooting, pass the ball around the perimeter type of guy.

I agree with you about Wall's failure to attack the rim. I've expressed the same frustration for most of the season. I especially hate it when he gets all the way to basket only to kick it out to a teammate for a long 2 or a 3 pointer. (The guy sitting next to me at the game last night complained about the same thing all night long.)

However, I think that's the easiest part of Wall's game to fix...with coaching and play calling. If I'm the head coach I sit down with John this off season and show him video of the many, many times he was at the rim for an easy layup or foul call but kicked it out. I also come up with plays designed to open up the court more and make it easier for John to attack. And put it on JW to take advantage of those situations.

Of course, he also needs to continue to work on his shooting--as he obviously did last off season.

What the Zards have in Wall are things that you can't get through coaching...remarkable size, strength and physical abilities. It also helps that he's humble, a hardworker and a leader. Vets like Gortat and Nene talk regularly about how John (and Beal) are two young, smart guys who soak up their advice and constructive criticism.

Hated to lose last night, but I'm looking forward to watching Wall and Beal making sweet music in the Zards backcourt for many years. #dcRising!

[Higga]

At the end of the day, we lost to the better team. We beat a team in Chicago we should beat, and we lost to who we should lose to. This is the NBA, upsets rarely if ever happen. The best team wins in 7 games.

Sucks to lose, and to go 1-5 at home in the playoffs(especially since I went to every home game), but it's all part of the learning process. You gotta make the playoffs and lose, sometimes lose a lot, before you start winning.

[fishercob]

As for last nights game, they really lost it in the first half. They came out with no energy or focus (go figure...they were at home) and let the Pacers get a sizeable lead, which you just can't afford to do against a great defensive team. Unfortunately, I think that gave the Pacers confidence to win the game even when we went on the run in the 4th quarter.

Give the Pacers some deserved credit. They made tough plays and hit tough shots.

Aside for that one game, Wall was not particularly good this series and neither was Ariza. However, I thought Nene was the real stinker for the series. He simply did not show up and his defense last night was atrocious. I agree with Fish that Booker should have received more run.

Completely disagree on Ariza. He did a great job on George, who had but the one big game. Even with that 39-pointer, he averaged 4 PPG less than in the ATL series. Containing a guy like that is a massive challenge.

[Jay81]

John Wall to me was better last year in March and April of 2013. Thats when he looked like a top 5 NBA player. He definitely regressed this year although this 3 pt shot improved.

He needs to watch his 2013 tape from March where he was player of the month

[Dat2U]

This was a learning experience for Wall. He improved dramatically this year. I expect that to continue. If Wall comes back next year without improved skills or focus, he should be rightly criticized harshly. But I think we should give the guy time to learn from this. Personally I'm thrilled we have Wall, I love watching him and look forward to seeing his continued development. He's the best thing to happen to this franchise since the 70s.

I disagree. I think he was okay but overall I'm slightly disappointed with his season. His 3 pt shot improved, I'd say that's where he made his biggest and career lasting improvement. There were also stretches were he was really good facilitating in the half court but those weren't consistent enough for more liking. At some points, he regressed. Attacking the rim and finishing around the rim, he made his biggest and most disturbing regression. He settled more for jumpers and made a lot of poor choices when driving and kicking... especially late in the year and into the playoffs. He gave up a lot of bunnies at the rim for tougher shots for lesser players on the perimeter. Even though some of those perimeter shots were made, it was still an example of poor shot recognition. That's another big concern I have. We cannot have Wall as a passive game manager, that really puts a cap on how far this club can go long term if he's simply a jump shooting, pass the ball around the perimeter type of guy.

It looks like Chicago and Indiana have written the new scouting report on Wall and have been very successful at shutting him down. Wall is going to have to adapt or else everyone else will do the same thing.

Wall simply needs to be stronger mentally. I honestly don't think it's anything Indy or Chicago did. Wall just didn't rise to the challenge, he sort of shrinked in the moment and depended on his teammates to bail him out. As a Wall fan it was really disappointing to see. Game 5 was nice to see him be aggressive again but his decision making & attention to detail failed him in Game 6.

[FAH1223]

I disagree. I think he was okay but overall I'm slightly disappointed with his season. His 3 pt shot improved, I'd say that's where he made his biggest and career lasting improvement. There were also stretches were he was really good facilitating in the half court but those weren't consistent enough for more liking. At some points, he regressed. Attacking the rim and finishing around the rim, he made his biggest and most disturbing regression. He settled more for jumpers and made a lot of poor choices when driving and kicking... especially late in the year and into the playoffs. He gave up a lot of bunnies at the rim for tougher shots for lesser players on the perimeter. Even though some of those perimeter shots were made, it was still an example of poor shot recognition. That's another big concern I have. We cannot have Wall as a passive game manager, that really puts a cap on how far this club can go long term if he's simply a jump shooting, pass the ball around the perimeter type of guy.

Yup. I wish they had started attacking earlier because down the stretch the refs were not giving them any calls on drives to the rim.

The overall trend with Wall has gone from an attack first PG to a game manager who wants to just shoot jumpshots.

It would be amazing if we got a new HC in there... but we already know Leonsis will never get rid of a coach who lucked into the 2nd round and won a couple games.

[AFM]

To be fair, Wall did attempt to finish with contact several times in Game 6, it's just that the refs seemed to believe that Hibbert has an exemption to normal basketball rules and is permitted to foul with impunity.

"Verticality".

[dandridge 10]

As for last nights game, they really lost it in the first half. They came out with no energy or focus (go figure...they were at home) and let the Pacers get a sizeable lead, which you just can't afford to do against a great defensive team. Unfortunately, I think that gave the Pacers confidence to win the game even when we went on the run in the 4th quarter.

Give the Pacers some deserved credit. They made tough plays and hit tough shots.

Aside for that one game, Wall was not particularly good this series and neither was Ariza. However, I thought Nene was the real stinker for the series. He simply did not show up and his defense last night was atrocious. I agree with Fish that Booker should have received more run.

Completely disagree on Ariza. He did a great job on George, who had but the one big game. Even with that 39-pointer, he averaged 4 PPG less than in the ATL series. Containing a guy like that is a massive challenge.

You have a fair point on Ariza. He did do a great job on George. I was talking more offensively than defensively.

On the first half, they hit some tough shots, but West was also getting wide open jumpers and Lance was getting to the rim. I don't think the Wizard's locked down until the second half.

[fishercob]

I disagree. I think he was okay but overall I'm slightly disappointed with his season. His 3 pt shot improved, I'd say that's where he made his biggest and career lasting improvement. There were also stretches were he was really good facilitating in the half court but those weren't consistent enough for more liking. At some points, he regressed. Attacking the rim and finishing around the rim, he made his biggest and most disturbing regression. He settled more for jumpers and made a lot of poor choices when driving and kicking... especially late in the year and into the playoffs. He gave up a lot of bunnies at the rim for tougher shots for lesser players on the perimeter. Even though some of those perimeter shots were made, it was still an example of poor shot recognition. That's another big concern I have. We cannot have Wall as a passive game manager, that really puts a cap on how far this club can go long term if he's simply a jump shooting, pass the ball around the perimeter type of guy.

It looks like Chicago and Indiana have written the new scouting report on Wall and have been very successful at shutting him down. Wall is going to have to adapt or else everyone else will do the same thing.

Wall simply needs to be stronger mentally. I honestly don't think it's anything Indy or Chicago did. Wall just didn't rise to the challenge, he sort of shrinked in the moment and depended on his teammates to bail him out. As a Wall fan it was really disappointing to see. Game 5 was nice to see him be aggressive again but his decision making & attention to detail failed him in Game 6.

Perhaps Wall's -- and many other Wizards' -- offensive shortcomings were magnified by the fact that they played 13 straight games against the league's two best defenses.

[DCZards]

Going into last night's game the Indy player I was most worried about was D. West. I saw how he took over the game in the Pacers' 6th, must-win game on the road against the Atlanta in the first round. I wish I had been wrong about that.

I blame the empty seats last night (mostly in the upper, upper part of the top level) on both the high prices and, as another poster said, fans fear that the Zards could not win at home.

It is interesting that Booker got zero run against the Pacers after having a pretty good series against the Bulls. I think Witt got too stuck on his Gooden-Harrington rotation and slept on T. Booker.

I'm probably being overly optimistic, but I believe that one of the main reasons that the Zards will be a better team next year is Otto Porter. I think OP eventually becomes a third major piece along with Wall and Beal.

Webster is the guy that really disappointed me down the stretch. We got nothing offensively from him in the playoffs. It would be nice if they could move him.

Of course, there's still the matter of what we do regarding T. Ariza and Gortat, both of whom I would try to resign.

[NbdyBeatsTheWiz]

To be fair, Wall did attempt to finish with contact several times in Game 6, it's just that the refs seemed to believe that Hibbert has an exemption to normal basketball rules and is permitted to foul with impunity.

That stretch was mind boggling. Don't forget Webster's near death experience coming down the lane. Simultaneously on the other end we were getting called for touch fouls at the three point line.

[NbdyBeatsTheWiz]

I'm probably being overly optimistic, but I believe that one of the main reasons that the Zards will be a better team next year is Otto Porter. I think OP eventually becomes a third major piece along with Wall and Beal.

I certainly hope so.
I have a feeling that we come back next year looking close to the same (unless we miss on Ariza) after standing pat, and the selling point from Ted is we're another year older with playoff experience, and Otto somehow makes up for the fact we don't have a first rounder.