Round 1: GT #3: Raptors @ Bullets 8 PM (ESPN2/NBCSW/1500 AM) [4/20/18]

[tontoz]

All that said, there was one area of concern: Wall took 9 midrange jumpers. He uncharacteristically made 5 of them so it didn't hurt us, but he shot way too many. I realize that's the shot that Toronto is ceding, so maybe it's unavoidable, but I'd really prefer to see John take no more than 5 of them. When Wall is hitting that shot, he's an elite player, but statistically it's far more likely that he misses a bunch of those, and that would have changed the complexion of the game significantly. It sure is nice to have him handling the ball in the final 4 minutes when we're milking a lead though. We didn't score all that efficiently down the stretch, but at least we made some of them, mostly due to Wall's passes. Without Wall, we tend to go 0-fer when we're milking the clock. (Beal missed all his shots in the final 6 minutes of the 4th, shocking!)

I agree with you...for the most part. I cringe every time Wall pulls up for that short jumper. It clearly is not his strength. On the other hand, I want Wall to be able to make that midrange jumper, and the more he takes and makes it the more confidence he has in his ability to hit that shoot...and shooting is more often than not about confidence.

It's a little bit of a double-edged sword. You don't want to see WallStar take the midrange jumper because he's not very good at it. But if he's knocking it down like he did last night the shot becomes an awesome (and important) weapon for both Wall and the Zards.

Wall can get that shot any time he wants. That is a good and bad thing. It is good because it gives them an option to get off a reasonable shot late in the clock. The bad thing is that it tempts him to take them early in the clock, which he does far too often.

[tontoz]

They had a few turnovers just because they got overly excited and got a little careless. Overall they took pretty good care of the ball with only 11 turnovers. I will take that every time in a playoff game.

[Shanghai Kid]

We still need to win game 4 for this to mean anything.

If we win game I think the pressure suddenly is on the Raps going back home. But if we lose, we're probably done in 5,

I expect the Raps to be better on Sunday, we're going to have to bring the same desperation and intensity we showed last night.

[DCZards]

All that said, there was one area of concern: Wall took 9 midrange jumpers. He uncharacteristically made 5 of them so it didn't hurt us, but he shot way too many. I realize that's the shot that Toronto is ceding, so maybe it's unavoidable, but I'd really prefer to see John take no more than 5 of them. When Wall is hitting that shot, he's an elite player, but statistically it's far more likely that he misses a bunch of those, and that would have changed the complexion of the game significantly. It sure is nice to have him handling the ball in the final 4 minutes when we're milking a lead though. We didn't score all that efficiently down the stretch, but at least we made some of them, mostly due to Wall's passes. Without Wall, we tend to go 0-fer when we're milking the clock. (Beal missed all his shots in the final 6 minutes of the 4th, shocking!)

I agree with you...for the most part. I cringe every time Wall pulls up for that short jumper. It clearly is not his strength. On the other hand, I want Wall to be able to make that midrange jumper, and the more he takes and makes it the more confidence he has in his ability to hit that shoot...and shooting is more often than not about confidence.

It's a little bit of a double-edged sword. You don't want to see WallStar take the midrange jumper because he's not very good at it. But if he's knocking it down like he did last night the shot becomes an awesome (and important) weapon for both Wall and the Zards.

Wall can get that shot any time he wants. That is a good and bad thing. It is good because it gives them an option to get off a reasonable shot late in the clock. The bad thing is that it tempts him to take them early in the clock, which he does far too often.

Agree. The midrange jumper should never be the first (or early-in-the-shot-clock) option for Wall.

[dlts20]

When Beal plays well, he usually continues to for an extended period. Otto will always make shots as long as he gets touches and they have no answer for Wall so we are good with our max guys. They alone will keep us in the series if not more but IMO they will have a super hard time beating us if Kelly and Marcin play well

[CobraCommander]

John Wall may not be a top 10 player but he looks like one this series.

How do we consider Lillard better when Lillard has been laying an egg in his own series?

Wall had a GREAT game -- not good, great. If he played like that, or even near that, every game, you bet he'd be a top 10 player. He'd be the best guard in the league. But nobody can do that.

Overall, the team had an amazing offensive performance, turning 85 shots & 20 FTAs into 122 points (@ a .66 TS%). The Raps shot 43% on 3's & 90% from the line -- & lost by 20 points!

So, Wall played hard 3 games...he got help ONE game...and its the ONE game they won. If Beal plays well with Wall...the wiz win. If the Wiz get either Wall or Beal playing well WITH Otto, Kelly and Gortat/Morris playing well...the Wiz win. If Toronto’s Bench doesnt go off like normal...the wiz should own this series. Let’s just see what the guys can do.

[payitforward]

John Wall may not be a top 10 player but he looks like one this series.

How do we consider Lillard better when Lillard has been laying an egg in his own series?

Wall had a GREAT game -- not good, great. If he played like that, or even near that, every game, you bet he'd be a top 10 player. He'd be the best guard in the league. But nobody can do that.

Overall, the team had an amazing offensive performance, turning 85 shots & 20 FTAs into 122 points (@ a .66 TS%). The Raps shot 43% on 3's & 90% from the line -- & lost by 20 points!

So, Wall played hard 3 games...he got help ONE game...and its the ONE game they won. If Beal plays well with Wall...the wiz win. If the Wiz get either Wall or Beal playing well WITH Otto, Kelly and Gortat/Morris playing well...the Wiz win. If Toronto’s Bench doesnt go off like normal...the wiz should own this series. Let’s just see what the guys can do.

"If blah blah blah... & if blah blah blah, the Wizards 'should own this series.'" Oh you bet. If our players played better we'd have a better chance to win. Especially if their players played worse.

Sheesh....

[CobraCommander]

Wall had a GREAT game -- not good, great. If he played like that, or even near that, every game, you bet he'd be a top 10 player. He'd be the best guard in the league. But nobody can do that.

Overall, the team had an amazing offensive performance, turning 85 shots & 20 FTAs into 122 points (@ a .66 TS%). The Raps shot 43% on 3's & 90% from the line -- & lost by 20 points!

So, Wall played hard 3 games...he got help ONE game...and its the ONE game they won. If Beal plays well with Wall...the wiz win. If the Wiz get either Wall or Beal playing well WITH Otto, Kelly and Gortat/Morris playing well...the Wiz win. If Toronto’s Bench doesnt go off like normal...the wiz should own this series. Let’s just see what the guys can do.

"If blah blah blah... & if blah blah blah, the Wizards 'should own this series.'" Oh you bet. If our players played better we'd have a better chance to win. Especially if their players played worse.

Sheesh....

Yep...fans talk...players play...so blah blah blah...if you tired of it...do something different with your time. Oh and I’m sorry i wasted your time commenting

[payitforward]

So, Wall played hard 3 games...he got help ONE game...and its the ONE game they won. If Beal plays well with Wall...the wiz win. If the Wiz get either Wall or Beal playing well WITH Otto, Kelly and Gortat/Morris playing well...the Wiz win. If Toronto’s Bench doesnt go off like normal...the wiz should own this series. Let’s just see what the guys can do.

"If blah blah blah... & if blah blah blah, the Wizards 'should own this series.'" Oh you bet. If our players played better we'd have a better chance to win. Especially if their players played worse.

Sheesh....

Yep...fans talk...players play...so blah blah blah...if you tired of it...do something different with your time. Oh and I’m sorry i wasted your time commenting

I didn't mean that -- sorry.

But, keep in mind that DeRozan went 6-17 in the first game. So, when you say "if Beal plays well..." -- what about if DeRozan plays well in that game?

The 2d game we were never in at all -- I assume you're not fooled by the fact that we cut it to 5.

Plus, Toronto is missing one of its key reserves, VanVleet, a guy who played more minutes for them than Mike Scott did for us this season -- & played extremely well.

So, no, there is no simple change to the situation whereby we "own this series," not in reality, that is, & when you say, essentially, that if we played better we would do better... well, duh, yeah. But you're not really saying anything in particular about anything in particular -- after all, that's true of any person or team in any situation in any human activity.

[dlts20]

"If blah blah blah... & if blah blah blah, the Wizards 'should own this series.'" Oh you bet. If our players played better we'd have a better chance to win. Especially if their players played worse.

Sheesh....

Yep...fans talk...players play...so blah blah blah...if you tired of it...do something different with your time. Oh and I’m sorry i wasted your time commenting

I didn't mean that -- sorry.

But, keep in mind that DeRozan went 6-17 in the first game. So, when you say "if Beal plays well..." -- what about if DeRozan plays well in that game?

The 2d game we were never in at all -- I assume you're not fooled by the fact that we cut it to 5.

Plus, Toronto is missing one of its key reserves, VanVleet, a guy who played more minutes for them than Mike Scott did for us this season -- & played extremely well.

So, no, there is no simple change to the situation whereby we "own this series," not in reality, that is, & when you say, essentially, that if we played better we would do better... well, duh, yeah. But you're not really saying anything in particular about anything in particular -- after all, that's true of any person or team in any situation in any human activity.

Playoffs are different. FVV will have to match up with Wall or Beal a lot

[CobraCommander]

"If blah blah blah... & if blah blah blah, the Wizards 'should own this series.'" Oh you bet. If our players played better we'd have a better chance to win. Especially if their players played worse.

Sheesh....

Yep...fans talk...players play...so blah blah blah...if you tired of it...do something different with your time. Oh and I’m sorry i wasted your time commenting

I didn't mean that -- sorry.

But, keep in mind that DeRozan went 6-17 in the first game. So, when you say "if Beal plays well..." -- what about if DeRozan plays well in that game?

The 2d game we were never in at all -- I assume you're not fooled by the fact that we cut it to 5.

Plus, Toronto is missing one of its key reserves, VanVleet, a guy who played more minutes for them than Mike Scott did for us this season -- & played extremely well.

So, no, there is no simple change to the situation whereby we "own this series," not in reality, that is, & when you say, essentially, that if we played better we would do better... well, duh, yeah. But you're not really saying anything in particular about anything in particular -- after all, that's true of any person or team in any situation in any human activity.

My point is this...only this...the Wiz starters should match up well against the raptors starters... man for man we should be close... Wall is a little more dynamic than Kyle and Derozan is a little more consistent than Beal...but the guards should cancel each other out. Otto gotta be better than OG..but he isnt or hasn’t showed much separation this series. Morris and Ibaka...Ibaka better but not THAT much..and JV is Killing Gortat...but Wall and Beal can get Gortat enough Bunnies to make his stat line respectable if he just CATCHES the ball and FInishes within 4 feet of the rim. WE KNOW the raptors bench is good. BUT I WOULD ARGUE... Ty, Kelly, Mike Scott and Ian are not playing bad. In fact they played pretty good at home...like bench players should. we all know Sato is better than he has shown...and i expect more from him if he gets the minutes to get acclimated to the playoff speed, aggression and physicality. You know Sato has heard it, but you know he really doesn’t understand how different the playoffs are from the regular season. He made casual pass after casual pass and got exposed...thats just experience. Sato has to know they have scouted him for the first time in his NBA career.

Maybe its just me...but i think the wiz under performed this year because:
*Wall was in and out of the line up and hurt when he was there.
*Brooks didnt coach Wall and Beal in a manner that held them accountable.
*there isnt a veteran that the stars respect on the team or coaching staff that can ‘manage or foster a culture of togetherness’. The bickering in the public is indicative of a much more toxic culture. It doesnt hurt that their journeyman center ‘retired in service’ while talking about ‘team wins’. We should have someone like Paul Pierce or Sam Cassell on the bench...
* if Sato and Kelly are the key bench players...they should be developed...Sato wasn’t last year.
*the bench rotation is odd at best...for example Otto is either always hurt...or Brooks has a ‘put Otto in the game randomizer program running’ that tells him when to pull or insert Otto. How can Otto be our 3rd best player and we have NO idea what his role is on the team. Otto seems to get the ball when Wall or Beal get trapped or the 3 other times a game when they run a play for him...but never in the 4th quarter.
*we needed to improve at the trade deadline.....we held pat and got the 8th seed...think about that.....we said ‘naw we good’ at the deadline and fell to 8th.... We had Wall and Gortat openly bickering...Gortat talking about retiring in Phoenix next year...and we DIDNT MOVE HIM...not that there were takers...but a good GM would have made something happen...I even like Gortat..but when you talk about retiring...you are retired.

[krii]

Yep...fans talk...players play...so blah blah blah...if you tired of it...do something different with your time. Oh and I’m sorry i wasted your time commenting

I didn't mean that -- sorry.

But, keep in mind that DeRozan went 6-17 in the first game. So, when you say "if Beal plays well..." -- what about if DeRozan plays well in that game?

The 2d game we were never in at all -- I assume you're not fooled by the fact that we cut it to 5.

Plus, Toronto is missing one of its key reserves, VanVleet, a guy who played more minutes for them than Mike Scott did for us this season -- & played extremely well.

So, no, there is no simple change to the situation whereby we "own this series," not in reality, that is, & when you say, essentially, that if we played better we would do better... well, duh, yeah. But you're not really saying anything in particular about anything in particular -- after all, that's true of any person or team in any situation in any human activity.

My point is this...only this...the Wiz starters should match up well against the raptors starters... man for man we should be close... Wall is a little more dynamic than Kyle and Derozan is a little more consistent than Beal...but the guards should cancel each other out. Otto gotta be better than OG..but he isnt or hasn’t showed much separation this series. Morris and Ibaka...Ibaka better but not THAT much..and JV is Killing Gortat...but Wall and Beal can get Gortat enough Bunnies to make his stat line respectable if he just CATCHES the ball and FInishes within 4 feet of the rim. WE KNOW the raptors bench is good. BUT I WOULD ARGUE... Ty, Kelly, Mike Scott and Ian are not playing bad. In fact they played pretty good at home...like bench players should. we all know Sato is better than he has shown...and i expect more from him if he gets the minutes to get acclimated to the playoff speed, aggression and physicality. You know Sato has heard it, but you know he really doesn’t understand how different the playoffs are from the regular season. He made casual pass after casual pass and got exposed...thats just experience. Sato has to know they have scouted him for the first time in his NBA career.

Maybe its just me...but i think the wiz under performed this year because:
*Wall was in and out of the line up and hurt when he was there.
*Brooks didnt coach Wall and Beal in a manner that held them accountable.
*there isnt a veteran that the stars respect on the team or coaching staff that can ‘manage or foster a culture of togetherness’. The bickering in the public is indicative of a much more toxic culture. It doesnt hurt that their journeyman center ‘retired in service’ while talking about ‘team wins’. We should have someone like Paul Pierce or Sam Cassell on the bench...
* if Sato and Kelly are the key bench players...they should be developed...Sato wasn’t last year.
*the bench rotation is odd at best...for example Otto is either always hurt...or Brooks has a ‘put Otto in the game randomizer program running’ that tells him when to pull or insert Otto. How can Otto be our 3rd best player and we have NO idea what his role is on the team. Otto seems to get the ball when Wall or Beal get trapped or the 3 other times a game when they run a play for him...but never in the 4th quarter.
*we needed to improve at the trade deadline.....we held pat and got the 8th seed...think about that.....we said ‘naw we good’ at the deadline and fell to 8th.... We had Wall and Gortat openly bickering...Gortat talking about retiring in Phoenix next year...and we DIDNT MOVE HIM...not that there were takers...but a good GM would have made something happen...I even like Gortat..but when you talk about retiring...you are retired.

He is 34 years old. He is talking about retirement as in 'I don't know if I'll play more, need to think about it' which basically stands for 'should I play for a couple years more, or not'. It doesn't mean he is retired yet. Besides, it was Orlando

I think you are exaggerating a bit. Gortat should move to the second unit next year, but having player like him in the second unit would make Wizards seriously competitive. If only they wouldn't spent even more money on Ian Mahinmi with no one else to replace Gortat in the starting unit.
Don't blame player for GM' mistakes.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

John Wall may not be a top 10 player but he looks like one this series.

How do we consider Lillard better when Lillard has been laying an egg in his own series?

Just got swept

[payitforward]

...After the win over Toronto I'm thinking it's POSSIBLE they could go to the Finals...if the just get past Toronto.

Very unlikely...but possible.

(moved this here from the draft thread
If we were to get to R2, which would itself be a very unlikely outcome, we'd most likely face Boston who beat us last year. They're beat up but handling Milwaukee (which was a better team than the Wizards this year).

Were we to get past Boston (forget about it...), we'd most likely face Philly. Have you been watching them? We'd have no chance of beating Philly.

Of course, if we play every game the way we played game 3 vs. Toronto, no problem. We'll win the next 15 games in a row & be the NBA champs. Then, if we continue playing that way next year, we'll go 82-0.

I suppose we are more likely to get to the Finals this year than to go 82-0 next year, but that's about as far as I'd go.

[CobraCommander]

I didn't mean that -- sorry.

But, keep in mind that DeRozan went 6-17 in the first game. So, when you say "if Beal plays well..." -- what about if DeRozan plays well in that game?

The 2d game we were never in at all -- I assume you're not fooled by the fact that we cut it to 5.

Plus, Toronto is missing one of its key reserves, VanVleet, a guy who played more minutes for them than Mike Scott did for us this season -- & played extremely well.

So, no, there is no simple change to the situation whereby we "own this series," not in reality, that is, & when you say, essentially, that if we played better we would do better... well, duh, yeah. But you're not really saying anything in particular about anything in particular -- after all, that's true of any person or team in any situation in any human activity.

My point is this...only this...the Wiz starters should match up well against the raptors starters... man for man we should be close... Wall is a little more dynamic than Kyle and Derozan is a little more consistent than Beal...but the guards should cancel each other out. Otto gotta be better than OG..but he isnt or hasn’t showed much separation this series. Morris and Ibaka...Ibaka better but not THAT much..and JV is Killing Gortat...but Wall and Beal can get Gortat enough Bunnies to make his stat line respectable if he just CATCHES the ball and FInishes within 4 feet of the rim. WE KNOW the raptors bench is good. BUT I WOULD ARGUE... Ty, Kelly, Mike Scott and Ian are not playing bad. In fact they played pretty good at home...like bench players should. we all know Sato is better than he has shown...and i expect more from him if he gets the minutes to get acclimated to the playoff speed, aggression and physicality. You know Sato has heard it, but you know he really doesn’t understand how different the playoffs are from the regular season. He made casual pass after casual pass and got exposed...thats just experience. Sato has to know they have scouted him for the first time in his NBA career.

Maybe its just me...but i think the wiz under performed this year because:
*Wall was in and out of the line up and hurt when he was there.
*Brooks didnt coach Wall and Beal in a manner that held them accountable.
*there isnt a veteran that the stars respect on the team or coaching staff that can ‘manage or foster a culture of togetherness’. The bickering in the public is indicative of a much more toxic culture. It doesnt hurt that their journeyman center ‘retired in service’ while talking about ‘team wins’. We should have someone like Paul Pierce or Sam Cassell on the bench...
* if Sato and Kelly are the key bench players...they should be developed...Sato wasn’t last year.
*the bench rotation is odd at best...for example Otto is either always hurt...or Brooks has a ‘put Otto in the game randomizer program running’ that tells him when to pull or insert Otto. How can Otto be our 3rd best player and we have NO idea what his role is on the team. Otto seems to get the ball when Wall or Beal get trapped or the 3 other times a game when they run a play for him...but never in the 4th quarter.
*we needed to improve at the trade deadline.....we held pat and got the 8th seed...think about that.....we said ‘naw we good’ at the deadline and fell to 8th.... We had Wall and Gortat openly bickering...Gortat talking about retiring in Phoenix next year...and we DIDNT MOVE HIM...not that there were takers...but a good GM would have made something happen...I even like Gortat..but when you talk about retiring...you are retired.

He is 34 years old. He is talking about retirement as in 'I don't know if I'll play more, need to think about it' which basically stands for 'should I play for a couple years more, or not'. It doesn't mean he is retired yet. Besides, it was Orlando

I think you are exaggerating a bit. Gortat should move to the second unit next year, but having player like him in the second unit would make Wizards seriously competitive. If only they wouldn't spent even more money on Ian Mahinmi with no one else to replace Gortat in the starting unit.
Don't blame player for GM' mistakes.

I’m exaggerating? Of course... its the internet. But i think my opinions are rooted in fact...or facts as i see them. If you played any sports, the minute you say you or even think you are retired...you might as well retire. Its the same in any sport.

[queridiculo]

If we were to get to R2, which would itself be a very unlikely outcome, we'd most likely face Boston who beat us last year. They're beat up but handling Milwaukee (which was a better team than the Wizards this year).

There's no reseeding in the playoffs, Washington would face the winner of the Cavs/Pacers series.

[payitforward]

My point is this...only this...the Wiz starters should match up well against the raptors starters... man for man we should be close...

That's a pretty clear claim you make. Lets look at the numbers to see whether it's true.

Wall is a little more dynamic than Kyle and Derozan is a little more consistent than Beal...but the guards should cancel each other out.

DeRozan is overrated, but on the season this year he was better than Beal. Last year they were just about comparable, though Beal's numbers were actually a bit better. So, you are right; overall, those two guys are pretty close.

As to Wall/Lowry -- of course it would be unfair to compare their seasons this year, but last year Lowry was straight out better than Wall (as he also was the year before & the year before that as well). Just look at the numbers, & be objective about them rather than reacting as a fan:

Wall gets way more assists, & he also fouls less, blocks more shots, & has more steals. They both score a lot of points, with Wall outscoring Lowry by a couple of points per 40 minutes. Lowry is a little bit better as a rebounder, but the difference is small.

But... John turns the ball over so much more often, & he is so much less efficient a scorer that overall Lowry clearly has more positive impact on wins. A fan will explain things away, but in the end the scoreboard says who wins, & the scoreboard is just a number that is the product of other numbers. Wall is terrific, but Lowry is better.

Otto gotta be better than OG..but he isnt or hasn’t showed much separation this series.

There's no comparison between the players. On the season, Porter was waaay better than Anonuby. Scored way more & was way more efficient doing it. Got way way more rebounds, got way more assists, 40% more steals, fouled less & blocked more shots.

Now, OG is a rookie & will improve, one assumes. But, he doesn't begin to have the upside to ever compare with Porter.

Morris and Ibaka...Ibaka better but not THAT much

Ibaka is not the player he once was, but Kieff overall is bad enough that Ibaka remains by far the better player. He's not worth $20m+ a year, that's for sure, not nearly. But he is better than Kieff

..and JV is Killing Gortat

Not in game 3 -- Gortat had a little better outing than Valanciunas, & in game 1 JV was better, but there wasn't a lot of difference in their effectiveness. Gortat played 12 futile minutes in game 2, however, while JV was fantastic.

Overall, of course, there's no comparison at this point in their careers: Marcin is more than 8 years older than JV. He's fading year by year, while Valanciunas is peaking.

In short, I don't see how your claim that "the Wiz starters should match up well against the raptors starters" can stand up. We're a lot worse at two positions (C & PF), a lot better at one position (SF), about the same at one position (SG), & somewhat less good at one position (PG).

Of course we can still win the series if we win today's game. So, lets go ahead and do that!

[payitforward]

If we were to get to R2, which would itself be a very unlikely outcome, we'd most likely face Boston who beat us last year. They're beat up but handling Milwaukee (which was a better team than the Wizards this year).

There's no reseeding in the playoffs, Washington would face the winner of the Cavs/Pacers series.

Thanks. For sure I'd rather face either of them right now than Philly.

First we have to win this series. Meaning we have to win today's game. If not, nothing to discuss.

[CobraCommander]

My point is this...only this...the Wiz starters should match up well against the raptors starters... man for man we should be close...

That's a pretty clear claim you make. Lets look at the numbers to see whether it's true.

Wall is a little more dynamic than Kyle and Derozan is a little more consistent than Beal...but the guards should cancel each other out.

DeRozan is overrated, but on the season this year he was better than Beal. Last year they were just about comparable, though Beal's numbers were actually a bit better. So, you are right; overall, those two guys are pretty close.

As to Wall/Lowry -- of course it would be unfair to compare their seasons this year, but last year Lowry was straight out better than Wall (as he also was the year before & the year before that as well). Just look at the numbers, & be objective about them rather than reacting as a fan:

Wall gets way more assists, & he also fouls less, blocks more shots, & has more steals. They both score a lot of points, with Wall outscoring Lowry by a couple of points per 40 minutes. Lowry is a little bit better as a rebounder, but the difference is small.

But... John turns the ball over so much more often, & he is so much less efficient a scorer that overall Lowry clearly has more positive impact on wins. A fan will explain things away, but in the end the scoreboard says who wins, & the scoreboard is just a number that is the product of other numbers. Wall is terrific, but Lowry is better.

Otto gotta be better than OG..but he isnt or hasn’t showed much separation this series.

There's no comparison between the players. On the season, Porter was waaay better than Anonuby. Scored way more & was way more efficient doing it. Got way way more rebounds, got way more assists, 40% more steals, fouled less & blocked more shots.

Now, OG is a rookie & will improve, one assumes. But, he doesn't begin to have the upside to ever compare with Porter.

Morris and Ibaka...Ibaka better but not THAT much

Ibaka is not the player he once was, but Kieff overall is bad enough that Ibaka remains by far the better player. He's not worth $20m+ a year, that's for sure, not nearly. But he is better than Kieff

..and JV is Killing Gortat

Not in game 3 -- Gortat had a little better outing than Valanciunas, & in game 1 JV was better, but there wasn't a lot of difference in their effectiveness. Gortat played 12 futile minutes in game 2, however, while JV was fantastic.

Overall, of course, there's no comparison at this point in their careers: Marcin is more than 8 years older than JV. He's fading year by year, while Valanciunas is peaking.

In short, I don't see how your claim that "the Wiz starters should match up well against the raptors starters" can stand up. We're a lot worse at two positions (C & PF), a lot better at one position (SF), about the same at one position (SG), & somewhat less good at one position (PG).

Of course we can still win the series if we win today's game. So, lets go ahead and do that!

Looks like you right...wiz have no chance.
.Beal worse than DD= Wall Worse than Lowery= Gortat had one good game against a better JV...Otto is WAYYYY better than OG but has less impact on the game (funny how that keeps happening).

Its over