GAME 1: WIZARDS at RAPTORS
Washington backup believes Raptors are best matchup for success
Air Canada Centre TIPOFF: 5:30 p.m. (Sportsnet One) Wall’s Wizards deep sleepers,
The inconsistent season had crawled to a close. Inside the Amway Center visitor’s locker room, Washington Wizards backup centre Jason Smith picked at plate of chicken thigh meat. As Smith waited for his meal to cool, he salivated over the taste of the playoffs.
“This is fun time now,” Smith said. “This is where you step up. This is where you amp up. Our guys need to come together as one, and we’ll go out there and take on Toronto.”
There was no beverage near his locker, but judging by this unwavering optimism — even after the Wizards (43-39) had closed the regular season with another inexcusable loss and failed to advance higher than the eighth seed — Smith’s glass would have been half full. In fact, buoyancy spread through the locker room ahead of the team’s first-round playoff matchup against the No.1-seeded Toronto Raptors.
They split the regular-season series with Toronto, players reasoned, and five-time all-star John Wall didn’t even play a second in those four games.
“We’re not scared. We respect them. There’s some positive aspects from this season,” said Tomas Satoransky.
Though they’re the underdogs, the Wizards view a matchup with Toronto much more favourably than some of the other teams with lower seeds. And while the Wizards struggled all season with under .500 teams, they knocked off nine playoff-bound opponents after the all-star break.
With the post-season, comes a sense of relief.
“At least I’m hoping that was our attitude with the last couple of weeks, just the fact that we wanted to get there,” Bradley Beal said.
“I’m more than excited. This is where players are made and everybody’s trying to fight for the same goal. It’s always fun and it gets very interesting this time of the year.”
The Raptors (59-23) earned the top spot in the conference following the best season in franchise history. Toronto ranked third and fifth, respectively, in offensive and defensive efficiency — the only team in the league to finish within the top five of both categories, according to statistics on NBA.com. Beyond the all-star backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors have depth in one of the highest scoring benches in the league.
Even so, Washington remembers the success it had against Toronto this season. In the four games against the Raptors, the Wizards shot 42.7 per cent from three-point range, their second highest average against an opponent. In their best moments, Washington also showed depth. On Feb. 1, eight players scored in double figures when the Wizards defeated To- ronto, 122-119. Beal shined brightest as an all-star while seeing Raptors red, posting his highest scoring average (28.8) against an Eastern Conference opponent. For the playoffs, Beal and Wall can finally become whole against Lowry and DeRozan.
If given the choice, Smith would have picked Toronto as a playoff opponent.
“We are looking forward to the matchup with Toronto. I, personally, am a little relieved to not have to go against the hottest team in the league, Philly,” Smith said. “That’s not a team we want to see.”