Wizards laugh off ‘copycat’ C’s
The 17-time NBA champion Celtics pack more tradition into their storied history than most of the league combined.
The Washington entry in the NBA has had more than its share of “ugh” since the franchise won its lone title in 1978. The current group is aiming to change the narrative. The Wizards started their own thing by dressing in all-black for a “funeral game” when the Celtics visited in January. They won.
Boston copied the sartorial move ahead of Game 6. When he heard the news pregame from friends and family, John Wall found that funny. Then the Wizards star went out and buried the Celtics.
Wall sank the gamewinning 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left to keep the Wizards alive in the Eastern Conference semifinal series with a 92-91 victory. Despite missing 11 of his first 12 field-goal attempts, Washington trailing by five points late and 91-89 following Al Horford’s banker with 7.7 seconds remaining, the Celtics’ choice of attire remained in the mind of Washington’s point guard.
“It was just funny to me,” Wall said after his shot evened the best-of-seven series 3-3. The Celtics host Game 7 on Monday night in the Garden.
The Wizards dressed in all-black ahead of the Jan. 24 home game against the Celtics. This followed a scuffle at the Garden earlier in the month that was triggered by Jae Crowder poking a finger at Wall’s nose. The fourtime All-Star gave the Celtics the stink-eye last night with his end-game heroics.
“We knew it was kind of a copycat of what we did,” Wall said after scoring 26 points. “It was in my mind throughout the game that I didn’t want them to come here and basically call it a funeral if we lose at home. We made some big plays. The ball went our way in the end and we get to force a Game 7 in their place.”
Bradley Beal, the other half of Washington’s starry backcourt, led the Wizards with 33 points. He didn’t know about the latest allblack maneuver. Even if aware, Beal said it wouldn’t have mattered.
“It doesn’t faze us,” Beal said. “They played hard. We’re not going to take anything away from them. They did a good job competing. We had a will to win.”
These teams have met 10 times this season. The home team is undefeated. Overall, little separates the budding rivals. That’s been evident in the contentious series, though the Celtics franchise has the pedigree.
The Wizards are making their own mark. They’ve got that backcourt. Collectively, this group has an edge. Markieff Morris, the team’s lead aggressor, labeled the group “Death Row DC” as a way to signify their physical style and trash-talking ways.
“They’re just trying to be like us,” Morris said of the Celtics. “They want to be like us so bad. They can’t. There’s only one Death Row DC and they can’t do it like we can do it.”