Wizards made 3-pointers late to sink Celts
Wall’s last-second 3 sends series back to Boston
Markieff Morris knows the number sounds bad - five makes on 24 attempts from the three-point line is gnarly - but after the Wizards' win over the Celtics on Friday night, he can't help but smile about it.
“That was tough,” Morris said of the Wizards' three-point shooting with a nod and a knowing grin, as if someone had brought up a beloved childhood memory.
Through three quarters in Washington's 92-91 win in Game 6, the Wizards were shooting 2-for-19 from beyond the arc. But fourth quarter numbers matter most, and that's why Morris smiled. In the final 12 minutes Friday, Washington shrugged off its poor shooting night and connected on three of five attempts from the three-point line to drag its season back from near death.
“Guys just stepped up, made big plays, man,” Morris continued. “It's all about heart. We're not ready to go home, we had to do it for the city. The fans were unbelievable tonight, man, I think they kept us in the game and gave us the juice to our victory.”
The crowd's eruption at each of Washington's made three-pointers in the fourth were that much louder - half relief, half expression of joy - because the odds were so stacked against the shooter.
Morris, who made the Wizards' lone three-pointer of the first half less than a minute into the game, made his fourth-quarter three with 3:45 left to play to put Washington ahead 82-80. Bradley Beal, who shot 1-of-8 from the three-point line for the night despite a game-high 33 points, made his late three with 1:09 left to cut into Boston's five-point lead and inject some belief back into the eager crowd.
Then, of course, John Wall made just his second three-pointer of the night with 3.5 seconds remaining to take the lead for good and force a Game 7 in Boston on Monday.
“Ultimately, the shot Wall made was the biggest,” Celtics Coach Brad Stevens said after the game. “Hats off to him.”
Wall's game-winner was treated as another example of his star power - Morris described it as the point guard putting the team, and the city, on his back.
But Washington Coach Scott Brooks also spoke of the clutch three-pointers as evidence of his players' growth. Wall wasn't known for his three-point shot earlier in his career, and Beal struggled through a shooting slump this season and quieter games this playoff series. To Brooks, to be able to make those three-pointers under pressure in the last minutes of a playoff elimination game shows evolution.
“You know, one of the things with Brad going into this season, meeting with him throughout the summer is: Become a complete player,” Brooks said. “And he has done that. Right in front of our eyes. As a 23-year-old, he's one of the best two-way players in the league. He was 0-for-8, or 0-for-7 at that time from three, before he hit that shot. By just being who he is, he just sticks with it. He's not a shooter, he's a ball player, and he plays both ends of the floor. He attacks the basket. He had five assists tonight. He did a great job defensively. But for him to make that shot, after being 0-for-7? It just says something about his toughness. He's a mentally tough player and we love what he brings to our team.”