Wall’s deadly dagger forces Game 7 battle
WASHINGTON — John Wall didn’t just recognize the pending pressure of an elimination game, he embraced it. Sought after its white-hot spotlight and stood alone under its glare. On the morning of Game 6, Wall told reporters how he needed to “control” this moment.
By Friday night, Wall confidently backed up his words by hitting the game-clinching 3-pointer in the Wizards’ 92-91 win over the Boston Celtics. The teams will play Game 7 on Monday night in Boston.
Wall was not efficient, shooting just 9 of 25 from the floor, but he traded his broken jumper for deadly daggers when the game counted. With Boston ahead by two points and three seconds remaining until the end of the Wizards’ season, Wall caught an inbounds pass, squared up the Celtics’ best defender, Avery Bradley, then drilled the 26-footer.
Only 48 hours after the Verizon Center became the final resting place for the 2016-17 Washington Capitals’ season, the Celtics, at least most of them, wore black to the game as if players would be attending another funeral. The not-so-subtle jab mimicked Washington’s all-black wardrobe ahead of the Jan. 24 matchup, but Boston could not back up its bluster. However, Wall’s word was true.
“I’ve been in this position twice,” Wall said about elimination games. “This my job to control this game as much as possible, be the leader of this team. Get these guys in the right situation and come out with the right energy and understanding our season’s on the line.”
In a tightly contested final quarter with nine lead changes, the Wizards responded with the best defense and the biggest shots. With less than a minute to play, Wall tied the score after blocking Isaiah Thomas’ 3-point attempt then drawing a a foul and making both shots. Wall finished with 26 points. Also, Bradley Beal, who kept Washington alive with clutch makes in the fourth, scored a game-high 33 points.
Even though the franchise has lost seven straight elimination games on its home floor, these Wizards clung to the recent past. During the regular
season, they won 30 games at Verizon Center, including 17 in a row in one stretch.
“We’re confident. We’ve earned this right to be confident on our home floor,” coach Scott Brooks said before the game. “Our guys are confident. Just because you’re at home doesn’t guarantee anything. You still have to play well. You still have to make them uncomfortable.”
In spite of the home comforts, the Wizards looked out of sorts. Through the first quarter when Boston shot just 23.5 percent, Washington could not take advantage and scored just 22 points. While the Wizards had the appearance of a good ball movement — all 10 field goals came from assists — the offense still lacked a certain beat. More specifically, the offense missed Wall.
Although effective in his point guard role with six assists in the opening quarter, Wall struggled to find his shot. Over the past three games, this has been a problem, and Friday night, Wall started by missing 11 of his first 12 shots, a cold spell that lasted into the second half.
However the Wizards survived without him, as well the slow pace, to open a 40-30 lead in the second quarter. Then, when an elbow veered high, the game turned.
With 3:46 remaining in the first half, Markieff Morris attempted to box out Boston rookie Jaylen Brown but tagged him with a left elbow to the face. Morris received a common foul, starting a trend of infractions and turnovers that led to an unraveling during Boston’s 10-0 run. The Celtics moved ahead by 42-41 by halftime with Bradley’s backdoor cut and alley-oop finish — Wall was caught napping on the baseline.
At least, Wall’s offense awakened by the third quarter as he drained three consecutive shots and showed some passion after drilling a corner trey over Al Horford. Even so, the Celtics still led, 69-66, entering the final quarter.
With the threat of elimination looming, the Wizards showed resilience that had been missing in previous years.