Wizards finding their comfort zone at ACC

Washington has now won six of their last seven post-season road games

Just a few hours after the Washington Wizards opened the NBA playoffs in front of a hostile Toronto crowd, they were snug in their own beds, having flown back to D.C. after the game.

But the comforts of home had to wait until they withstood the travails of the road, which is something this team has proven adept at doing, especially in the playoffs. The Wizards have now captured six of their last seven post-season road games, including their 93-86 overtime win against the Raptors on Saturday.

That’s no small feat, especially when it’s done in a place like Toronto, which Washington’s well-seasoned team veteran described as one of the toughest environments for a visiting team that he’s seen during his more than 16 years in the pros.

“It’s one of the best crowds I’ve ever been a part of on the road,” said Paul Pierce, who was the target of much derision from fans at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday. “Paul Pierce Sucks!” was a steady refrain.

“I enjoy getting a win on the road more than I do at home,” he said. “When you win Game 1 on the road, it kind of sets the tone and the mindset . . . It takes the pressure off us and puts it on them.”

The Wizards, who practised in Washington on Sunday, came out with a fresh game plan to beat the Raptors. Coach Randy Wittman put Pierce and Drew Gooden at the four spot for long stretches, employing a smaller, quicker contingent to out- pace Toronto and change the matchups that Washington had trouble with during the regular season, when the Raptors swept them in three games.

“They have some luxuries at playing small at the four and spreading the floor,” said Raptors coach Dwane Casey on Sunday, who added that his team had reviewed film of Washington using such a formation before the game.

“We just didn’t execute the pickand-roll coverage very well,” Casey said.

A big thread in the story of this series so far has been the war of words that was sparked when Pierce told ESPN that Toronto didn’t have “it.”

Asked about Pierce, who led the game Saturday with 20 points, Raptors guard Greivis Vasquez said he was tired of answering questions about him.

“If we keep talking about Paul Pierce, this is going to be a Paul Pierce series. It’s not going to be the Wizards, it’s just Paul Pierce,” said Vasquez.

“He just does what he does . . . We respect that. We give him a lot of credit. He’s got big balls,” he added. “Let him do the talking, and we’ll see at the end who’s going to win the series.”

Patrick Patterson added that, although repetitive, it’s fair game to talk trash in the media.

“At the end of the day, it’s competition, it’s basketball,” he said. “You try to win the war in any way possible, whether it’s with words, whether it’s with your play, you try to find some type of ammunition.”

On the injury front, the Wizards played Game 1 without Garrett Temple, who has been out with a strained hamstring since March 9. He was reportedly questionable to face the Raptors on Saturday, and could dress for the next match.

Game 2 of the Wizards-Raptors series is scheduled for Tuesday night at the ACC.

“(Pierce) does what he does. Let him do the talking, and we’ll see at the end who’s going to win the series.” RAPTORS’ GREIVIS VASQUEZ