Anyone will do for now
Marcin Gortat ready to stand up to Celtics’ Horford as Wizards’ ‘last big man standing’
Wizards in need of healthy bigs
BOSTON — The Wizards' Marcin Gortat had a reminder for all of the members of the press attending Washington's practice at TD Garden on Monday afternoon: The 6-foot-11, 240-pound center with a tattoo of a hammer on his left biceps is not fragile.
Not only is Gortat not fragile by nature, but right now, he cannot afford to be fragile. Not with the Wizards' roster of big men as battered as they are. Backup center Ian Mahinmi is recovering from a left calf strain suffered at the end of the regular season and has yet to participate in a full practice with the team. Reserve big man Jason Smith suffered a left calf strain of his own in Washington's first-round series against Atlanta and played limited minutes in Game 1 against Boston.
Starting forward Markieff Morris needed round-the-clock treatment after spraining his left ankle on Sunday.
Gortat twisted his ankle slightly in that game as well. But there will be no sitting out for the starting center.
"Yeah, I twisted my ankle. Listen, I mean, I'm not made of sugar," Gortat said Monday before cracking a smile. "I'm Poland finest. Hashtag Poland Finest. Poland made. Any other day - but I can't. I can't, I can't break down right now. We can laugh as much as we want, but I can't break down. I'm the only big man standing right now, not counting Mr. Ochefu, our rookie sitting at the bench. I'm the last big man standing here, I have to play, I have to perform, I have to play the highest level."
Indeed, Morris said with certainty Monday that he would play in Tuesday's Game 2, but Wizards Coach Scott Brooks wouldn't subscribe to such an optimistic forecast. Brooks said the forward had received treatment all day after the game Sunday and all Monday morning, and that the team would see how Morris is feeling Tuesday.
Morris' absence would leave Gortat alone, with some help from Smith, to deal with the Celtics' rangy center, Al Horford. The center had 21 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists Sunday in the Wizards' 123-111 loss. Especially with Gortat shouldering more minutes - he played just more than 39 Sunday - a quick center who likes to shoot threes poses a formidable challenge.
"He does everything," Gortat said. "He does everything. It's not like he's master of everything, he just does everything very well. Like I said, for the first two and a half, maybe three quarters, the guy was invisible. I mean, I felt like everything was under control and then all of sudden, he's picking up one loose ball, he has one tipped dunk, he has one post move, then he had one three, one little jumper from outside, then you're coming back to the bench sitting at the timeout and the guy has almost triple-double. I'm like, where's this coming from?
"That was definitely a huge surprise to me. I'll definitely have to put more pressure on Al, I can't have him throw all these assists to his teammates. I have to attack him more and try to create more fouls. Al's a very good player. I'll never say Al is terrible, he's bad. He's a very good player. It's going to be a long series, and I love that challenge."
Horford dominated in the fourth quarter Sunday, connecting on all four attempts from the floor, including a three-pointer, to score nine points, pull down two rebounds and dish two assists.
Losing Morris in the first quarter meant the Wizards lost a big body with the ability to stretch the floor and combat Celtics reserve big man Kelly Olynyk alongside Gortat.
When both Horford and Olynyk were on the floor in the first quarter on Sunday, Olynyk shifted primarily to center and scored 10 of Boston's 24 points. The Wizards were also controlling rebounds, and particularly offensive boards, as a part of their fast start on Sunday. But after Morris went to the locker room, the Celtics grabbed 10.
"Unfortunately I was out there by myself, and it was an extra challenge for me," Gortat said.
Gortat will have to adjust his defense to guard Horford. His bread and butter is competing under the basket; he does well against players who just want to pound the ball in the paint. Now he will have to chase Horford down.
"Well, you have to be aware of what kind of game [Horford is] having, but it seems like he's always having a good three-point shooting game, that's what he does," Brooks said, when asked how Gortat will have to adjust. "He's a terrific basketball player, he knows how to play the game, and he makes plays from that spot. He had 10 assists last night - you have to be able to help and get back and get all the way back. You can't give him air space, if you do he's just going to launch a three. And he's able to make 'em."
It's a defensive challenge Gortat is looking forward to. But really, he doesn't have a choice.