Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Theo's Sports Corner by Theo Abbott


Is this the year the Washington Wizards make the NBA Eastern Conference Finals?

The Washington Wizards again look like a playoff team this year. They have been one of the best teams in the NBA Eastern Conference for the last few years. 


The team has posted a winning record and has shown a lot of promise over the last couple of years. The Wizards were one game away from making the Eastern Conference Finals last year. However, they lost to the Celtics in a winner take all Game 7. This year they are again led by superstar John Wall and star Bradley Beal. There are high expectations for the team again this year. The Wizards need to make the Eastern Conference Finals when they will most likely face the Cleveland Cavs to meet those expectations. However, nobody expects the Wizards to beat the Cavs this year especially with the best player in the world, Lebron James, maybe playing the best basketball of his career. The Wizards still will be judged to see if they can take that next step in their playoff maturation process.

The Wizards are 19 – 15 so far this year and currently sitting in the 6th spot among Eastern Conference playoff contenders. They have had to play a number of games without John Wall as he has dealt with injuries early in this season. Yet, the Wizards are right in the mix among the best teams in the NBA. Recently, they had a showdown with the Eastern Conference-best team, the Boston Celtics, and beat them solidly. Again, they are showing promise this year but have had some up and down struggles. Along with Wall and Beal, they feature Otto Porter, Marcin Gortat, Markieff Morris, and Kelly Oubre Jr. which gives them a very talented group.

This year the Wizards don’t have a problem getting up for the big games against good teams. Their problem has been their lackluster performances against bad teams. Already this year the Wizards have lost to NBA bottom feeders Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets, and Charlotte Hornets. Next, they face the NBA’s worst team, the Atlanta Hawks. The Wizards need to play with the same intensity they did against the Celtics in their matchup with the Hawks. Good teams are able to play that way. If the Wizards are going to make the Eastern Conference Finals they need to find a way to put together a string of victories. They definitely need to beat bad teams handily.

Could this be the year the Wizards make the Eastern Conference Finals? Stay tuned! It remains to be seen.

Theo Abbott
Contributing Writer

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