The Wizards most certainly deserve props for their victory yesterday, and not simply because they were on the road against the highly regarded Celtics. Having just lost for the fifth time in seven outings, they could have kept their heads down and chalked up the second night of a back-to-back set as a veritable forfeit. Instead, they battled before a hostile crowd, intent on leaving the TD Garden with a win in the pocket. And they did so in double overtime to boot, proof, if nothing else, of their determination to succeed.
For the Wizards, it helped, of course, that the Celtics were walking wounded. The latter had to do battle without six players, of whom four, All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Al Horford included, were part of the regular rotation. Then again, they themselves competed without a vital cog; top dog John Wall remained in the sidelines recovering from surgery to his left knee six weeks ago, and they looked weary from their exertions in his absence.
No doubt, fatigue has been a big reason for the Wizards’ swoon sans Wall. They strung together five impressive victories to start, but then seemed to hit a wall, no pun intended, after a month. Which, all told, underscores how much they need Wall for the stretch run. They won’t always find good fortune in the crunch, as they did at the end of regulation and the two extra periods last night.
The good news is that Wall figures to be back anytime soon. His participation in practices is imminent, and his integration to the active lineup could come as early as the weekend. That said, he will likely need time to adjust to the rigors of competition before going full bore. Until then, the Wizards would do well to find ways to keep the best, and minimize the worst, of themselves without him.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
