Technically, the match wasn’t over at the end of the first quarter. After all, there were still 36 minutes left to play, thrice as much time as the Raptors needed to put up a 17-point lead. Yet, there was little to nothing else that indicated the Wizards had what it takes to overcome the deficit and ultimately prevail. If anything, they showed the opposite; leaders John Wall and Bradley Beal were already in foul trouble, and not even two early timeouts could help them prevent the hosts from puncturing the hoop with impunity.
Creditably, the Wizards did manage to come close, getting to within five with under eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. By then, however, they had expended too much energy clawing back from a disadvantage that went up to as high as 23 points; by the time they managed to make their next field goal three minutes later, they were again down by double figures. The outcome was all but sealed, and they found themselves with nothing to show from their visit to the Air Canada Centre.
Significantly, the Wizards remained defiant in the aftermath of their twin losses up North. Perhaps it was because they finally seemed to latch on to something that could work as the first-round series heads to the Capital One Arena. If they made things somewhat interesting in Game Two, it was because they played small ball and gave Wall more space to operate and cut through the otherwise-stout Raptors defense. In this regard, reserves Mike Scott and Ty Lawson proved indispensable, their accuracy from long range exposing the follies of walling the paint.
Still, “seemed” and “could” will continue to be the operative words for the Wizards unless and until Beal wakes up from his stupor. He was all but nonexistent in Game One and proved to be even more appalling in Game Two, ending up with a minus-34 stat line, the worst of any stalwart of the red, white, and blue in the last two decades. For them to be competitive against the confident Raptors, he needs to be close to his All-Star self. Else, no amount of adjustments by head coach Scott Brooks will be enough for them to avoid an early vacation.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
