Daily NBA Fix 5-14-14: Officiating Overshadows Thunderous Comeback
Washington Wizards 102, INDIANA PACERS 79
DANCE! Don’t Hold The Wall – With their backs against the wall, down 3-1 and heading into a Game 5 on the road, it would have been understandable for John Wall and company to collapse and call it a successful year. But thanks to Indiana’s complete listlessness and big nights from Wall and Marcin Gortat, the Wizards fan base was feeling pretty good by the end of the night.
In a thoroughly dominant showing that had Pacers fans booing their own team throughout the second half, the Wizards debunked the myth that the Pacers were “back.” Wall had 27 points, five rebounds and five assists while going 11-for-20 from the floor to answer the critics who said he looked timid throughout this series. One great performance doesn’t make up for four mostly underwhelming ones, but it was enough to keep Washington alive for another game and if the Wizards can take Game 6 at home, then things will really get interesting.
Marcin Gortat was the other main hero of the night, finishing with 31 points and 16 rebounds while shooting an incredible 13-for-15 from the floor. The Polish Hammer elevated his game to Gortat of War levels and nearly out-rebounded the entire Pacers team by himself. And while we’re on the topic of rebounds, here’s the only stat worth mentioning if you’re Frank Vogel trying to rally the troops: Indiana was out-rebounded 62-23 in Game 5. If you don’t have your calculator handy, that’s a difference of 39 rebounds. THIRTY. NINE.
During their three-game win streak of this series, it seemed like the Pacers were finding themselves again. Their defense was stifling and their starting unit was blowing out Washington’s by a considerable margin. But in Game 5, the illusion that we can predict which Indiana team is going to show up was shattered into more pieces than Roy Hibbert‘s ego. David West had 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting, but the rest of Indiana’s starters were a combined 12-for-38 for 31 points. In other words, Gortat out-rebounded all five Pacers starters and scored the same amount of points as four starters combined. Unless Gortat is putting up 60-70 points, which also shouldn’t happen, THAT SHOULDN’T HAPPEN.
So here we are, heading into Game 6, with the Pacers looking entirely vulnerable. They’re heading to a building where the Wizards have only won one game this postseason, but Indiana has trailed by double digits for most of the last two games and if not for Paul George damn near lighting himself on fire from three-point range, the Pacers would’ve dropped Game 4 too. Historically, the odds of coming back from a 3-1 deficit in an NBA playoff series aren’t great. But if it were to happen this year…it would probably be these Washington Wizards against these Indiana Pacers.
My prediction? Indiana takes Game 6 on the road. Why? Because nothing the 2013-14 Indiana Pacers do makes sense anymore.