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Washington Wizards: Is Best Start In 40 Years Real Or A Mirage?

By Mark Vandeusen

Oct 12, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Garrett Temple (L), Wizards guard John Wall (M-L), Wizards forward Paul Pierce (M), and Wizards center Marcin Gortat (M-R) celebrate on the bench against the Detroit Pistons at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 12, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Garrett Temple (L), Wizards guard John Wall (M-L), Wizards forward Paul Pierce (M), and Wizards center Marcin Gortat (M-R) celebrate on the bench against the Detroit Pistons at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Washington Wizards are 7-2.  They’re undefeated at home (4-0), and have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.  The last time Washington began the year 7-2 was in 1974-75, when Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld carried the team (called the Bullets) to the NBA Finals.

But, are the Wizards really as good as they seem?  A breakdown of their schedule to this point suggests otherwise.

Through nine games Washington has played just two teams that currently have winning records, the Toronto Raptors (8-2) and the Miami Heat (6-5).  On both occasions the Wizards lost by double-digits.

For the season Washington has a scoring differential of plus-2.2 points per game, a surprisingly low number for a club with a .778 winning percentage.  By comparison, the East-leading Raptors are plus-9.6 and the conference’s third-place team, the Chicago Bulls (8-3), are plus-5.4.

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In the Wizards’ last four victories they’ve beaten the Indiana Pacers (4-7) by two points in overtime, then the Pacers again by seven, the Detroit Pistons (3-8) by four and the Orlando Magic (5-7) by five.  Washington’s other three wins include the Magic again, the Milwaukee Bucks (5-5) and the New York Knicks (3-8).

All the Wizards have really done so far is prove they are capable of beating bad teams–and not by a lot.

However, this is a two-sided coin.  Another way to look at it is that Washington has yet to lose to a bad team all season.  Mediocre ballclubs don’t always come away with victories when they are supposed to.  On the other hand, quality teams tend to find a way to win games, and that is exactly what the Wiz are doing.

John Wall is leading the way with 19.4 points and 9.1 assists per night, both of which are career highs.  Newcomer Paul Pierce is shooting just 34 percent from the floor, but Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld is enamored with Pierce for other reasons.  Via The Boston Globe‘s Gary Washburn, Grunfeld said recently:

"Paul is a true professional. He has great leadership ability, and he’s done it. He’s been there. He’s been in the big games and big moments. He is the first guy at practice every day. He puts his time in and he’s such a great example for the young players. We had some good leadership from some of our veterans, but obviously Paul has a championship pedigree."

The biggest indication that Washington may be for real though is the fact that it has been able to get to 7-2 without Bradley Beal.  Nobody was counting on Garrett Temple to be the starting shooting guard.  Beal, who averaged 17.1 PPG last year while draining 40 percent of his three-point attempts, returned to practice on Monday.  He could be ready for game action as early as Friday.

The Wizards host the Dallas Mavericks (8-3) on Wednesday in their first game of the season against a Western Conference opponent.  Then on Friday LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers come to town.  On Saturday we should have a much better idea of what to make of Washington’s hot start.

Next: NBA: Does Washington Have A Top 25 Scorer Of All-Time?

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