Washington Wizards: 5 Crucial Players To Force Game 7

By Josh Wilson | May 15, 2015

May 13, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Wizards head coach Randy Wittman (center) talks with guard John Wall (2) and forward Paul Pierce (34) in the fourth quarter of their game against the Atlanta Hawks in game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 82-81. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

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May 9, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards forward Nene (42) holds the ball as Atlanta Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll (5) defends in the third quarter in game three of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 103-101. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Nene Hilario

There’s no doubt that Nene Hilario has potential to be a very impactful and influential player. Unfortunately, he has been very incapable of doing this against the Hawks. His first field goal in this series didn’t come until Game 3.

Since then, he did have a 17-point game, a big jump for him, but he’s still not reaching his full playoff potential. A lot of people are seeing Nene’s defense as lazy, and saw him as a huge reason the Wizards lost in Game 5.

Nene was initially guarding Horford, but left to crash the boards…and didn’t do such a great job at it. Horford made Nene look silly, easily grabbed the board, and put the ball in the hole for the win.

Nene has to play better. Although scoring is an issue, he’s playing lazy defense, especially in the key. He must crash the boards and defend the basket to the best of his ability. The Hawks have gotten inside the key far too easily the past few games, and have won because of this. Nene could be the key to stopping it.

Next: Wall

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