The Washington Wizards’ 2016-17 season is over, but it was fun while it lasted. Here are three takeaways from their Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics.
The Washington Wizards were eliminated in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics, 115-105. It ended an otherwise remarkable season for the Wizards on the road. They were 1-6 on the road in the NBA Playoffs.
John Wall nearly flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 18 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. However, unlike his teammates, he faltered when things got close.
The defense was poor all-around for the Wizards. They allowed 58 points in the paint in Game 7, a category they dominated all series long.
Celtics center Kelly Olynyk scored 26 points off the bench while shooting 10-of-14 from the floor. In a way, the Washington Wizards made Olynyk look like an All-Star while containing the rest of Boston’s starters.
Isaiah Thomas did score 29 points and rack up 12 assists as well, but the most glaring statistic is what Olynyk did for the Celtics’ off the bench to clinch Game 7. While Washington held guys like Avery Bradley (nine points) in check, other guys stepped up off the bench. The Celtics outscored the Wizards’ bench 48-5.
The bench points were scored by Bojan Bogdanovic (five points) while everybody else went scoreless. Backup center Ian Mahinmi had four fouls off the bench in 10 minutes. Brandon Jennings lasted just about six minutes. Jason Smith played roughly three minutes but was somehow a -13.
Here are three takeaways from the Wizards final defeat in the 2017 NBA Playoffs.