Wiz of Awes
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Washington Wizards Mailbag Monday: Why the Wizards Could Get To the NBA Finals

By Ben Mehic

Feb 6, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) shoots over Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the third quarter at Verizon Center. Cleveland Cavaliers defeated Washington Wizards 140-135 in third quarter. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 6, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) shoots over Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the third quarter at Verizon Center. Cleveland Cavaliers defeated Washington Wizards 140-135 in third quarter. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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You’re really throwing me into the fire, aren’t you, Eric?

So, recently I wrote how the Washington Wizards have become a championship contender this season.

They’re battling for the second spot in the East and have one of the league’s best records since the All-Star break. John Wall and Bradley Beal are having career-seasons and have been the best backcourt in the NBA. Otto Porter is leading the league in 3-point percentage. Bojan Bogdanovic is a premier sixth man, and if he played in D.C. this entire season he would’ve been a candidate for the award.

/gasps for air

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Washington has all of the qualities of a championship contender.

It’s weird, isn’t it – putting “Wizards” and “championship contender” in the same sentence? But it’s the truth.

The proof is in the way they’ve played.

They’ve beaten the Golden State Warriors. They dominated the Boston Celtics. And were a LeBron James, bankshot 3-pointer away from beating the Cleveland Cavaliers.

At some point, LeBron is going to lose in the postseason. The recipe for chaos is already there. The Cavaliers have put themselves in position to lose their first place standing.

The Warriors are without Kevin Durant. This might be the year the basketball Gods flip the table.

According to FiveThirtyEight, courtesy of Bullets Forever, the Washington Wizards have a better chance of winning the championship than the Cavaliers.

The aforementioned site has the Wizards with a 6 percent chance of winning the championship – tied with the Celtics for the highest chance of winning in the East. How much stock should we put into that? Who knows.

My point is, more strange things have happened in the NBA. Maybe a Stephen Curry and Durant led Warriors team isn’t destined to win the championship, after all. Maybe we’ll all look back and say, “it looks like the Washington Wizards didn’t need Durant to win a championship.” Maybe we won’t.

Next: Why the Wizards Are An NBA Championship Contender

But the Wizards have a chance. LeBron, believe it or not, is human and will lose eventually. So why not this year?

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