Wiz of Awes
Fansided

When the City Needed Someone the Most, John Wall Became Heroic

By Sununu Bah

May 12, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (right) hugs Wizards guard Bradley Beal (left) after their game against the Boston Celtics in game six of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 92-91, and tied the series at 3-3. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
May 12, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (right) hugs Wizards guard Bradley Beal (left) after their game against the Boston Celtics in game six of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 92-91, and tied the series at 3-3. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Wizards guard John Wall came through in the clutch Friday night, hitting the biggest shot of his career, and one of the biggest in team history.

On Friday Night, John Wall cemented himself as the hero that the city of Washington D.C. desperately needed.

Two days removed from what would have been considered the biggest night for D.C. sports fans, if the three main sports teams pulled off crucial victories.

On that night, the Nationals got the job done but the Wizards disappointed. The biggest letdown, however, went to the Capitals. The Caps lost their 12th consecutive second round playoff series, spanning back to 1998. 

At the 1:34 mark of game six Friday night, Wizards’ fans found themselves in a spot that seemed all too familiar after Isaiah Thomas had just pulled up and buried from deep for what seemed like the entire city’s aspirations of an Eastern Conference Finals appearance.3

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The team’s last appearance there was in 1978-1979 – the season which they lost in the NBA Finals.

At that moment, Wall remembered what had happened during the team’s last two game-six appearances at home and did not want history to repeat itself.

“The last two years I was in the playoffs, we lost a Game 6 here,” Wall said after the game. “We had a lot of heart… All we asked for is one more game, and we got it.”

And he did everything in his power to prevent that.

After Thomas dribbled the ball up the court, nine seconds after Wall drew an offensive foul, Wall instinctively decided to trap the 5-9 guard with his fellow forward Markieff Morris when Morris was supposed to make the switch with Wall.

This trap forced Thomas to throw a horrendous pass that Marcin Gortat corralled and immediately dished to Bradley Beal.

Moments later, Beal dribbled the ball up the court and BANG!!! The Wizards were only down by two points.

During the Celtics next possession, Thomas felt that he had the ability to take Wall on his own and called for an ISO.

Wall wasn’t having any of Thomas’ bull.

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He managed to get his hand on the ball as Thomas pulled up from 3, forcing the ball to reach nowhere near the rim.

Gortat picked up the loose ball and got it to the hands of Wall this time. Wall turned on the jets and in the blink of an eye, he was at the line tying the game up after drawing a foul.

The Celtics thought they had the game in the bag just after Al Horford called glass from the short corner.

However…

Wall put on his cape during the timeout and hit from beyond the arc what Michael Wilbon called Wall’s biggest shot of his career for the biggest win in the team’s franchise history.

Nine months ago, Wall was in the hospital nursing surgeries to both of his knees when his head coach Scott Brooks met him for the first time days after officially being hired.

Brooks immediately started quizzing Wall about what he would do during late game situations.

“So John, let’s say there’s 37 seconds left and we’re up two points and you’ve got the ball, what do you do?” he asks.

“Coach, are you seriously doing this right now?” Wall asked “You take the two-for-one.”

As we can see, that moment paid dividends.

Ever since that experience, the two immediately clicked, keeping constant communication throughout the offseason onwards.

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Brooks said he was going to push and demand the most out his star point guard and Wall came through with his best season to date extending to his playoff heroics.

With game seven being in a hostile territory, the entire city will need Wall to put that cape right back on and carry them to a place that has been uncharted for nearly four decades.

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