Wiz of Awes
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Washington Wizards: Who are the Washington Wizards?

By Jen Julie Smith

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 01: John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards looks on against the Phoenix Suns during the first half at Capital One Arena on November 01, 2017 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 01: John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards looks on against the Phoenix Suns during the first half at Capital One Arena on November 01, 2017 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 28: The Washington Wizards huddle up during the game against the Golden State Warriors at Verizon Center on February 28, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 28: The Washington Wizards huddle up during the game against the Golden State Warriors at Verizon Center on February 28, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

The Washington Wizards have to decide now who they are, otherwise they’re looking at a first round exit come playoff time.

Who are the Washington Wizards? It appears that teams are trying to put the Wizards back in their place. Back to that 2-8 team from last season. Washington has come too far and worked too hard to go back now.

Other teams don’t think that the Wizards deserve to be in the same breath as Cleveland and Boston. But Washington is acting as if they don’t believe it themselves.

Not only are they losing games that they should’ve won (Warriors), they’re also losing to teams that shouldn’t have had a chance in the first place – Lakers and the Suns.

It doesn’t mater how well Washington performs on the offensive end, when they’re not playing defense and letting teams outscore them on the other end.

The Wizards are playing each game as if it’s an All-Star game, where they put up a lot of points, but play absolutely no defense. The Wizards have forgotten that there are two ends of the floor.

If Washington continues on this trajectory, they could talk about playoffs. But at the same time, they should also check what time their plane takes off for that early spring vacation. At this pace there will be no deep postseason run.

The defense collapsing against young teams like the Lakers and the Suns is unacceptable.

Allowing teams to get wide open shots, not defending the three, or getting back into transition is unacceptable.

How many second and third chance opportunities are the Wizards going to give away each and every game?

Washington said, the game 7 loss against Boston still stings. Obviously not enough.

Not playing defense is downright offensive. The Wizards are better than this. If they’re going to lose at least lose with dignity, by not giving up double-digit leads. Don’t play defense the first quarter, and think the remaining three quarters will take care of itself.

Other teams who thought the Wizards were a challenge, will look at these past two weeks, and say the Wizards are exactly who we thought they were. A team that will lead for most of the game, yet cannot close the deal.

During the preseason, it appeared that Washington had gotten over their defensive struggles. However, it reared its ugly head once the regular season got underway.

Washington still has one of the best starting lineups in the league. They don’t fear anyone, and therein may lie the problem. If they think that it’s going to be an easy win, they let their guard down – literally and figuratively.

It’s still early in the season for the Wizards to right this ship and be a contender. But Washington has to make a choice – they can choose to play defense or they can say “Cleveland didn’t want to see us” …again.

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