Washington Wizards: Top 5 Moments of the Decade

#1: (2017) John Wall’s Game Winner in Game 6 against Boston

Heading into the 2016-2017 season, a lot of people were not sure what to make of the Washington Wizards. After a rough start to the season going 2-9, things were looking bleak in DC. But thanks to their superstar John Wall, the season ended up being one of the best in recent memory.

Up until this point in his career, John was known as a top point guard in the league but many people thought he was not getting the recognition he deserved. This all changed in 2016-2017 when Wall had a career year averaging 23 points and 11 assists per game and was named to the All-NBA 3rd team.

Going into the playoffs the Wizards knew they would need to rely on their star and that’s exactly what they did. John closed out the first round series against Atlanta in one of the best performances of his career where he had 42 points and 8 assists, including scoring 19 points in the 4th quarter. However Wall would save his best for the second round series against the Boston Celtics.

In what became known as the battle between John Wall and Isaiah Thomas, the Wiz and C’s traded blow after blow resulting in Boston taking a 3-2 lead going back to D.C. for game 6.

In a back and forth game, Wall showed a lot of determination scoring 23 of his 26 points in the second half. With a little over a minute to play Boston took a 5 point lead on an Isaiah Thomas three. The Wizards then showed resilience battling back in that final minute.

However, after an Al Horford bank shot with 7 seconds left, Boston lead by 1. Washington was in need of  a big play from their star.

In what ended up being a broken play set up for Bradley Beal, Wall had to rush to get the ball from Otto Porter to prevent a 5 second violation. With the ball in his hands, Wall sized up All-NBA defender Avery Bradley, took a few dribbles and pulled up from three.

For a team and city that is so used to heartbreak after heartbreak when the shot went up, fans were worried.

However, for once, Washington D.C. got their moment.

John Wall hit the game winning three to prevent elimination and forced a game 7 against the Celtics. John Wall ran around the court and ended up jumping on top of the scorers table to bask in the signature moment of his career with the fans who were so eager for a sliver of greatness.

John Wall’s shot to win Game 6 against Boston, for once, gave the city of D.C. a reason to smile again.