Game 1 | Sat, April 14 | Washington at Toronto | 5:30 PM | NBCSW/ESPN
Game 2 | Tues, April 17 | Washington at Toronto | 7:00 PM | NBCSW/NBATV
Game 3 | Fri, April 20 | Toronto at Washington | 8:00 PM | NBCSW/ESPN 2
Game 4 | Sun, April 22 | Toronto at Washington | 6:00 PM | NBCSW/TNT
Game 5* | Wed, April 25 | Washington at Toronto | TBD | NBCSW/TBD
Game 6* | Fri, April 27 | Toronto at Washington | TBD | NBCSW/TBD
Game 7* | Sun, April 29 | Washington at Toronto | TBD | TBD
*If Necessary
If you're a hoops fan, this is the best time of year. The playoffs have arrived and there are some very intriguing first round matchups across the league, including this one between the eighth-seeded Washington Wizards and the top-seeded Toronto Raptors. Two teams that last met in the postseason three years ago, when the Wizards entered that series as the underdog and went on to sweep the Raptors in four games. The Raps will be an even bigger favorite this time around, after they just won 59 games and captured the number one seed in the East, but the Wizards enter with thoughts of another upset.
All-Star Backcourts
Both teams enter this series with an All-Star backcourt and they will be the best four players on the floor. While a lot will be made about the x-factors in the series, it may very well come down to which star backcourt outplays the other.
This will be the fourth playoff trip for John Wall and Bradley Beal and the duo has never lost in the first round of the postseason. They have twice won a first round series starting on the road and they are 12-3 all-time in first round matchups. While they have never lost in the first round, they have yet to reach the Conference Finals, something that was a goal heading into this season.
This will be the fifth postseason trip for Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, a group that was bounced in the first round in 2014 and 2015, but did reach the Conference Finals in 2016 before being eliminated by the Cavs in the second round last year. They have had their struggles shooting the ball in the postseason, as they have combined to shoot just under 40 percent from the field and under 30 percent from 3-point range over the last four postseasons. But, they have developed into one of the best backcourts in the league and are now established veterans hoping to lead their team to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
Wall didn't play in any of the four games against the Raptors during the regular season, but the Wizards still went 2-2 without their All-Star point guard. Wall missed most of the second half of the season after going through a knee procedure at the end of January. He did return to play four games during the final few weeks of the season and the Wiz will need him to be healthy and at his best to win the series.
Not Your Typical 1-8 Matchup
At the beginning of the year, the Wizards had hopes of once again being a top four seed and were considered to be one of the better teams in the conference. After an underwhelming season in which they had to play about half of it without their All-Star point guard, they find themselves as the eight seed. But, they do have a healthy Wall again and they certainly have shown the ability to play like one of the league's best with him in the lineup.
The Raptors have been a great regular season team for the last few years, but they have taken it to a new level this year, nearly winning 60 games and earning the top seed in the East. However, their playoff woes from the previous few years will still hang over their heads until they prove that they can win and play at a high level when the games count the most. This will be a big postseason for them in what has been considered a wide open Eastern Conference.
With what happened the last time these two teams played and because the Raps have gone 0-10 in Game 1's in the first round, there will be added pressure on Toronto to take care of business in the first game of this series.
Remembering 2015
When the Wizards entered the 2015 playoffs, they were coming off a 17-24 second half of the season, which included separate losing streaks of six, five, and four games. They had gotten off to a 22-8 start that year, but then were wildly inconsistent throughout the second half of season and finished the year at 46-36.
The Raptors had also struggled down the stretch, going 12-17 in their last 29 games, but finished the year at 49-33 to give them the four seed in the East. They had home court in the series and were picked by most of the experts to advance in the postseason.
But, the Wizards had other ideas. The Wiz went into Toronto and took both Game 1 and Game 2 at the ACC, first winning a low-scoring game in overtime and then exploding for 117 points in their Game 2 win. They then returned home to D.C. and completed the sweep, winning a closely contested Game 3 before blowing out the Raps in the deciding Game 4.
The Wizards were 0-3 during that regular season against Toronto, but flipped the script on the Raps in the postseason.
While the two teams have made a number of changes since that series and both sides will probably downplay this as a storyline, the best players on both sides have remained the same and it could start to grow as a story if the Wizards steal Game 1 in Toronto.
Rotations
The Raps had one of the best benches in the league this year and their depth is partially what helped lead them to the number one seed in the East. If the Raps go with their starting five of Lowry, DeRozan, O.G. Anunoby, Serge Ibaka, and Jonas Valanciunas, expect to see a combination of C.J. Miles, Fred VanVleet, Jakob Poeltl, Delon Wright and possibly Lucas Nogueira, although he's someone with limited experience and could be the odd man out of the rotation. The Raps' starting unit would probably be their best defensive unit, with Anunoby expected to spend much of the series defending Beal. But, the Raps' bench can really spark the offense, with gunners like Miles entering a game and always looking for his shot. VanVleet's status is uncertain for Game 1 with a shoulder injury, but assuming he can play, he could really be a difference maker for the second unit as he's one of their best playmakers. While it is common to shorten the bench in the postseason, there's no guarantee that Dwayne Casey will do so, which will be something to watch as the series progresses.
Scott Brooks has mentioned a few times that he expects to shorten his bench heading into the postseason, but he said that could change game to game. The Wizards have to first wait and see what the status of both Otto Porter Jr. (calf) and Mike Scott (head) will be for Game 1, which could affect the rotation. If Porter doesn't play, Kelly Oubre Jr. would probably step into the starting lineup and that could open the door for others to log some extra minutes as a backup guard/wing. If Scott doesn't play, Keef Moris may have to log more minutes or the team may go to Jason Smith as a stretch four off the bench. If everyone is healthy for the Wiz, the team will use their normal starting lineup, and then go with a combination of Tomas Satoransky, Oubre, Scott, Ian Mahinmi and possibly Ty Lawson at some point, even though he just signed with the team on Thursday. Lawson would make his Wizards debut in the playoffs if he were to play.
In 2015, the Wizards used their 'small' lineup often to frustrate the Raptors, where they played Porter and Paul Pierce together in the frontcourt. It will be interesting to watch how often the Wiz use a lineup without a traditional center in this series, when they use either Morris or Scott at the five and have five shooters on the floor. It may be harder to use that lineup if the Raps choose to keep Valanciunas or Poeltl on the floor, but that will be something to watch as both teams look to try and gain an advantage.
Embracing the Underdog Role
Many of this Wizards' core have entered series in the past as the underdog and they always seem to embrace that role. While they've never been an eight seed, they have certainly gone into a series with many of the local and national writers, along with TV personalities picking the opposition.
This starting five took a very good Celtics team to seven games of the conference semifinals last year and despite their disappointing regular season, they will enter this postseason with a sense of unfinished business.
Can they turn it on again and play like the playoff Wizards we've seen over the last four years?
Game 1 begins Saturday at 5:30 PM in Toronto.