A Game Away From Home

The talk of the NBA over the past couple of nights has been heavily skewed towards the officiating. LAC vs. OKC on Monday and NETS vs. HEAT last night both had extremely controversial calls at the end.

As the rules are now, replay can be used only to correct possession and point-related decisions, but not fouls.

I won't go through what happened -- there have been countless articles, slow motion videos, and depictions of each situation.

What I will say, though, is that the Wizards need to play cutthroat on both ends of the court as they did in Game 5 in Indiana. There's no reason for Washington to let the last 2 minutes of the game dictate its season.

Game 5 Takeaways:

1. Washington couldn't miss; Indiana couldn't buy a bucket. It was the polar opposite of Game 4 in DC. John Wall hit fade-away jumpers and open 3s, Gortat left handed hook shots and two handed slams. Everything went the Wizards' way.
2. The Wiz capitalized on scoring runs and put the Pacers away in the 1st and 3rd. The Wizards are 6-1 in the playoffs when leading after 1. This was the first game in this series outscoring Indy in the 3rd quarter.
3. Early turnovers didn't have lingering psychological effects on Washington the rest of the game. After 8 TOs in the first quarter (13 in Game 4 alone), Washington finished with 19 -- less than 4 per quarter thereafter. While not ideal, it exemplifies how well they responded, how high they kept their heads.

Gortat won't shoot 13/15 for 31 points and 16 rebounds (9 offensive) again. What he will do is provide the same energy in Game 6, forcing the Pacers the match it, and hopefully creating a 4th quarter advantage for a Wizards team that holds a huge athleticism advantage.

BUT...

Indy also won't have only 2 players in double digits -- not starters, PLAYERS. Paul George and maybe even David West will return to 20+; Hibbert will pick up the intensity, and Lance Stephenson will be the catalyst for Indiana's energy in every quarter, not just late in the game.

Gortat said it best in an interview, noting the Wizards' struggles at home, not just limited to the postseason, either.

John Wall must maintain his focus. Bradley Beal should continue to run point with Andre Miller and the second squad comes in to give the starters some rest. Game 7 will be forced by energy.

Energy isn't a skill, it's a desire.

Gortat, Gooden, and Nene surged the front court's energy in Game 5.

John Wall pushed the ball and kept the pace high for four quarters.

The same will happen tonight at 8:00pm at the Verizon Center.

Prediction: 103-85, Wizards