- 7,366
- 28,988
- Joined
- Dec 8, 1999
Washington Wizards 2014-2015
[h1]regular season RECORD: 46 - 36[/h1][table][tr][td]Date[/td][td]Opponent[/td][td]Time[/td][td]Result[/td][/tr][tr][td]10/29/2014[/td][td]@Miami[/td][td]7:30 PM[/td][td] L 95-107[/td][/tr][tr][td]10/30/2014[/td][td]@Orlando[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 105-98[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/1/2014[/td][td]Milwaukee[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 97-108[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/4/2014[/td][td]@New York[/td][td]7:30 PM[/td][td] W 98-83[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/5/2014[/td][td]Indiana[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 94-96[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/7/2014 [/td][td]@Toronto[/td][td]7:30 PM[/td][td] L 84-103[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/8/2014[/td][td]@Indiana[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 97-90[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/12/2014[/td][td]Detroit[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 103-107[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/15/2014[/td][td]Orlando[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 93-98[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/19/2014[/td][td]Dallas[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 105-102[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/21/2014[/td][td]Cleveland[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 78-91[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/22/2014[/td][td]@Milwaukee[/td][td]8:30 PM[/td][td] W 111-100[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/25/2014[/td][td]Atlanta[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 106-102[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/26/2014[/td][td]@Cleveland[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 87-113[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/29/2014[/td][td]New Orleans[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 80-83[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/1/2014[/td][td]Miami[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 86-107[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/3/2014[/td][td]L.A. Lakers[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 95-111[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/5/2014[/td][td]Denver[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 89-119[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/7/2014[/td][td]@Boston[/td][td]1:00 PM[/td][td] L 93-101[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/8/2014[/td][td]Boston[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 132-133[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/10/2014[/td][td]@Orlando[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 91-89[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/12/2014[/td][td]L.A. Clippers[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 96-104[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/14/2014[/td][td]Utah[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 84-93[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/16/2014[/td][td]Minnesota[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 95-109[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/19/2014[/td][td]@Miami[/td][td]7:30 PM[/td][td] W 105-103[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/21/2014[/td][td]Phoenix[/td][td]6:00 PM[/td][td] L 104-92[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/23/2014[/td][td]Chicago[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 99-91[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/25/2014[/td][td]@New York[/td][td]12:00 PM[/td][td] W 102-91[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/27/2014[/td][td]Boston[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 88-101[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/29/2014[/td][td]@Houston[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 104-103[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/30/2014[/td][td]@Dallas[/td][td]8:30 PM[/td][td] L 87-114[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/2/2015[/td][td]@Oklahoma City[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 102-109[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/3/2015[/td][td]@San Antonio[/td][td]8:30 PM[/td][td] L 92-101[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/5/2015[/td][td]@New Orleans[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 92-85[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/7/2015[/td][td]New York[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 91-101[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/9/2015[/td][td]Chicago[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 86-102[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/11/2015[/td][td]@Atlanta[/td][td]3:00 PM[/td][td] L 89-120[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/13/2015[/td][td]San Antonio[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 93-101[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/14/2015[/td][td]@Chicago[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 105-99[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/16/2015[/td][td]Brooklyn[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 102-80[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/17/2015[/td][td]@Brooklyn[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 99-90[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/19/2015[/td][td]Philadelphia[/td][td]2:00 PM[/td][td] W 76-111[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/21/2015[/td][td]Oklahoma City[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 105-103[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/24/2015[/td][td]@Portland[/td][td]10:00 PM[/td][td] L 96-103[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/25/2015[/td][td]@Denver[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 117-115[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/27/2015[/td][td]@L.A. Lakers[/td][td]10:30 PM[/td][td] W 98-92[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/28/2015[/td][td]@Phoenix[/td][td]10:30 PM[/td][td] L 98-106[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/31/2015[/td][td]Toronto[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 120-116[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/2/2015[/td][td]Charlotte[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 92-88[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/4/2015[/td][td]@Atlanta[/td][td]7:30 PM[/td][td] L 96-105[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/5/2015[/td][td]@Charlotte[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 87-94[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/7/2015[/td][td]Brooklyn[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 77-114[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/9/2015[/td][td]Orlando[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 80-96[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/11/2015[/td][td]@Toronto[/td][td]7:30 PM[/td][td] L 93-95[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/20/2015[/td][td]Cleveland[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 121-84[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/22/2015[/td][td]@Detroit[/td][td]3:30 PM[/td][td] L 89-106[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/24/2015[/td][td]Golden State[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 114-107[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/25/2015[/td][td]@Minnesota[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 77-97[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/27/2015[/td][td]@Philadelphia[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 81-89[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/28/2015[/td][td]Detroit[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 95-99[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/3/2015[/td][td]@Chicago[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 92-97[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/6/2015[/td][td]Miami[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 97-99[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/7/2015[/td][td]@Milwaukee[/td][td]8:30 PM[/td][td] L 85-91[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/9/2015[/td][td]@Charlotte[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 95-69[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/12/2015[/td][td]Memphis[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 87-107[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/14/2015[/td][td]Sacramento[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 97-113[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/16/2015[/td][td]Portland[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 97-105[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/18/2015[/td][td]@Utah[/td][td]10:30 PM[/td][td] W 88-84[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/20/2015[/td][td]@L.A. Clippers[/td][td]10:30 PM[/td][td] L 99-113[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/22/2015[/td][td]@Sacramento[/td][td]6:00 PM[/td][td] L 86-109[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/23/2015[/td][td]@Golden State[/td][td]10:30 PM[/td][td] L 76-107[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/25/2015[/td][td]Indiana[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 103-101[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/27/2015[/td][td]Charlotte[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 107-110[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/29/2015[/td][td]Houston[/td][td]12:30 PM[/td][td] L 99-91[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/1/2015[/td][td]Philadelphia[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 93-106[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/3/2015[/td][td]New York[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 87-101[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/4/2015[/td][td]@Memphis[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 92-83[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/8/2015[/td][td]@Philadelphia[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 119-90[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/10/2015[/td][td]@Brooklyn[/td][td]7:30 PM[/td][td] L 80-117[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/12/2015[/td][td]Atlanta[/td][td]6:00 PM[/td][td] W 99-108[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/14/2015[/td][td]@Indiana[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 95-99[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/15/2015[/td][td]@Cleveland[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 108-113[/td][/tr][/table][h1]Playoffs[/h1][table][tr][td]Date[/td][td]Opponent[/td][td]Time[/td][td]Result[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/18/2015[/td][td]@Toronto[/td][td]12:30 PM[/td][td] W 93-86[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/21/2015[/td][td]@Toronto[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 117-106[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/24/2014[/td][td]Toronto[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 99-106[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/26/2014[/td][td]Toronto[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 94-125[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr][tr][td]5/3/2015[/td][td]@Atlanta [/td][td]1:00 PM[/td][td] W 104-98[/td][/tr][tr][td]5/5/2015[/td][td]@Atlanta [/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 90-106[/td][/tr][tr][td]5/9/2014[/td][td]Atlanta[/td][td]5:00 PM[/td][td] W 101-103[/td][/tr][tr][td]5/11/2014[/td][td]Atlanta[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 106-101[/td][/tr][tr][td]5/13/2014[/td][td]@Atlanta[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 81-82[/td][/tr][tr][td]5/15/2014[/td][td]Atlanta[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 94-91[/td][/tr][/table][h1]Respect.[/h1]
"If you expect nothing from anybody, you're never disappointed." - Sylvia Plath
After coming off a miserable 29-53 season, with no All Stars and no scheduled national television appearances, the historically inept Washington Wizards did the unthinkable: they overachieved.
How will they fare now, in a reshuffled Eastern Conference where they can take no one by surprise?
Like any good magic trick, the Wizards' sudden success was accomplished through misdirection.
Few outside the District paid much attention to the team's 2-7 start. Why would they, when the Knicks started out 3-13?
Why would the average NBA fan care about Washington's Gortat gamble when Houston signed Dwight Howard - and with Andrew Bynum carving a path of destruction through the Eastern Conference?
Why care about a hobbled Nene, or Randy Wittman running Bradley Beal into the ground, when Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant again suffered catastrophic injuries?
Why care if Otto Porter was missing in action when #1 pick Anthony Bennett was putting up numbers that would make Kwame Brown blush?
Why care that the Wizards finally broke .500 for the first time since 2009 when the Phoenix Suns were shocking everyone in the superior Western Conference?
If you weren't watching regional sports networks, or League Pass, your first glimpse of the 2013-2014 Washington Wizards didn't arrive until April 20th, when they waylaid a shorthanded Bulls squad.
To the average fan, the Wizards' breakthrough success appeared from nowhere. We know better. We spent the last five years suffocating in the false bottom of a trick hat, aching for release. For the Wizards' faithful few, there was nothing magical in the victory over the battered Bulls - and nothing tragic in the loss to the struggling Pacers.
The basketball world sees the Wizards in a different light these days - a spotlight. A brief glance at the schedule reveals a whopping ten national television appearances - including a Christmas Day game against the Knicks. A dogged recruiting effort by then-assistant Sam Cassell secured the signing of a veteran All Star at the mid-level exception. (Though a staple transaction for contenders, Sam captured a unicorn by Wizards standards.)
The "culture change" is nearly complete. Virtually all of the the team's knuckleheads and underachievers have been jettisoned. After four abysmal seasons, Jan Vesely is headed back to Europe a millionaire. Jordan Crawford will be chucking in China this year - as will Andray Blatche. Chris Singleton latched on with the idling Pacers. Eric Maynor was waived by the quasi-professional 76'ers.
In their place, Ernie Grunfeld has attempted to fortify one of the league's worst benches by adding rugged forward DaJuan Blair and former Kardashian Kris Humphries to last year's mid-season replacements: pensioners Andre Miller and Drew Gooden.
A new five year, sixty million dollar pact will keep Marcin in the middle for the foreseeable future. The aforementioned midsummer miracle effectively swaps former Finals MVP Paul Pierce with former Finals participant Trevor Ariza. A strong summer league showing for sophomores Glen Rice, Jr. and Otto Porter, Jr. gave fans hope for the underutilized prizes of the 2013 draft.
The bar has been raised to a dizzying height: above average.
Since 1980, the Washington Bullets/Wizards have never won more than 45 games. They've never won their division. (In fact, since the formation of the Southeast Division in 2004, the title has never left the state of Florida.) This year, with Miami's seeming abdication and the entire conference in a state of upheaval, the Wizards find themselves tasked with achieving both.
The stage has been set for another NBA season. This time, all our cards are on the table.
Suddenly, the only thing the Wizards wanted has become the one thing they can't afford: to betray expectations.
[h1]regular season RECORD: 46 - 36[/h1][table][tr][td]Date[/td][td]Opponent[/td][td]Time[/td][td]Result[/td][/tr][tr][td]10/29/2014[/td][td]@Miami[/td][td]7:30 PM[/td][td] L 95-107[/td][/tr][tr][td]10/30/2014[/td][td]@Orlando[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 105-98[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/1/2014[/td][td]Milwaukee[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 97-108[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/4/2014[/td][td]@New York[/td][td]7:30 PM[/td][td] W 98-83[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/5/2014[/td][td]Indiana[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 94-96[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/7/2014 [/td][td]@Toronto[/td][td]7:30 PM[/td][td] L 84-103[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/8/2014[/td][td]@Indiana[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 97-90[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/12/2014[/td][td]Detroit[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 103-107[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/15/2014[/td][td]Orlando[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 93-98[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/19/2014[/td][td]Dallas[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 105-102[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/21/2014[/td][td]Cleveland[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 78-91[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/22/2014[/td][td]@Milwaukee[/td][td]8:30 PM[/td][td] W 111-100[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/25/2014[/td][td]Atlanta[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 106-102[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/26/2014[/td][td]@Cleveland[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 87-113[/td][/tr][tr][td]11/29/2014[/td][td]New Orleans[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 80-83[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/1/2014[/td][td]Miami[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 86-107[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/3/2014[/td][td]L.A. Lakers[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 95-111[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/5/2014[/td][td]Denver[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 89-119[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/7/2014[/td][td]@Boston[/td][td]1:00 PM[/td][td] L 93-101[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/8/2014[/td][td]Boston[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 132-133[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/10/2014[/td][td]@Orlando[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 91-89[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/12/2014[/td][td]L.A. Clippers[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 96-104[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/14/2014[/td][td]Utah[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 84-93[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/16/2014[/td][td]Minnesota[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 95-109[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/19/2014[/td][td]@Miami[/td][td]7:30 PM[/td][td] W 105-103[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/21/2014[/td][td]Phoenix[/td][td]6:00 PM[/td][td] L 104-92[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/23/2014[/td][td]Chicago[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 99-91[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/25/2014[/td][td]@New York[/td][td]12:00 PM[/td][td] W 102-91[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/27/2014[/td][td]Boston[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 88-101[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/29/2014[/td][td]@Houston[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 104-103[/td][/tr][tr][td]12/30/2014[/td][td]@Dallas[/td][td]8:30 PM[/td][td] L 87-114[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/2/2015[/td][td]@Oklahoma City[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 102-109[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/3/2015[/td][td]@San Antonio[/td][td]8:30 PM[/td][td] L 92-101[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/5/2015[/td][td]@New Orleans[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 92-85[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/7/2015[/td][td]New York[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 91-101[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/9/2015[/td][td]Chicago[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 86-102[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/11/2015[/td][td]@Atlanta[/td][td]3:00 PM[/td][td] L 89-120[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/13/2015[/td][td]San Antonio[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 93-101[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/14/2015[/td][td]@Chicago[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 105-99[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/16/2015[/td][td]Brooklyn[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 102-80[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/17/2015[/td][td]@Brooklyn[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 99-90[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/19/2015[/td][td]Philadelphia[/td][td]2:00 PM[/td][td] W 76-111[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/21/2015[/td][td]Oklahoma City[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 105-103[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/24/2015[/td][td]@Portland[/td][td]10:00 PM[/td][td] L 96-103[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/25/2015[/td][td]@Denver[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 117-115[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/27/2015[/td][td]@L.A. Lakers[/td][td]10:30 PM[/td][td] W 98-92[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/28/2015[/td][td]@Phoenix[/td][td]10:30 PM[/td][td] L 98-106[/td][/tr][tr][td]1/31/2015[/td][td]Toronto[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 120-116[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/2/2015[/td][td]Charlotte[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 92-88[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/4/2015[/td][td]@Atlanta[/td][td]7:30 PM[/td][td] L 96-105[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/5/2015[/td][td]@Charlotte[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 87-94[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/7/2015[/td][td]Brooklyn[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 77-114[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/9/2015[/td][td]Orlando[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 80-96[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/11/2015[/td][td]@Toronto[/td][td]7:30 PM[/td][td] L 93-95[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/20/2015[/td][td]Cleveland[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 121-84[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/22/2015[/td][td]@Detroit[/td][td]3:30 PM[/td][td] L 89-106[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/24/2015[/td][td]Golden State[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 114-107[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/25/2015[/td][td]@Minnesota[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 77-97[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/27/2015[/td][td]@Philadelphia[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 81-89[/td][/tr][tr][td]2/28/2015[/td][td]Detroit[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 95-99[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/3/2015[/td][td]@Chicago[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 92-97[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/6/2015[/td][td]Miami[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 97-99[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/7/2015[/td][td]@Milwaukee[/td][td]8:30 PM[/td][td] L 85-91[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/9/2015[/td][td]@Charlotte[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 95-69[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/12/2015[/td][td]Memphis[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 87-107[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/14/2015[/td][td]Sacramento[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 97-113[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/16/2015[/td][td]Portland[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 97-105[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/18/2015[/td][td]@Utah[/td][td]10:30 PM[/td][td] W 88-84[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/20/2015[/td][td]@L.A. Clippers[/td][td]10:30 PM[/td][td] L 99-113[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/22/2015[/td][td]@Sacramento[/td][td]6:00 PM[/td][td] L 86-109[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/23/2015[/td][td]@Golden State[/td][td]10:30 PM[/td][td] L 76-107[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/25/2015[/td][td]Indiana[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 103-101[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/27/2015[/td][td]Charlotte[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 107-110[/td][/tr][tr][td]3/29/2015[/td][td]Houston[/td][td]12:30 PM[/td][td] L 99-91[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/1/2015[/td][td]Philadelphia[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 93-106[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/3/2015[/td][td]New York[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 87-101[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/4/2015[/td][td]@Memphis[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 92-83[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/8/2015[/td][td]@Philadelphia[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 119-90[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/10/2015[/td][td]@Brooklyn[/td][td]7:30 PM[/td][td] L 80-117[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/12/2015[/td][td]Atlanta[/td][td]6:00 PM[/td][td] W 99-108[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/14/2015[/td][td]@Indiana[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 95-99[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/15/2015[/td][td]@Cleveland[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 108-113[/td][/tr][/table][h1]Playoffs[/h1][table][tr][td]Date[/td][td]Opponent[/td][td]Time[/td][td]Result[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/18/2015[/td][td]@Toronto[/td][td]12:30 PM[/td][td] W 93-86[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/21/2015[/td][td]@Toronto[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 117-106[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/24/2014[/td][td]Toronto[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] W 99-106[/td][/tr][tr][td]4/26/2014[/td][td]Toronto[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] W 94-125[/td][/tr][/table][table][tr][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr][tr][td]5/3/2015[/td][td]@Atlanta [/td][td]1:00 PM[/td][td] W 104-98[/td][/tr][tr][td]5/5/2015[/td][td]@Atlanta [/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 90-106[/td][/tr][tr][td]5/9/2014[/td][td]Atlanta[/td][td]5:00 PM[/td][td] W 101-103[/td][/tr][tr][td]5/11/2014[/td][td]Atlanta[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 106-101[/td][/tr][tr][td]5/13/2014[/td][td]@Atlanta[/td][td]8:00 PM[/td][td] L 81-82[/td][/tr][tr][td]5/15/2014[/td][td]Atlanta[/td][td]7:00 PM[/td][td] L 94-91[/td][/tr][/table][h1]Respect.[/h1]
"If you expect nothing from anybody, you're never disappointed." - Sylvia Plath
After coming off a miserable 29-53 season, with no All Stars and no scheduled national television appearances, the historically inept Washington Wizards did the unthinkable: they overachieved.
How will they fare now, in a reshuffled Eastern Conference where they can take no one by surprise?
Like any good magic trick, the Wizards' sudden success was accomplished through misdirection.
Few outside the District paid much attention to the team's 2-7 start. Why would they, when the Knicks started out 3-13?
Why would the average NBA fan care about Washington's Gortat gamble when Houston signed Dwight Howard - and with Andrew Bynum carving a path of destruction through the Eastern Conference?
Why care about a hobbled Nene, or Randy Wittman running Bradley Beal into the ground, when Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant again suffered catastrophic injuries?
Why care if Otto Porter was missing in action when #1 pick Anthony Bennett was putting up numbers that would make Kwame Brown blush?
Why care that the Wizards finally broke .500 for the first time since 2009 when the Phoenix Suns were shocking everyone in the superior Western Conference?
If you weren't watching regional sports networks, or League Pass, your first glimpse of the 2013-2014 Washington Wizards didn't arrive until April 20th, when they waylaid a shorthanded Bulls squad.
To the average fan, the Wizards' breakthrough success appeared from nowhere. We know better. We spent the last five years suffocating in the false bottom of a trick hat, aching for release. For the Wizards' faithful few, there was nothing magical in the victory over the battered Bulls - and nothing tragic in the loss to the struggling Pacers.
The basketball world sees the Wizards in a different light these days - a spotlight. A brief glance at the schedule reveals a whopping ten national television appearances - including a Christmas Day game against the Knicks. A dogged recruiting effort by then-assistant Sam Cassell secured the signing of a veteran All Star at the mid-level exception. (Though a staple transaction for contenders, Sam captured a unicorn by Wizards standards.)
The "culture change" is nearly complete. Virtually all of the the team's knuckleheads and underachievers have been jettisoned. After four abysmal seasons, Jan Vesely is headed back to Europe a millionaire. Jordan Crawford will be chucking in China this year - as will Andray Blatche. Chris Singleton latched on with the idling Pacers. Eric Maynor was waived by the quasi-professional 76'ers.
In their place, Ernie Grunfeld has attempted to fortify one of the league's worst benches by adding rugged forward DaJuan Blair and former Kardashian Kris Humphries to last year's mid-season replacements: pensioners Andre Miller and Drew Gooden.
A new five year, sixty million dollar pact will keep Marcin in the middle for the foreseeable future. The aforementioned midsummer miracle effectively swaps former Finals MVP Paul Pierce with former Finals participant Trevor Ariza. A strong summer league showing for sophomores Glen Rice, Jr. and Otto Porter, Jr. gave fans hope for the underutilized prizes of the 2013 draft.
The bar has been raised to a dizzying height: above average.
Since 1980, the Washington Bullets/Wizards have never won more than 45 games. They've never won their division. (In fact, since the formation of the Southeast Division in 2004, the title has never left the state of Florida.) This year, with Miami's seeming abdication and the entire conference in a state of upheaval, the Wizards find themselves tasked with achieving both.
The stage has been set for another NBA season. This time, all our cards are on the table.
Suddenly, the only thing the Wizards wanted has become the one thing they can't afford: to betray expectations.
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