Washington Wizards playoff preview: What happened to their early-season form?

On Dec. 22, the Washington Post editorial board took a break from actual important matters and called for readers to jump on the Wizards’ bandwagon. “Their followers now have reason to hope that, somewhere in this town, there may just be a hall where a hefty Brunnhilde is warming up her pipes for a grand finale,” the board wrote, referencing the battle cry of Washington’s only championship team in 1978.

The Wizards were 19-7 then and John Wall was an MVP candidate. A championship was unlikely, but the franchise was well on its way to its best season since the late 1970s.

How it’s fallen apart. The Wizards did technically complete their best season since the late 70s, but not after a second-half collapse that’s become all too familiar with their fans. Wall and Bradley Beal battled injuries, the unheralded bench turned back into a pumpkin and coach Randy Wittman slunk further into madness, benching Marcin Gortat in several fourth quarters -- while refusing to change his approach to lubricate an ugly offense. The team often appeared to be sleepwalking, as if they’ve tuned out Wittman and each other.

Yet, the Wizards enter the postseason with a favorable matchup against a Raptors team struggling just as badly since an early-season surge. They have talent that came together after an uneven regular season last year. History could certainly repeat itself this season, in which case the second-half woes will be long forgotten.

How they beat you
The Wizards pride themselves on their defense, to the point where Wittman wouldn’t even entertain the thought of the offense being the problem after an blowout loss to the lowly Kings in late March. Washington’s defense is indeed good when locked in, thanks to Wall’s activity, Nene’s smarts and Gortat’s underrated rim protection skills. The Wizards’ disciplined rotations and positioning seal off the lane. They were just behind Charlotte and Memphis in fewest shots surrendered in the restricted area per game.

The Wizards are also an elite defensive rebounding team, which triggers Wall on the move in the open floor. Once Wall gets going, nobody stops him. He has the speed to take it coast-to-coast, the vision to find shooters spotting up in the corners and the patience to wait for his teammates to fill lanes. The Wizards rank third in the league in transition efficiency, per Synergy Sports Technology, and score nearly 56 percent of the time in those sequences.

When viewed from that lens, Wittman’s stance from the Kings game makes more sense. The Wizards’ greatest weapon is their ability to run, and they can’t run without getting the stops needed to activate their elite defensive rebounding and, in turn, Wall’s speed.

If you can build a wall (pun intended) to stop the Wizards’ fast break, things get ugly. The Wizards are one of the few remaining teams that plays with two traditional big men, which is a built-in handicap to a strong half court offense in and of itself. Toss in slow-developing offensive sets, poor spacing, non-existent cutting and Wittman’s insistence on coaching his players to take inefficient long two-point jumpers, and it’s no wonder that Washington’s offensive efficiency dipped to 25th in the league after the all-star break.

Wall is a brilliant penetrator and improving mid-range shooter, but nobody else scares defenses. Bradley Beal has been tentative since returning from another injury, settling for too many mid-range shots and failing to gain enough separation to explode to the basket. Nene is occasionally effective in the post, but teams can play him straight up and negate his passing. Paul Pierce’s shooting has been hot and cold and he has lost a step on drives. Gortat is good in the pick and roll, but the Wizards don’t have the shooting to make that happen.

This makes the Wizards easy to guard, especially when their spacing is this bad.

Wing depth is a major problem as well. Washington let Trevor Ariza walk because they wanted to preserve cap space for a run at Kevin Durant in 2016, but haven’t found adequate replacements. Pierce can’t log 35+ minutes anymore, Rasual Butler has fallen back to earth after a hot start and Wittman’s trust in 2013 lottery pick Otto Porter comes and goes. Teams can spread the Wizards out to negate their big men and attack the slow wings off the dribble and in pick and rolls. They can also catch Wall in free safety mode on defense, where his ball-watching tendencies can be 2014 Hardenesque.

Most important player
Anyone who still criticizes John Wall should ask this question: How is he second in assists in the league with this little help? If you gave Wall the spacing that Jeff Teague currently has for the Hawks, he’d be impossible to stop. But because he must operate against defenses that can crowd the lane on him, his abilities aren’t being maximized.

The Wizards have no chance when he isn’t playing. They’re outscored by over seven points per 100 possessions when he sits, and that number was even worse before a midseason deal for Ramon Sessions. Wall has rescued the Wizards from near-death so many times this season that he often plays the entire second half. That can’t be good for his long-term health, but it’s been what’s necessary to win.

FREE CHICKEN FOR EVERYONE!!!!
If you hear the Verizon Center crowd go wild after an opponent misses two free throws in the fourth quarter, it’s not because they’re happy two points were squandered. It’s because they all get a free chicken sandwich from Chick Fil-A.

The gag has confused many over the years. Back in 2011, then-coach Flip Saunders used the fans’ enthusiasm to make a point after the Wizards were embarrassed by the Spurs.

”Words can’t totally explain how I feel. Disappointed. Embarrassed. And I feel bad from a fan standpoint. Realistically, I look, there’s 8:40 left in the game, we were down 36, and our fans were cheering for them to miss shots from the free-throw line, which says a little bit something about how your fans are trying their hardest to do whatever they can, and just want to see you go out and just play.“Saunders didn’t comprehend that they were cheering for free chicken, not his team.