The Washington Wizards on Monday night saw their season come to a disappointing close after falling 115-105 in Game 7 against the Boston Celtics.
It featured a huge performance from Bradley Beal scoring a game-high 38 points on an efficient 12-of-22 shooting, but that wasn't enough to overcome the Celtics' surge in the fourth quarter that helped them cruise to a double-digit lead down the stretch of the game. According to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post, all of these left a bitter taste in Beal's mouth heading into the offseason.
Asked Brad Beal how the morning after Game 7 feels: "It's always the worst. It's always the worst. I feel like I'm hungover."
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) May 16, 2017
Washington had an opportunity to grab a win on the road against Boston behind Beal's huge offensive outing where he essentially kept his team in the game with 24 points in the second half. However, Beal didn't receive enough help from his fellow backcourt mate John Wall, who scored 18 points on 8-of-23 shooting including 1-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Wall shot just 2-of-13 from the field in the second half including missing his final 11 shot attempts while going scoreless in the fourth quarter with the game in the balance. The bench was also a non-factor being outscored by the Celtics 48-5 with all five of their points coming from Bojan Bogdanovic.
This has put the Wizards in an all-too-familiar situation having failed to make it past the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third time in the last four years. It has become the same old story for the organization, remaining just a notch below being considered a championship contender.
Washington has constructed a team that can be a constant in the playoff picture behind their dynamic backcourt, but have continued to come up short when it matters most in the postseason. All these could lead to a huge shake up in order to finally break through.
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