The Washington Wizards haven't had luck on their side during their first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals, but they also weren't able to turn the switch on shooting guard Bradley Beal.
Beal shot an anemic 4-of-15 from the field and 1-of-9 from deep for 14 points in Game 2. His low performance was especially important after John Wall dropped 40 points but was quickly running out of steam in the fourth.
At the time he was supposed to be the Robin to his Batman, Beal went 2-of-7 from the floor and turned the ball over twice during the fourth quarter an overtime, which head coach Scott Brooks attributed to the overly physical defense of the Boston Celtics.
“We have to do a better job of getting their hands off of him, one,” Brooks said. “If they're going to allow him to be guarded that way we've got to make some adjustments ourselves. We're going to look at the film and try to figure out how to get their hands off him. You're not allowed to do that, but we have to figure out how to get some better looks for him. But that's part of something we have to figure that out as a staff.”
Beal was 5-of-6 from the line while Isaiah Thomas was 12-of-13 from the stripe — a disparity that Brooks though of as unfair.
The 6-foot-5 swingman also shot a few airballs throughout the game, including a potential game-winning basket that fell short of grazing rim.
Washington will need Wall and Beal in full motor at home in order to make this a series, as the Celtics have proven they can pull off the necessary antics to come out a winner at the end of games.
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