NBA
1/8 Finals Round 3: Washington W. - Toronto R. 106-99
Date: April 24, 2015
The Washington Wizards were in need of a savior Friday night. Their eight-point cushion had evaporated as quickly as it had developed late in the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors, to three points in a mere 32 seconds, and the tension from a sellout crowd at Verizon Center, sensing a stunning collapse, was mounting. That was when they turned to their hired gun. With the shot clock expiring, Paul Pierce gathered the basketball and executed a couple of his trademark pump fakes to fool two eager defenders. He let loose an awkward three-pointer that swished through the basket with 16 seconds remaining to add another notch to his postseason belt and the final, crushing blow in a 106-99 Game 3 victory. Pierce sauntered across the court toward the other basket. 'That's why they brought me here, the 37-year-old hooted a few times, gesturing to emphasize his declaration as the reeling Raptors, their season on the brink of virtual finality, called a timeout. It was a familiar line for the Raptors, who heard it last year when Pierce's heroics, a series-clinching block in Game 7 playing for the Brooklyn Nets, knocked them out of the postseason. Pierce reached the other end of the floor and implored the fans for more noise. Thirsty for playoff basketball moments like these, they obliged. Pierce had done what he came to Washington to do and plunged the Raptors into what has historically been an insurmountable hole. 'I can't tell you one thing I said tonight, truthfully, Pierce said. 'I'm just living in the moment. A year after surrendering Game 3 at home with a 2-0 first-round series lead on the Chicago Bulls and foundering to a 1-4 home playoff record, the Wizards successfully protected home court to claim the first 3-0 series lead in franchise history. They have the opportunity to secure a four-game sweep in this Eastern Conference first-round series Sunday evening against a team that claimed all three regular season meetings. No team has rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. 'Sunday's game is going to be harder than this, and this was by far the toughest game we've played, Wizards Coach Randy Wittman said. 'You play each other four times in a row, you pretty much know each other. I'm seeing some of these guys in my sleep. Pierce was the closer Friday, scoring 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, but he wasn't alone. Marcin Gortat, often at the receiving end of pick-and-roll dishes from point guard John Wall, posted a team-high 24 points and 13 rebounds while providing essential rim protection at the other end. Wall played through a right shoulder strain suffered in Game 1 to tally 19 points, 15 assists and several highlights, including a crowd-rousing 360-degree layup for a three-point play in the fourth quarter, to chants of 'M-V-P throughout the night. Bradley Beal added 16 points, Drew Gooden III contributed 12 points, and Otto Porter Jr. added 11. Porter is a suddenly feisty menace this series - he regularly shut down Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan and provoked him into a technical foul in the fourth quarter after blocking his shot. Porter also had a pivotal three-pointer near the end of the fourth quarter and played 34 minutes. 'I think his confidence has really grown, Pierce said. 'I think he is tired of me getting on him, too. I constantly stay in Otto's ear, pushing him, trying to get him to be the best that he can be and he's responding. DeRozan erupted for 20 points in the first quarter - the most Washington has given up to a player in any quarter this season - but he registered just 12 more on 3-for-18 shooting the rest of the way, thanks in large part to the long-limbed Porter's on-ball defense. 'It was he was either going to finish with 30 or finish with 75, Gooden joked. All the while, all-star point guard Kyle Lowry - battling illness, a shin contusion and back pain - continued his dreadful series. Lowry shot 5 for 22 and is 10 for 42 through the three games. Amir Johnson, who replaced Tyler Hansbrough in the starting lineup, recorded 12 points and 12 rebounds but Toronto was outrebounded for the third straight game, 45-41, and shot just 37.4 percent from the field. Yet the Raptors, desperate to avoid a 3-0 deficit, clawed their way back within striking distance in the fourth quarter as Washington committed six turnovers during the final period. That was when the Wizards turned to the only player on their roster with a championship on his resume, the shot-making, trash-talking old-timer soaking in every minute as his illustrious career winds NBA career. Pierce entered the series a marked man. He was the villain in Toronto, relentlessly booed for his mild critique of the Raptors in a recent interview and his role in their elimination last season. He responded in predictable fashion, registering 20 points in a Game 1 overtime triumph and solidifying himself as a difference-maker as the power forward in Washington's small-ball lineup, a configuration that has tormented Toronto but was rarely used during the regular season. 'We were saving it for the playoffs, Pierce said with a smile. Pierce understands his time as a basketball player is dwindling. He doesn't know how many moments like Friday night, times when he seizes center stage and breaks an opponent's back, remain in his career. But he had at least one more in the tank Friday. 'That's why we brought him here, Wittman said. Courtesy of: washingtonpost.com
Terms:
Field Goals : 2PM-A (2 point Field Goal made-attempts) 3PM-A (3 point Field Goal made-attempts) FTM-A (free throws made-attempt)
Rebounds : OFF (Offensive) DEF (Defensive) TOT (total)
Fouls : CM (Committed) RV (received)
Blocks : FV (In Favor) AG (Against)
Other terms : MIN (minutes) AST (assists) ST (steals) TO (Turnovers) PTS (points) RNK (ranking)
1/8 Finals Round 3: Washington W. - Toronto R. 106-99
Date: April 24, 2015
The Washington Wizards were in need of a savior Friday night. Their eight-point cushion had evaporated as quickly as it had developed late in the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors, to three points in a mere 32 seconds, and the tension from a sellout crowd at Verizon Center, sensing a stunning collapse, was mounting. That was when they turned to their hired gun. With the shot clock expiring, Paul Pierce gathered the basketball and executed a couple of his trademark pump fakes to fool two eager defenders. He let loose an awkward three-pointer that swished through the basket with 16 seconds remaining to add another notch to his postseason belt and the final, crushing blow in a 106-99 Game 3 victory. Pierce sauntered across the court toward the other basket. 'That's why they brought me here, the 37-year-old hooted a few times, gesturing to emphasize his declaration as the reeling Raptors, their season on the brink of virtual finality, called a timeout. It was a familiar line for the Raptors, who heard it last year when Pierce's heroics, a series-clinching block in Game 7 playing for the Brooklyn Nets, knocked them out of the postseason. Pierce reached the other end of the floor and implored the fans for more noise. Thirsty for playoff basketball moments like these, they obliged. Pierce had done what he came to Washington to do and plunged the Raptors into what has historically been an insurmountable hole. 'I can't tell you one thing I said tonight, truthfully, Pierce said. 'I'm just living in the moment. A year after surrendering Game 3 at home with a 2-0 first-round series lead on the Chicago Bulls and foundering to a 1-4 home playoff record, the Wizards successfully protected home court to claim the first 3-0 series lead in franchise history. They have the opportunity to secure a four-game sweep in this Eastern Conference first-round series Sunday evening against a team that claimed all three regular season meetings. No team has rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. 'Sunday's game is going to be harder than this, and this was by far the toughest game we've played, Wizards Coach Randy Wittman said. 'You play each other four times in a row, you pretty much know each other. I'm seeing some of these guys in my sleep. Pierce was the closer Friday, scoring 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, but he wasn't alone. Marcin Gortat, often at the receiving end of pick-and-roll dishes from point guard John Wall, posted a team-high 24 points and 13 rebounds while providing essential rim protection at the other end. Wall played through a right shoulder strain suffered in Game 1 to tally 19 points, 15 assists and several highlights, including a crowd-rousing 360-degree layup for a three-point play in the fourth quarter, to chants of 'M-V-P throughout the night. Bradley Beal added 16 points, Drew Gooden III contributed 12 points, and Otto Porter Jr. added 11. Porter is a suddenly feisty menace this series - he regularly shut down Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan and provoked him into a technical foul in the fourth quarter after blocking his shot. Porter also had a pivotal three-pointer near the end of the fourth quarter and played 34 minutes. 'I think his confidence has really grown, Pierce said. 'I think he is tired of me getting on him, too. I constantly stay in Otto's ear, pushing him, trying to get him to be the best that he can be and he's responding. DeRozan erupted for 20 points in the first quarter - the most Washington has given up to a player in any quarter this season - but he registered just 12 more on 3-for-18 shooting the rest of the way, thanks in large part to the long-limbed Porter's on-ball defense. 'It was he was either going to finish with 30 or finish with 75, Gooden joked. All the while, all-star point guard Kyle Lowry - battling illness, a shin contusion and back pain - continued his dreadful series. Lowry shot 5 for 22 and is 10 for 42 through the three games. Amir Johnson, who replaced Tyler Hansbrough in the starting lineup, recorded 12 points and 12 rebounds but Toronto was outrebounded for the third straight game, 45-41, and shot just 37.4 percent from the field. Yet the Raptors, desperate to avoid a 3-0 deficit, clawed their way back within striking distance in the fourth quarter as Washington committed six turnovers during the final period. That was when the Wizards turned to the only player on their roster with a championship on his resume, the shot-making, trash-talking old-timer soaking in every minute as his illustrious career winds NBA career. Pierce entered the series a marked man. He was the villain in Toronto, relentlessly booed for his mild critique of the Raptors in a recent interview and his role in their elimination last season. He responded in predictable fashion, registering 20 points in a Game 1 overtime triumph and solidifying himself as a difference-maker as the power forward in Washington's small-ball lineup, a configuration that has tormented Toronto but was rarely used during the regular season. 'We were saving it for the playoffs, Pierce said with a smile. Pierce understands his time as a basketball player is dwindling. He doesn't know how many moments like Friday night, times when he seizes center stage and breaks an opponent's back, remain in his career. But he had at least one more in the tank Friday. 'That's why we brought him here, Wittman said. Courtesy of: washingtonpost.com
 TORONTO R. (coach: Darko Rajakovic)99 |
| FIELD GOALS | REBOUNDS | FOULS | BLOCKS | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | NAME | MIN | 2PM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OFF | DEF | RB | AS | F | RV | ST | FV | AG | TO | PT | RNK | +/- |
| 65 | gReIJij, gRBiQ | 36 | 2-84 (43.2%) | 4-1 (05%) | 9-9 (655%) | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 48 | 83 | 5 |
| 9 | vITQF, KFlR | 42 | 8-68 (61.9%) | 4-65 (45%) | 8-8 (655%) | 6 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 60 | 2 | 5 |
| 60 | zIhjsIj, SBaQ | 44 | 1-9 (20.9%) | 5-5 (5%) | 8-3 (05%) | 3 | 2 | 68 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 63 | 86 | 5 |
| 46 | eIss, wRQQRjZR | 45 | 8-3 (05%) | 8-0 (35%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 65 | 1 | 5 |
| 03 | OiUURQsIj, OiUQaZV | 89 | 6-8 (05%) | 8-4 (11.9%) | 8-8 (655%) | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 65 | 7 | 5 |
| 69 | kilijZaujis, zIjis | 80 | 3-65 (35%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 4 | 9 | 65 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 84 | WallaiBs, vIuas | 62 | 4-2 (49.0%) | 5-4 (5%) | 6-8 (05%) | 5 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 5 |
| 86 | kisEuRJ, GQRaLas | 69 | 6-3 (80%) | 5-6 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | -4 | 5 |
| 05 | HijsMQIuDh, wFlRQ | 68 | 5-6 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 6-8 (05%) | 6 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| wIUil | 89-96 (42.5%) | 65-82 (40.9%) | 60-67 (97.5%) | 65 | 46 | 36 | 86 | 82 | 5 | 68 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 77 | 98 | |||
 WASHINGTON W. (coach: Brian Keefe)106 |
| FIELD GOALS | REBOUNDS | FOULS | BLOCKS | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | NAME | MIN | 2PM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OFF | DEF | RB | AS | F | RV | ST | FV | AG | TO | PT | RNK | +/- |
| 8 | Will, zIhj | 34 | 0-68 (36.9%) | 5-4 (5%) | 7-65 (75%) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 67 | 86 | 5 |
| 3 | GIQUiU, biQZaj | 38 | 66-60 (94.4%) | 5-5 (5%) | 8-0 (35%) | 8 | 66 | 64 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 83 | 44 | 5 |
| 4 | mRil, mQidlRF | 38 | 6-4 (44.4%) | 4-7 (44.4%) | 0-9 (96.3%) | 6 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 61 | 61 | 5 |
| 88 | OIQURQ, PUUI | 44 | 8-4 (11.9%) | 8-4 (11.9%) | 6-8 (05%) | 8 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 66 | 62 | 5 |
| 43 | OaRQZR, Oiul | 89 | 6-8 (05%) | 3-9 (09.6%) | 3-3 (655%) | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 62 | 66 | 5 |
| 38 | HaliQaI, XRjR | 84 | 4-9 (38.7%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 1 | -6 | 5 |
| 75 | GIIdRj, gQRT | 62 | 6-4 (44.4%) | 4-1 (05%) | 6-4 (44.4%) | 6 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 68 | 66 | 5 |
| ARssaIjs, eiBIj | 66 | 5-8 (5%) | 5-6 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 5 | -8 | 5 | |
| wIUil | 83-39 (06.6%) | 68-87 (36.3%) | 88-46 (96.5%) | 9 | 42 | 30 | 89 | 88 | 5 | 3 | 64 | 5 | 69 | 651 | 659 | |||
Terms:
Field Goals : 2PM-A (2 point Field Goal made-attempts) 3PM-A (3 point Field Goal made-attempts) FTM-A (free throws made-attempt)
Rebounds : OFF (Offensive) DEF (Defensive) TOT (total)
Fouls : CM (Committed) RV (received)
Blocks : FV (In Favor) AG (Against)
Other terms : MIN (minutes) AST (assists) ST (steals) TO (Turnovers) PTS (points) RNK (ranking)
