The script wasn’t supposed to go like this for the Washington Wizards.
After playing two very competitive games and splitting the series 1-1 against the Indiana Pacers in the conference semi-finals, the Wizards were supposed to come out firing on all cylinders in front of their home crowd in Game 3.
They did nothing of the sort on Friday. In fact, they came out and had the worst offensive game of their season, shooting just 32.9 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from the stripe to score a season-low 63 points. The only time the Wizards scored under 70 points this season was back on Jan. 10 against – you guessed it – the Pacers, suffering a 66-93 loss in the process.
It was an embarrassing performance for the relatively young squad, and the fans were less than appreciative of the effort – some of them started booing midway through the third quarter. It’s understandable to be frustrated to see the team clanking one make-able shot after another, but this is the playoffs, and booing your own team under such a circumstance is simply a terrible thing to do. NBA legend Dominique Wilkins noticed it, too, and had this to say:
Washington is looking like a very young team. Nene, Ariza & Gortat MUST pull them out of this tailspin. Can’t afford to shift confidence.
— Dominique Wilkins (@DWilkins21) May 10, 2014
Even get Gooden going with a little energy and hustle to get the home crowd going. No reason ur arena should be booing. #playoffSupport
— Dominique Wilkins (@DWilkins21) May 10, 2014
Of course, Wilkins kept it classy and said it in the nicest way possible, but you just don’t boo your own team when they are in the second round of the playoffs, regardless of the results. The worst thing about it was that it was only a 12-point game at the time, and it wasn’t as if the Wizards weren’t giving enough effort. They simply couldn’t hit the side of a barn no matter the method of attack. It happens, though, and the crowd has to stand behind them when it does, instead of acting like fair-weather fans ready to jump ship at the first sign of trouble.
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James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on twitter @SheridanBlog.