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The Washington Wizards are in a battle. They have struggled at times to create offense against the Atlanta Hawks without injured point guard John Wall, but the series is still tied 2-2. The most disappointing thing about Washington though has been their crowd.
I understand why a lot of folks showed up late to Saturday’s matinee, because 5 p.m. EST is not the usual start time for an NBA game. But what is the excuse for coming late to Monday’s match? We all know that most games will not start until at least 7 p.m. EST. So what is the reason the fans didn’t show up? You can’t blame the players. They gave the fans an absolutely stunning win in Game 3 that ended with a Paul Pierce buzzer-beater. What else do folks at the Verizon Center want? The series will now go on the road, and I expect the Hawks to go up 3-2 in front of their home fans. That will obviously make Game 6 for the Wizards a must-win. The crowds in Washington tend to show up late for weekday games, and they do not really know what it is like to help a playoff team in late May and early June.
Verizon Center about 10% full 10 minutes before tipoff. Let’s go Wizards fans. pic.twitter.com/gwhWaKj0Zg
— Chris Palmer (@ChrisPalmerNBA) May 11, 2015
The Wizards have something special cooking here. The fans need to realize how important this stretch is, because Kevin Durant is on the couch watching the playoffs right now. If he sees Washington competing at a championship level, then he might consider leaving his current situation. But otherwise why would he abandon talents like Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka along with the fervent and faithful Oklahoma City Thunder fans? The Wizards need to give KD some motivation to leave, and they have not given it to him yet.
Dave Daniels is a Washington Wizards Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter: @AllDave_AllDay, like him on Facebook here or add him to your network on Google.
