Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Wizards PG John Wall is a warrior. He has said that before, but I did not expect him to return from the five non-displaced fractures in his left hand and wrist so soon. He did though and looked like his old self against the Atlanta Hawks.
You could tell that Wall was favoring his right hand at times, but the Hawks were not able to stop him from controlling the pace of the game in the first half.
The PG got all of his teammates in rhythm during his return, and you could tell that Marcin Gortat in particular appreciated having his floor general back. Wall and Bradley Beal were also able to lockdown the Hawks’ backcourt at times, which made a huge difference for the Wizards. It was a 47-41 deficit at halftime for Washington, yet Wall was not quite as effective in the second half. The Wizards went ahead late thanks to a Paul Pierce three-pointer, but a near last-second putback by Al Horford put the Hawks over the top at 82-81 for good.
Wall is still clearly the second-best player in the Eastern Conference left in the playoffs, and his will inspired Washington on Wednesday night. It might not have been enough for the Wizards in Game 5, but they may be able to flip things around on Friday and force a Game 7. He deserves a lot of credit for toughing it out in a crucial situation, but unfortunately Pierce’s jumper was not enough at the end. Let’s see if Wall is still up and running for Game 6.
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.
