The league office validated Washington’s arrival on the main stage with 18 nationally televised games – representing a whopping 22 percent of the Wizards entire schedule – including prime-time placement on the league’s premiere Christmas day slate.
For the first time since the late 1970’s, Washington begins the season with expectations of a Top-3 conference finish. If you are under 40 years old, you’ve never experienced this before.
The closest we’ve come is the Gilbert Arenas era when the team made four straight playoff appearances, but even that stretch does not compare. In 2006-07 when Washington raced to a 27-17 start (earning Eddie Jordan an All-Star coaching nod), it was a pleasant surprise – not an expectation.