that has some members of Wizards faithful wishing they meet again in a first -round playoff matchup. The Wizards won the season series 2-1 but none of those games were played with Washington’s All-Star John Wall, while the Pacers played the last game without their budding star center, Myles Turner.
Turner’s absence in Saturday’s game greatly impacted how Indiana was able to attack Washington’s defense because the Wizards struggle mightily against big men who can play in the paint and stretch the floor. Typically when the Wizards play teams with big men who can extend the defense out to the three point line, is that Marcin Gortat ends up roaming too far away from the basket and dramatically lowering his opportunities to be effective defensively.