The Washington Wizards were a second away from pushing the Atlanta Hawks to a Game-7 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals two seasons ago.
Once the referees waved off Paul Pierce‘s final shot and the Wizards were officially eliminated in the second round for the second straight season, expectations immediately grew for the upcoming season.
Given the success the Wizards had with Pierce at the power forward spot during the playoffs, they added three players that would help them play that pace-and-space style during the regular season: Alan Anderson, Jared Dudley and Gary Neal.