The T-shirts celebrating consecutive playoff berths failed to make a splash in the Wizards’ locker room. The players weren’t interested in a fashion statement, hailing an event that should have occurred a week ago.
Besides, they still have other statements they want to make on the court, starting with their playoff positioning.
“We’ve fought for that fifth spot all season,” Arenas said. “We don’t want to let it go right now.”
Washington (40-40) only needs to win its last two games to clinch the No. 5 seed and a first-round series against Cleveland. The other teams in contention for that spot — Indiana, Chicago and Milwaukee — all played last night and have one more game remaining.
The Wizards also clinch if the other three teams all lose their last two games or if they end up tied with Indiana. If all four teams go 1-1 in the last two games, Washington gets the nod.
“It’s in our hands what our fate is,” forward Antawn Jamison said.
The hard part for Washington is tonight’s opponent: Milwaukee. The Bucks are 2-0 against the Wizards this season, winning in Washington on a buzzer-beater and at home by three last week.
“We want to finish strong and go to the playoffs on a good note,” Washington center Brendan Haywood said. “We feel we can be competitive against anyone we play against.”
For a team that only Sunday had a five-game losing streak snapped, their confidence is growing. It starts with the return of forward Caron Butler, who scored 21 points against Cleveland after his five-game absence.
His presence enabled Antonio Daniels to return to the role he’s most effective: as a point guard off the bench, capable of scoring and playing good defense. Daniels is a decent starter, but there’s nobody else who can fill his role off the bench.
Also, the recent play of swingman Jared Jeffries has pleased Washington. He has attacked the basket more assertively of late. In the past five games, Jeffries has averaged 12.2 points – nearly double his season average — and 6.8 rebounds. He had scored in double figures only 11 times in the first 71 games this season; yet he’s surpassed that number in three of the past four games. And he’s done a good job defending Cleveland’s LeBron James in the past three matchups.
Center Brendan Haywood has played better the past two games. In the last two games combined, Haywood has had 20 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks. For the elite centers, that would be a good night. For Haywood, that represents a good two-game stretch. It’s clear that when Haywood faces a finesse center (Cleveland’s Zydrunas Ilgauskas) or a team without a center (Chicago), he’s more intense and aggressive.
The question mark, though, is this: How healthy will Washington be in the postseason? Arenas (back), Butler (thumb), Jamison (thumb) and center Etan Thomas (back) all have issues. But the Wizards have dealt with issues much of the season.
“We’ve had some ups and downs,” Jamison said, “but we’ve outlasted the adversity.”
IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY:
The Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers would face each other in the first round of the playoffs if the regular season ended today. A look at how the two teams matchup:
Wizards
Points per game: 101.6
Opp. points per game: 100.0
FG% per game: 44.7%
Opp. FG % per game: 46.6%
Rebounds per game: 41.2
Opp. rebounds per game: 42.1
Assists per game: 18.6
Turnovers per game: 14.0
Cavaliers
Points per game: 97.6
Opp. points per game: 95.4
FG % per game: 45.4%
Opp. FG % per game: 45.5%
Rebounds per game: 42.3
Opp. rebounds per game: 39.5
Assists per game: 19.0
Turnovers per game: 13.8
