Washington Wizards Will Face Atlanta Hawks

The wait is over.

The Washington Wizards have been #coolin’ in the nation’s capital for about a week. After sweeping the Toronto Raptors, the Wizards have emerged as a top team in the Eastern Conference.

Nobody expected the Wizards to beat the Raptors in the fashion they did. Besides a close Game-1 victory, the Wizards obliterated the higher seeded Raptors in three straight games.

Randy Wittman‘s reluctance to play small-ball changed against Toronto and it worked to Washington’s advantage.

Having Paul Pierce play the power forward position with John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter and Marcin Gortat on the floor helped Washington space the floor and produce offensively like we didn’t see in the regular season.

Wittman’s sudden realization that having spacing around Wall would fix Washington’s offensive problems came late in the season, but it happened nonetheless.

Surprisingly, the Washington Wizards were able to continue their elite-level defense, despite playing small-ball.

Along with being the best offensive team in the playoffs, the Wizards were second in defensive efficiency.

Their versatility with Porter on the floor allowed them to switch, which essentially took Toronto’s perimeter players out of the game.

Needless to say, the Wizards dominated the Raptors in the first round and will look to continue that dominance in the second round against the…Atlanta Hawks.

Atlanta it is. — Kris Humphries (@KrisHumphries) May 2, 2015

As the first seed, and quite frankly the best team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, most expected the Hawks to obliterate the Brooklyn Nets in the first round.

After gaining a 2-0 series lead, the Hawks dropped two straight games in Brooklyn. They did, however, close out the series in six games tonight.

On April 4th Hawks had a 42 point 3rd quarter vs Nets On May 1st Hawks had a 41 point 3rd quarter vs Nets — Soaring Down South (@SoaringDwnSouth) May 2, 2015

Brooklyn became too reliant on their inefficient guards, and eventually folded in the third quarter.

To make matters worse, the Hawks began to drain shots from the outside. Even though they’ve struggled offensively in the playoffs, the Hawks are still capable of lighting it up. That’s exactly what they did in Brooklyn tonight.

The Washington Wizards-Atlanta Hawks second round series will begin on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s a look at the entire schedule:

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Washington went 3-1 against the Hawks during the regular season, with their lone win coming against Atlanta’s bench late in the season.

Similar to their meetings against Toronto during the season, the Washington Wizards struggled to defend Atlanta’s perimeter play. Paul Millsap and Al Horford are both capable of stepping outside of the paint, which made life difficult for Marcin Gortat and Nene.

That problem might be solved with their new rotation, though.

Wall, Beal, Porter and Pierce have all thrived in the new small-ball lineup Wittman has finally embraced.

The Hawks will have a quick turnaround after tonight’s win and will have to bounce back on Sunday afternoon. On the flip side, the Wizards had about a week to rest, scout and get ready for their second round match up.

The Washington Wizards have nothing to lose against the Atlanta Hawks. They’ve gained all the necessary momentum in the first round. As the lower seed, Washington will continue to be the underdog.

Bring it on, Atlanta.