CHICAGO — Despite being one game away from reaching their goal of finishing off the Chicago Bulls, the Wizards wanted to play like the more desperate team, as if they were still the underdog. John Wall continued to trumpet the Bulls as the favorite.
That mentality was evident in Trevor Ariza, as he fought through two Bulls, batting the ball to himself three times to get a steal; in Trevor Booker, who was flying all over the court to grab almost any loose carom; in Marcin Gortat grabbing three offensive rebounds on one possession in the final minutes. Finally, that hunger was found in Nene, who grabbed two offensive rebounds in the closing seconds to make sure that the Wizards would secure a 75-69 victory and claim the best-of-seven series four games to one.
For just the third time since 1979, the Wizards have advanced to the second round, by doing something that they hadn’t done in the history of the franchise – winning a seven-game series in just five games. Wall scored a game-high 24 points and celebrated by tossing the ball out to Trevor Ariza on the other end of the court. Ariza slammed the ball to the hardwood and Wall darted to him and gave him a hug.
Nene returned after serving a one-game suspension for head-butting and grabbing Jimmy Butler by the neck. The Wizards won Game 4 in Nene’s absence, getting a six-three-pointer, 30-point effort from Ariza, but they are most certainly a better team with the Brazilian big man on the floor. Declining to discuss his suspension before the game, Nene wanted to focus instead on doing what it took to close out the Bulls, which was going to be a difficult since it was going to require Washington winning three games in Chicago.
In the Wizards’ first two wins of the series, Nene presented a huge problem with his ability to stretch the floor and hit jumpers. He also made several savvy plays to will his team. Those qualities were once again on the display as he scored 20 points on 10 of 17 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. Nene abused the defensive player of the year Joakim Noah for the third time this series. After Nene hitting a series of jumpers in the second half, Noah helpless shook his head as he ran back on offense.
In the lowest scoring game of the series, the Wizards proved to have more grit and determination against a Bulls team that appeared to realize a while ago that it didn’t have enough to offense contend with Washington. Beal scored 17 points. Gortat didn’t score much, but he grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds.
The Wizards will now have to await the winner of the series between the Indiana Pacers and the Atlanta Hawks. The eight-seeded Hawks currently have a 3-2 lead on the top-seeded Pacers, who have been in a free fall for the past few months.
Andre Miller had never won a playoff series in 15 seasons, playing the most regular season games in NBA history without ever advancing to the second round. Miller didn’t have his best game, going scoreless in 10 minutes. The 38-year-old Miller missed two free throws with 16 seconds remaining, but Nene tapped the ball out to Beal, who made a free throw.
In the same building where the franchise experienced one of the greatest moments in the past 10 years, when Gilbert Arenas pulled up over Kirk Hinrich and buried a jumper that dropped through the nets to give the Wizards a 3-2 series lead. The Wizards would go on to win the series in six games but have to experience three first-round exits and a lengthy rebuilding effort to get back in position to win another series.
The Bulls missed 20 of their first 26 field goals but the Wizards were unable to get much separation because of eight first-half turnovers – two more than their total in Game 4. Washington led by nine when Beal almost had a pass picked off, but Nene tracked down the ball on the other side of the court, scooping it up with one hand before tossing the ball back to Beal. Beal pulled up for a three-pointer to give the Wizards a 28-16 lead, but the Bulls finally started to hit some shots.
Former Wizard Kirk Hinrich hit two three-pointers during a 19-6 run. Taj Gibson stole a bad pass from Beal, got fouled and made two free throws to give the Bulls a 35-34 lead. Wall scored the Wizards’ final seven points of the first half, hitting a floater, two free throws and converting a three-point play to give the Wizards a 41-39 lead. They had a chance to enter the locker room with a lead when Trevor Booker blocked a layup attempt by Gibson in the final seconds, but his teammates stood around watching as he attempted to save the ball, only to watch it land in the hands of Butler. Butler made two free throws to tie the game at the break.
Gibson had scored 32 points in Game 4, single-handedly keeping the Bulls competitive in a game that would’ve otherwise been a blowout win for the Wizards. He was forced to leave with roughly eight minutes remaining after spraining his left ankle while contesting a layup attempt by Wall. The Bulls scored the next five points to get within 65-62 but Wall responded by hitting a three-pointer and making a layup after Nene stripped Carlos Boozer.
Hinrich and Butler both led the Bulls with 16 points. Gibson had 12.