CHICAGO — Nene hadn’t been in the playoffs for two years, with a trade deadline deal to the Washington Wizards in March 2012 burying him with a franchise that lacked a solid foundation and was focused on the future. His time with the Wizards has been marred by injury to his feet and legs, but his ability to affect the game with his passing, scoring and intelligence was undeniable.
Coach Randy Wittman gave Nene the start for the first time since he sprained his left knee in Cleveland on Feb. 23, and the Brazilian big man responded by scoring 24 points, grabbing eight rebounds and recording a critical block in the final minutes to help the Wizards win Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Chicago Bulls, 102-93, at United Center.
The Wizards weren’t picked by many experts, with the common refrain that inexperience would derail them. John Wall and Bradley Beal, the Wizards’ young back-court mates, made their playoff debuts, but the Wizards were stocked with veterans who have been through postseason battles. With the game on the line, the Wizards’ best two players had to defer to the players who have been there before, with Nene, Andre Miller and Marcin Gortat teaming up to lead the Wizards a stunning rally in the fourth quarter. That trio and Trevor Ariza combined to score the first 24 points for Washington in the period, with Gortat giving the Wizards a 96-90 lead on a layup.
Before Gortat (15 points, 13 rebounds) silenced the crowd, Nene blocked a shot by Kirk Hinrich in the left corner. Wall had 16 points and Beal had 13, but the duo combined to shoot just 7 of 25 from the field and didn’t score until Wall made two free throws in the final minute.
Ariza made three three-pointers and finished with 18 points and Miller scored 10 points, all in the second half. Game 2 will be Tuesday in Chicago.
Before the Wizards made their long-awaited return to the postseason, Wittman — who is also making his postseason coaching debut — was asked if he his team was the underdog and he responded defiantly by saying, “No.” Wittman was confident that the Wizards had the talent to contend to the gritty Bulls and his players weren’t shy about mentioning how they had won two of three games against Chicago in the regular season.
Nene played in the Wizards’ two wins and was absent in the only loss, so Wittman made a relatively easy decision to start him with every game counting. Nene had returned to play four of the final five games and felt good enough to play an enhanced role with the postseason underway. He scored eight of the Wizards’ first 12 points and had 14 points in the first half.
The Wizards trailed 69-57 when Mike Dunleavy knocked his third three-pointer of the third period, but they refused to crumble under the cacophony. Nene hit a pull-up jumper to ignite a 13-2 run that ended when Ariza made a three-pointer to bring them within a point.
Miller started the fourth quarter and helped give the Wizards a puncher’s chance by responding to nearly every Bulls basket with a layup or jump shot of his own. Working a two-man game with Nene, the former Denver Nuggets teammates refused to let the Wizards fold. Nene found Gortat cutting to the basket for a dunk that brought the Wizards within 87-86. Ariza then gave the Wizards their first lead of the second half with two free throws.
Gortat gave the Wizards a 90-88 lead with a layup and Nene followed with a jumper that forced Bulls Coach Tom Thibodeau to call a timeout.
The Wizards had to wait nearly six years to get back into an atmosphere in which fans wore the same colors and every possession mattered. A long and painful rebuild around Wall finally paid dividends with a matchup against the Bulls, the same team that Washington’s basketball franchise has faced after prolonged basketball droughts in 1997 and 2005.
The only common link from the past playoff matchup between the franchises is Hinrich, who had a momentary stop in Washington before returning to Chicago after a stop in Atlanta. Hinrich served as Wall’s primary backup for four months, passing along some of his knowledge to the former No. 1 overall pick.
With Wall making his postseason debut, Hinrich was probably the least desirable opponent given their past history and the veteran’s tenacity on the defensive end. Hinrich flustered Wall in the half-court, forcing him to take jumpers that came up short. Wall was most effective in the open court, or by beating the Bulls before they could set up their defense.
The Bulls were effective in getting the ball out of Wall’s hands and forcing other Wizards to make plays. Beal led the Wizards with seven assists but it only helped to compensate for an otherwise difficult shooting night, with Bulls guard Jimmy Butler harassing and hounding.
In the first half, Wall and Beal combined to shoot just 5 of 17 from the floor, which made Nene’s offensive impact less damaging for the Bulls, who also shut off the three point line in the first two quarters. Washington was the fifth-best three-point shooting team in the NBA in the regular season but was limited to two in the first half. Washington connected on two more in the second half, which proved to be enough.