More Wizards/NBA coverage
Bradley Beal has a game-high 25 points and Trevor Ariza hits all six of his three-point attempts as Washington wins on the road.
The Wizards’ 20-year-old guard plays like a star in Washington’s Game 1 win against the Pacers and looks nothing like a playoff neophyte.
The Pacers, full of confidence after closing out the Hawks, are undone by the quiet but sharp-shooting Wizards.
Concert-going fans are unhappy that D.C. show would be put off for Game 6 in an NBA playoff series.
The death of little brother, Tajh, drove Wizards forward Trevor Ariza to success in the NBA.
“I used that as motivation that it can be done,” Gooden said.
Gooden’s faith was rewarded in Monday’s 102-96 victory at Indiana in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. Called off the bench in the first half by Coach Randy Wittman when top reserve big man Trevor Booker struggled to summon his usual energy, Gooden finished the game with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
“Thanks to him, obviously, we got this win,” said Marcin Gortat, crediting Gooden for the Wizards’ dominance on the boards. “It was all about Drew Gooden. He was just outstanding. I guess they just underestimated this guy and, you know, he brought it. He’s a veteran. He’s a talented guy and you know, he knows how to put himself in the position to rebound the ball, and his timing today was very good.”
Gooden, 32, one of just three Wizards born before Washington last won a second-round playoff game in 1982, became the first player in the shot clock era to have at least 12 points and 13 rebounds in just 18 minutes of action.
“That’s a wow to me,” Gooden said, “because I know it’s been a lot of better players, a lot of greats that had that opportunity but to throw Drew Gooden in that mix, I’m flattered.”
Gooden helped the Wizards outrebound the Pacers, 53-36. He also had seven offensive rebounds, one more than the entire Pacers team, and bounced all over the floor in relentless pursuit of the ball. The Wizards had 14 more second-chance points than Indiana, which proved to be difference in a game in which both teams shot worse than 42 percent from the floor. Washington missed 49 shots.
“If you ever have that many chances at the basket, you’re probably going to shoot a low percentage, getting 17 offensive rebounds,” Gooden said. “But when you get two, three shots at the basket on one possession, eventually one of those shots is going in.”
Gooden hadn’t played in the NBA this season before the Wizards took a chance on him in late February. Then he saw his playing time diminish after Nene returned from a sprained knee late in the regular season. Gooden received more than five minutes just once in the first round against the Chicago Bulls and sat the entire Game 5 clincher. But he has remained in playing shape and blended with his new team as if he had been a part of it since training camp.
“One thing about Drew, he’s a veteran player, so he understands the game very well. He loves basketball. He kept himself in shape when he wasn’t playing and that was big for him,” said Trevor Ariza, who scored 22 points in Monday’s win. “He wasn’t out of touch at all. He fit right in to what we were doing here. Toward the end of the season and in the first round, he didn’t play that much, but he kept himself ready and he’s hungry. He wants to play.”