So I said before the series it would be interesting to see how the first 10 minutes would go in Game 1. It was clear the Wiz were prepared as they jumped out to a large early lead and never looked back. One of the many reasons to like this team is that they have shown several times now when the opponent starts to make a run (even on their home court), the Wiz find a way to stop the momentum and continue to make shots or come up with a big defensive stop.
The intensity, focus, and confidence this group is showing is not what you would expect from such a young team. While there is intensity and focus, there is also a looseness that they play with so they don't ever seem to get flustered.
Just as the Wiz are playing with great confidence, the Pacers appear super fragile and no one exemplifies this more than the struggling Roy Hibbert. What happened to this dude? In Game 1, Hibbert had more fouls (five) than he had points, rebounds, assists and blocks combined (three) over 18 minutes. This comes after more than a month of him struggling to find his game. The performance apparently was enough for the Pacers as Hibbert was pulled aside by teammates David West and Rasual Butler and engaged in an intense discussion.
Game 2 is tonight and once again, it will be interesting to see how it starts. Will be interesting to see if Hibbert gets the start and if he comes out and tries to be aggressive. If his struggles continue, the temperamental and fragile Pacers might just implode. Either way, if the Wiz play the way they have been playing, they have a great shot at taking a 2-0 series lead coming back to D.C. I like the Wiz to take it tonight. Should be fun.
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