Skip to content

Wizards' Beal on loss to Hawks: 'It's sad, every synonym of sad'

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Wizards fought their hardest, but it wasn't enough against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Wizards were bounced from the postseason after losing to the Hawks in Game 6. Paul Pierce nearly sent the game to overtime, but his would-be buzzer-beater was a split second too late.

Instead, the Wizards found themselves eliminated in the second round for a second straight season, leaving crestfallen shooting guard Bradley Beal to wax poetic at the podium afterward.

Beal said it perfectly: the Wizards laid it all on the line.

Beal averaged a whopping 41.8 minutes per game in the series while dominating on both sides of the ball.

He chased Kyle Korver around all series, not letting the regular-season league leader in 3-point percentage shake free to find even a sliver of daylight. Korver shot just 28.6 percent from deep, almost halving his 49.2 percent mark from the regular season.

Beal also stuffed the stat sheet with averages of 25.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, five assists and 1.7 steals per game.

His backcourt partner John Wall didn't hold anything back either. Wall fractured his hand in Game 1, but somehow managed to play a combined 81 minutes in Games 5 and 6.

Finally, Paul Pierce (who's no sure bet to return next season), proved once and for all why he's on the court: to hit monumentally important jumpers. Pierce hit the game-winner in Game 3, the near-game-winner in Game 5 and a would-be tying buzzer-beater in Game 6.

Keep your chins up, Wizards fans.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox