May 9, 2015, Queens, NY In game one of the Eastern Conference semi-finals matchup between the surprising Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks, all-star point guard, John Wall, of the Wizards took a spill late in the second quarter. What was a first thought to be just a bad sprain turned out to be a much more severe injury. It was later revealed that John had 5 non-displaced fractures in his left wrist and hand. He was able to finish game one, however, he missed game two due to swelling and discomfort in that left wrist area. If the Wizards want to continue this great run they are having in the playoffs, they need John Wall.
The injury has clearly taken an emotional toll on his teammates. They were undefeated in the playoffs up until Wall got injured and subsequently sat out the second game of the series. They dismantled the Toronto Raptors in four games and won game one on the road against Atlanta. They won with great guard play from both John Wall and young sharpshooter Bradley Beal, while Paul Pierce provided great veteran leadership. Their bench also played well in the payoffs. Otto Porter and Drew Gooden had a great first round series against the Raptors whom everyone, including myself, thought to be the favorite in that series.
In game two, Ramon Sessions started in place of Wall and tallied 21 points and 4 assists; however, he did not do what John Wall does best which was get the team into its offense. Wall is one of the best point guards in the league who gets his teammates into the offense and into their right spots for the schemes to be successful. Bradley Beal tallied 20 points but shot a woeful 8-22. He was clearly out of sync and seemed to be forcing shots up during the game. The Wizards also missed Walls presence on the defensive end of the floor.